The Phoenix Suns are still trying to figure out who they are in the post-Durant and potentially post-Beal era. With Devin Booker now locked in as the franchise cornerstone through 2030, the team just made another interesting move to build around him, hiring former Michigan State star Mateen Cleaves as a player development coach.

Cleaves isn’t your typical coaching hire. The 2000 Final Four Most Outstanding Player didn’t grind his way up through G League benches. Instead, he’s an MSU legend with deep roots, not just in basketball, but with Suns owner Mat Ishbia. The two were teammates on that Spartans’ national championship team and have remained close ever since.

So when the Suns added him to the bench this week, the hire sparked some strong opinions—including from Warriors veteran Draymond Green. Shortly after the news broke, Green reposted it to his Instagram Story with a blunt assessment: “Because it makes the most sense! Watch!”

On the surface, it’s a simple endorsement. But if you’ve followed Draymond Green this past week, you know that comment carries a lot more weight. Earlier this month, Green went off on the state of NBA free agency, blaming the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and its restrictive hard cap rules for killing the usual summer chaos. “I’m sitting in my mancave having a conversation with my wife. Baffled at the fact that NBA free agency is over. Quite frankly, it never really started,” he wrote in a long, emotional post on Threads. He argued that the new system has “absolutely put an end to Free Agency” as fans and players once knew it.

His frustration wasn’t just about the lack of blockbuster deals; it was about the players themselves. Green believes a “staggering percentage of guys” have no idea how the business works and are getting burned by the new rules. “Sadly, I sit here and watch so many players overplay the market and not understand what they are up against,” he wrote.

The public critique didn’t go unanswered. ESPN analyst and former NBA GM Bobby Marks quickly responded on Twitter, arguing that Green had it wrong. “I respect @Money23Green but disagree that the apron rules has ended free agency,” Marks posted. He explained that the market has shrunk because the new CBA actually gives players more power to sign lucrative extensions with their own teams. “Why free agency has shrunk is because nearly 50 potential free agents this summer decided that guaranteed money was too valuable and signed extensions,” he wrote, adding, “The change in extension rules in this CBA allow players more earning power.”

This brings us back to the Suns. In Draymond’s mind, the Cleaves hire is a masterclass in how to build a team in this tough new era. When you can’t just go out and buy stars, you have to build from within. Hiring a trusted guy like Cleaves isn’t just about coaching; it’s about investing in your team’s culture.

It’s a move that fits right in with what the Suns have been doing all summer. They lured top assistant Jesse Mermuys from the Magic and named former grinder DeMarre Carroll as their Summer League head coach. These aren’t flashy moves, but they’re smart. They’re about development, not just dollars. In a league where the old rules don’t apply, the Suns are playing a different game. And for Draymond Green, it’s a game that just “makes the most sense.”

Draymond Questions NBPA leadership amid Jonathan Kuminga stalemate

While Green has strong opinions on the league, he’s been careful to sidestep the biggest issue facing his own team: Jonathan Kuminga’s future. As his rant about the CBA blew up, he made sure to draw a clear line.

“Before y’all run and make this about JK, it isn’t,” Green insisted. “He’s 22 and will be great and make a bunch of money, so this ain’t got nothing to do with him.” It was a smart way to keep his league-wide critique separate from the delicate talks happening back in the Bay Area.

But Kuminga’s situation is the perfect example of the problem Green is talking about. The 22-year-old wants a bigger role and a contract over $25 million a year, but the Warriors aren’t ready to give it to him. That has led to a standoff. The Warriors’ asking price in a trade is sky-high—“a decent young player and a first-round pick,” according to NBA insider Zach Lowe. With the new CBA making teams nervous about spending, Kuminga’s market is “ice cold.” The whole mess has now forced a high-stakes meeting in Las Vegas between Kuminga’s camp and the Warriors’ top brass.

Instead of getting into the weeds of his teammate’s contract, Green took aim at the National Basketball Players Association. He thinks this whole free agency mess could have been avoided if the union had a stronger leader—a leader like him. “Regardless of where I decide to let these thoughts out, I should’ve been the Players Association President lol. I could’ve helped a lot,” he wrote. “Its baffling to me how little players know about this business and how it affects them and ways most don’t understand.”

It’s a clear shot at the current NBPA president, CJ McCollum, and the players who voted for him. Green, a 13-year veteran who knows the business inside and out, is convinced he could have negotiated a better deal for the players. The fact that he’s so loud about the system while being so quiet about Kuminga says it all. This isn’t about one player’s contract; it’s about a league-wide problem that he believes starts and ends with leadership.