Draymond Green returning to Warriors' facility as final step of indefinite suspension, per report

No more distance for the Golden State Warriors and veteran forward Draymond Green.

The 33-year-old, who has been away from the team on a league-imposed suspension since Dec. 13, will return to the Warriors' facility in the coming days and will begin ramping up for a return to the court, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday.

Golden State's Thursday night matchup with the Denver Nuggets will mark Green's 11th missed game since he struck Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic during a 119-116 loss Dec. 12.

The incident led to his second suspension of the season. The first came after he put Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a chokehold.

When the NBA announced Green's current indefinite punishment, it said Green would "be required to meet certain league and team conditions” before he returns to play. The league opted not to set a number of games for the suspension in hopes to address Green's issues. He’s been taking part in individual counseling sessions along with virtual meetings with the team, league and union as he works toward eligibility for reinstatement, per Wojnarowski.

While NBA commissioner Adam Silver will have the last word on Green’s return, returning to the team to get back in basketball shape is the last step in the timeline. Once he is deemed physically fit to play, he will have met the league’s expectations, Wojnarowski reported.

Based on a separate report from Wojnarowski on Dec. 25, Green’s suspension should last 13 games at most. He could return as soon as Jan. 5 against the Detroit Pistons or Jan. 10 against the New Orleans Pelicans.

But when Warriors head coach Steve Kerr addressed reporters ahead of the team’s 121-115 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, it didn’t sound like he was expecting Green to be back anytime soon.

When asked how long Green might take to get back into playing form, Kerr said he wasn’t sure. Kerr and Green have had limited contact, only exchanging a few texts since he was suspended.

“We’ve been giving him his space, and he's been giving us ours," Kerr said Tuesday.

That space allowed Golden State to give Jordan Poole an emotional welcome back to the Bay Area on Dec. 22. The young guard was traded to the Washington Wizards after a season in which Green punch him during practice, an incident Kerr admitted was a hindrance for the team.

The Warriors signed Green to a four-year, $100 million deal in the summer. He is losing $153,941 for every game he misses during the suspension.

The Warriors have a 6-5 record during Green’s absence, a window that has featured two different starting lineups. Third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga has filled Green’s starting position recently, and Kerr told ESPN that Kuminga could potentially keep that role for the rest of the year.