SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green believes the Warriors would still be playing if it hadn’t been for him.

Speaking to Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s alternate broadcast of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night, Green said the blame for the Warriors’ shortcomings fall directly on him for splintering the locker- room trust 10 months ago.

Everything changed for the Warriors when Green punched Jordan Poole in the face and, days later, video of the chemistry-shattering jab leaked to the public.

Green took a backseat during the first few months of the season, trying to allow time to heal the wounds he caused. But as he walked on eggshells trying to pick his spots to speak out, the Warriors floundered.

Instead of a title defense from the top of the league, Golden State was around .500 all season, barely avoided the play-in and ultimately fell in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers in the West semifinals.

Green said he started to feel more empowered to use his voice around February, but by then, it was too late to change the trajectory of the Warriors’ season.

“You are who you are at that point,” Green told Smith. “You built bad habits. That is who you are now. And so to try to correct them then, it’s like, OK, you might get a little bit better — we did, we ended up in the second round of the playoffs — but not at a championship level.”

Coach Steve Kerr also got real about the impact Green’s punch had on this season.

“There’s no hiding from it, the incident with Draymond and Jordan at the beginning of the year played a role in” the Warriors’ championship culture shift, Kerr said.

The incident between Green and Poole almost served as a metaphor; the Warriors’ touted two generations of the Warriors’ dualtimeline plan squared up for an inevitable blow up.

The veteran trio had spent the last decade tailoring their strengths and skill sets around each other to become a three-headed monster wreaking havoc around the league. Poole earned a spot in Kerr’s “Foundational Six” with a breakout 2021-22 campaign.

But some of the younger players were frustrated by their playing time this season, and the disconnect between the two generations was prevalent.

“One of the tricky parts of having a roster that’s so different in terms of the age groups is that it’s pretty natural that over a decade you’re going to build up these really strong bonds … We’ve got this group that has been together for a long time and has earned a lot of trust, and then we’ve got a lot of young guys who are just trying to find their way in this league,” Kerr said. “Those relationships within the organization have to be forged.”

To put it quite plainly, this offseason the Warriors have two options: Make-up or break-up. Clear the air or choose between winning with the tried-and-true veteran group or developing the up-and-comers.

The Warriors’ financial situation, with their payroll on pace to surpass the $400 million threshold owner Joe Lacob didn’t want to cross, might make the decision for them.

Green has a $27.6 million player option for next season that he could choose to exercise or not. Even if he opts out, however, he could re-sign with the Warriors for a longer-term deal, perhaps one that lines him up with Stephen Curry, who’s signed through the 2025-26 season.

Meanwhile, Poole’s fouryear, $123 million extension, which he signed shortly after the punch, will kick in this upcoming season, paying the soon-to-be 24-year-old guard $27.5 million in the first year of the extension and escalating from there.

Kerr said he wants to continue to coach Poole and believes he has a bright future in the league. Poole wants to be back, too.

“Yes, I’m in the fabric. Yes, I belong here in this organization, bridging the gap,” Poole told the Ringer. “I’m a young guy who was drafted here. We won a championship last year, and we have another chance to do it again. And I don’t know why anybody else would feel otherwise. I don’t think anybody is thinking like that.”

But Kerr was even more forceful in his desire for Green to return, too.

“Look, if Draymond is not back, we’re not a championship contender,” Kerr said. “We know that. He’s that important to winning and to who we are. I absolutely want him back.”

It’s setting up a summer where something will need to give — and someone might need to go — before the Warriors return to the court for training camp in September.