Teams often tolerate occasional lapses in judgment or personality flaws if success follows. The business and meritocracy components of the industry can cure most non-criminal bad optics, and if not, then at least soften the blow. It is an unsettling fact that contradicts what is burned into our brains early on, but it's unlikely to go away. The know all too well the good that comes with having on their team.

To be clear, the four-time champion has largely remained out of public scrutiny away from the basketball court. And even in that sphere, there are many times where the line is blurred when it comes to him.

Can the organization still lean on the upside its trusty defender and best energizer provides? , at least for now. “He drives them crazy,” a league source told Heavy Sports' Steve Bulpett. “But the impression I’ve always gotten when I talk to those guys is that they really don’t think they can win without him. He’s so important to how they want to play, how they need to play to win.”

It is difficult to argue with that assessment. Many fans believe the Warriors would have another championship banner hanging from the rafters had Draymond Green not been suspended (controversially) for hitting LeBron James in the groin during the 2016 NBA Finals. His intensity, defense and underrated playmaking are integral parts of this dynastic engine. Therefore, trouble could lie ahead for Golden State.