In the ramp-up to March’s trade deadline and an NBA All-Star game in the middle of a pandemic, the priorities of the players and management are front and center.

And after the Golden State Warriors’ (15-13) 129-98 win over the visiting Cavaliers on Monday, Draymond Green took to the podium to address Cleveland’s purposeful sitting of center Andre Drummond as the team tried to find a trade for the big man.

“To watch Andre Drummond before the game sit on the sideline, then go to the back and then come out in street clothes because a team is going to trade him is bulls**t,” Green said. “A team can come out and say ‘oh we want to trade a guy’ and then that guy has to go sit, and if he doesn’t stay professional, then he’s a cancer, and he’s not good in someone’s locker room and he’s the issue.”

Drummond shared his gratitude for Green’s support on his Instagram story on the same day Cavaliers GM Koby Altman shared with ESPN the team’s plans to sit Drummond, but Green’s criticism of the double-standards in player treatment extended beyond the Cleveland center.

The Warriors’ forward – fresh off of a season-high 16 assists in just 29:47 on the floor – pointed out the hypocrisy of criticism towards now-Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden when he wanted out of Houston earlier this season. He explained while Harden’s conduct was regarded as taboo, mistreatment during personnel decisions of two of his former Golden State teammates was acceptable.

“(Harden) was castrated for wanting to go to a different team, and everybody destroyed that man,” Green said. “And we’ve seen situations of Harrison Barnes getting pulled off the bench (while in Dallas) and DeMarcus Cousins finding out that he’s traded in an interview after the All-Star game and we continue to let this happen. But I got fined for stating my opinion on what should happen with another player… at some point, as players we need to be treated with the same respect and have the same rights that the team can have.”

Green is no stranger to a critical environment towards players exercising their autonomy, as he played with Kevin Durant as the former member of the Oklahoma City Thunder was lambasted for joining the Warriors in 2016.

Support from other professional athletes came in, with Bulls guard Zach LaVine and Lakers team union representative guard/forward Jared Dudley expressing agreement. Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey also connected the statements to the NFL as that league deals with growing exercises of player autonomy from the likes of Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.

As Green wrapped up his time at the podium, he expressed support for his former USA basketball teammate guard Kyrie Irving, who took a seven-game break from the team in January to improve his mental health, and connected that situation to Drummond’s.

“You can say Andre Drummond is getting traded publicly and we’re looking to trade him publicly and he’s to stay professional?” Green said. “But then when Kyrie Irving (says), ‘Oh, my mental health is off’ and everybody goes crazy. Do you not think that affects someone mentally? As much as we put into this game to be great, to come out here and be in shape, to produce for fans every single night and, most importantly, to help your team win, do you not think that doesn’t affect someone mentally?”

The forward’s comments came after players like Lakers forward LeBron James – who also went to Instagram to voice his support for Green – expressed disapproval of the league’s decision to hold an All-Star game in Atlanta in March in the midst of a pandemic, raising concerns over the lack of rest provided for players in the altered schedule.

Either way you slice it, the optics of holding an All-Star game right now and disproportionately criticizing players and not teams for business decisions are not good.

Voices like Green’s and James’ seem ever-willing to weigh in on issues and won’t be going away anytime soon, which could pose a problem to NBA executives in the near future.

And when it comes to trends like sitting players to trade and scrutinizing those wanting to take their careers into their own hands, in true Draymond fashion, he lets you know where he stands.

“It’s ridiculous and I’m sick of seeing it.”