Draymond Green is getting called out for spreading an uninformed and unsubstantiated rumor about New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns missed the Knicks 114-102 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Green hinted on his podcast — “The Draymond Green Show” — that KAT skipped the game because he didn’t want to go head-to-head with his former teammate, Jimmy Butler.
Butler was recently traded to the Warriors. Butler and Towns had a well-documented falling out when they were teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves. The tension stemmed from Butler’s ultra-competitive mentality clashing with Towns’ perceived lack of toughness and leadership.
Tensions boiled over during a heated practice after Butler had requested a trade. He returned to practice and dominated a scrimmage using backups against Minnesota’s starters, including Towns.
Because of their history, Green believed Towns was trying to dodge a showdown with Butler. The Knicks big man was listed as out for personal reasons.
“Some will say he didn’t play because maybe because Jimmy was in the building,” Green said. “They said KAT didn’t play because Jimmy came into town. Him and Jimmy had the infamous practice in Minnesota. I don’t know what was hurt. I didn’t look that deep into it to see what his injury was.”
The rumor gained some steam, with Chris Broussard repeating it on FS1’s “First Things First.”
“There’s a rumor out there. Draymond said it on his podcast,” Broussard said. “Draymond said the word is he didn’t want to play against Jimmy Butler.”
Draymond Green Faces Backlash for Statement
Once the clip circulated, numerous insiders weighed in, stepping up to defend Towns.
“Draymond ignorantly/maliciously suggests KAT was ducking Jimmy Butler on Tuesday. 1. KAT missed the game to comfort his girlfriend after her aunt died from cancer. 2. KAT played Butler in Miami earlier this season and hung 44 points on the Heat. Fellow players need to call out idiots like Draymond for this (expletive),” Tommy Beer of Knicks Centric wrote on X.
Ian Begley of SNY also weighed in.
“Draymond Green suggests on his podcast that Karl-Anthony Towns missed Tuesday’s game vs GSW because he wanted to avoid Jimmy Butler. Green casually throwing this out there on his platform without researching the situation is extremely irresponsible,” Begley said.
It’s not the first time Green has publicly attacked Towns. In a message on X earlier this season, he criticized Towns’ defensive effort against Nikola Jokic, saying he didn’t have the “mental edge.” The Knicks won the game against the Nuggets and Jokic was held to 17 points.
Karl-Anthony Towns Says Beef With Jimmy Butler Behind Him
Since their breakup, Towns has addressed his “beef” with Butler at various points. They’re not buddy-buddy, but there seems to be a level of respect.
“We had our differences, but we’ve seen each other at All-Stars and we’ve talked,” Towns said in 2023. “I’ve asked how his family was; he’s asked how my family was. I think we’re at a cool spot.”
Towns has thrived in New York since arriving via trade in October. He was named an All-Star starter, averaging 24.5 points and 13.4 rebounds this season.
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