Lakers: Is Jordan Poole-Draymond Green Contract Extension Drama This Era's Version Of Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal L.A. Beef?

When footage leaked of Golden State Warriors All-Star power forward Draymond Green punching sixth man guard Jordan Poole in the face just months after they won a title together, Los Angeles Lakers fans couldn't be faulted for feeling a tinge of deja vu.

Hoops experts apparently felt similarly. Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson" appeared on the Bally Sports Network and Stadium TV's Live On The Line to discuss the parallels between the Poole-Green issue, rumored to concern potential contract extensions, and the conflict between Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant that finally bubbled up in the Lakers' 2003-04 Finals-bound season. O'Neal famously was hoping for a significant contract extension of his own from then-team owner Dr. Jerry Buss, while Bryant had been angling for a trade away from his All-NBA teammate, hoping to make his mark as the No. 1 option somewhere.

Poole recently inked a four-year extension that could be worth up to $140 million. Another Warrior, All-Star small forward Andrew Wiggins, did manage to sign a four-year extension of his own, as well, worth a potentially below-market $109 million. Green, who has a $27.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season, was left without a contract extension.

"The champs are still trying to be the champs."@ScoopB talked about where the Warriors are after the Poole punch and extension #LiveontheLine | @BetMGM pic.twitter.com/NAcDu84fyr
— Live on the Line (@LiveontheLine) October 17, 2022

Here's a transcript of Robinson's key notes on the situation:

"The champs are still trying to be the champs," Robinson said. "[It] kind of reminds me of Kobe Bryant and Shaq when the Lakers ultimately decided to go with Kobe instead of Shaq, but it doesn't have to be that way, and here's why: Draymond Green is the heart and soul of that '77 Chevy. You don't just give away a classic '77 Chevy, you find a way to upkeep it, you keep it moving. There'd be no championship in 2015 without Draymond Green... I think that ultimately they're going to have to come to a decision on what's what, and I think that this is a motivating factor.... He's got to earn that trust back and I think he's working behind the scenes to do that with his teammates."

One day after this interview, Green released a spectacularly strange non-apology apology video that was aired on TNT before tip-off of the Warriors' eventual 123-109 defeat of your Los Angeles Lakers, a much less talented squad. The Green video is not exactly going to quiet the noise surrounding the altercation.

In the actual game, neither Poole nor Green played particularly well in the win. Poole shot poorly from the field (4-of-15), while Green had a Draymond-ian four-point, five-assist, five-rebound night in just 24:41 minutes.