Draymond alleges KAT missed contest vs. Warriors to avoid Jimmy

Draymond Green baselessly suggested New York Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns missed Tuesday's contest versus the Golden State Warriors because he was scared to confront Jimmy Butler.

"Some would say he didn't play because Jimmy was in the building. I don't know," Green said on "The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis," courtesy of SNY's Ian Begley.

He added: "I don't know what was hurt. I didn't look that deep into it to figure out what his injury was or nothing like that."

Towns was listed as out due to personal reasons. He said Thursday that he missed Tuesday's game to deal with the death of a family friend, according to the New York Post's Stefan Bondy.

Green said he was sorry to hear about the circumstances of Towns' absence when he learned of them after the Warriors' victory over the Brooklyn Nets late Thursday, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

"That sucks. But my comments that I made was that 'people I heard was this.' And that's what I heard. So I do send my well wishes to him and his family. ... It's inevitable. We all experience death in one way or another, and we'll all experience it in the same way one day. So it's unfortunate. You never wish that on anybody, but the 'Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis' must go on. So I definitely wish them well and wish their family well. ... But the 'Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis' will go on."

Towns has played against Butler multiple times following their tenure together with the Minnesota Timberwolves, including earlier this season when Butler was with the Miami Heat.

Butler and Towns were at the center of an infamous Timberwolves practice in 2018, which Green alluded to in his speculation. Butler reportedly targeted Towns and Wiggins while scrimmaging with Minnesota's third-stringers against its starting lineup. He then singled out Towns and Wiggins for not playing hard enough during an interview with ESPN.

Butler was shipped to the Philadelphia 76ers a month later.

He also had an acrimonious departure from Miami. The six-time All-Star was suspended three times for conduct detrimental to the organization before being traded to the Warriors.

Golden State is 9-2 since Butler's arrival.