After drama-filled preseason, Warriors prepare to start title defense with season opener vs. Lakers

The Warriors entered training camp looking like everything was coming together for the team to put together a valiant title defense.

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors entered training camp with everything seemingly coming together for a vigorous title defense this season.

Stephen Curry looked to be picking up where he left off last season, and Draymond Green was praised for how well conditioned he was heading into camp. Klay Thompson and James Wiseman were finally healthy, and Jordan Poole was on the brink of securing a huge payday. Young guys  such as Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody dedicated their offseason to taking major developmental leaps in Year 2.

Then all hell broke loose.

The Warriors had a unique start to camp, jet-setting halfway across the world to play in a pair of preseason games in Japan. The trip was praised as being great for team bonding.

But that chemistry quickly came into question once the Warriors returned stateside.

Green punched Poole in the face at practice earlier this month, sparking what coach Steve Kerr called the “biggest crisis” of his Golden State tenure. But as the Warriors started to address the harm caused by Green’s outburst, a leaked video of the mid-practice fight revealed the punch was way more brutal than previously thought.

Green publicly apologized and stepped away from the team for a week. The Warriors launched an investigation into how the video got out.

While leaders like Curry, Andre Iguodala and Kevon Looney worked to bring the squad together, Golden State’s brass managed to get not one but two key extensions done. The Warriors locked up Poole and Andrew Wiggins for four more years after this season, securing them for the duration of Curry’s contract.

As for Poole and Green, well, they both said their professional relationship is fine, though there are questions whether their once-tight personal one is in tatters. The Warriors don’t believe the fight will have a lasting impact on the season. “Our team knows what it takes to win a championship,” Poole said, “and we’re going to do that on the court.”

But only time will tell.

The Warriors are trying to make the scuffle between its trusted 32-year-old veteran and flashy fourth-year guard a thing of the past. Green, though, acknowledged he caused a “dark cloud” that will hang over opening night Tuesday when the Warriors are set to get their blingy championship rings and unveil a new banner at Chase Center. But the team they’re playing is as much a part of the NBA’s made-for-reality-TV spectacle as the Warriors.

Golden State will welcome in the Los Angeles Lakers, another team that has dealt with a fair share of preseason drama.

Russell Westbrook, who’s caught heat from the LA fan base since he was traded to the Lakers before last season, was at the center of serious trade talks heading into training camp. In what first-year coach Darvin Ham called an “exploratory move,” Westbrook came off the bench in the Lakers’ preseason finale for the first time since his rookie season as the Lakers desperately seek a fit for the Future Hall of Famer. But the experiment was temporarily paused when the future Hall of Famer left the game with a hamstring injury.

While the Lakers try to find a solution for their woes, Curry and the Warriors seem like they are much more in a position to chase after another ring.

Green once said the NBA is the best soap opera in the world. Count the preseason as just the pilot episode for what’s to come this season.

Last season results: 53-29 overall and finished with No. 3 seed in Western Conference. They went on to beat the Celtics in six games for their fourth championship in eight years.

Projected starting 5: Point guard Stephen Curry, shooting guard Klay Thompson, small forward Andrew Wiggins, power forward Draymond Green, center Kevon Looney

Noteworthy departures: Forward Otto Porter Jr., guard Gary Payton II, forward Nemanja Bjelica, guard Damion Lee, forward Juan Toscano-Anderson

Newcomers: Guard Donte DiVincenzo, forward JaMychal Green

2022 draft picks: Forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. (No. 28), guard Ryan Rollins (No. 44 via trade), forward Gui Santos (No. 55)

Projection: They’ll finish top three in the Western Conference again and make another run at the title.