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NBA rumors: Draymond Green says Warriors want Kings in the first round

By Ian Levy

Oct 23, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) enters the game against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) enters the game against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /
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Potential first-round playoff matches are coming into focus and teams are eyeing ideal matchups. Draymond Green has an interesting explanation for who the Warriors want.

With just over a week remaining in the NBA regular season teams are jockeying not just for playoff spots but for ideal first-round matchups. The Warriors are currently tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the No. 6 seed in the West and are just two games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks who sit in the No. 11 seed, outside the Play-In Tournament.

The Warriors would obviously prefer to land the No. 6 seed because it means avoiding having to survive the Play-In Tournament to keep themselves in the postseason. But they’re also apparently gunning for the No. 6 seed because it will mean a matchup with the Sacramento Kings in the first round.

NBA rumors: Draymond Green explains why the Warriors want the Kings

On a recent episode of his podcast, Draymond explained why the Kings are such an appealing opponent for the Warriors, saying, “I’m not upset at if the standings shook out how they did today and we met Sacramento in the first round. Not because I think Sacramento is a weak team, because the travel is so much easier.”

Green is not wrong. The Warriors’ and Kings’ home arenas are separated by just 86 miles. If the Warriors fell to No. 7, they’d face a journey of more than 2,000 miles to FedEx Forum where the Grizzlies play. Slipping to No. 8 is only slightly better — a 1,200-mile trip to Denver to face the Nuggets.

Easy travel is an underappreciated advantage for a veteran team like the Warriors but he may also be underselling his desire to see the Kings for other reasons. The Kings are one of the lest experienced teams likely to make the playoffs in the West and the Warriors have already beaten them in two of their three regular-season meetings.

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