Getty Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors and Draymond Green have now been roped into the whirlwind of rumors surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. On Monday afternoon, Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported that Kyrie Irving urged the Mavericks to trade for LeBron James.
Months earlier, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons predicted that James would not only head to Dallas this summer, but find a way to bring Green with him, as Golden State’s No. 23 has the chance to opt out of the final year of his contract.
Amidst the rumors, the “Pick a Side” podcast reacted to a mock trade that would make Simmons’ prediction a reality. During a stream for Bleacher Report, the trio broke down a deal that saw the Mavs land James and Green, while gutting the rest of the roster to satisfy the other two teams.
Golden State Warriors Receive: D’Angelo Russell, Christian Wood, Reggie Bullock, Two first-round picks
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Jaden Hardy, Moses Moody, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., Davis Bertans, Three first-round picks
Dallas Mavericks Receive: LeBron James, Draymond Green
The trio did not specify which first-round picks would get sent where, but a deal like this doesn’t seem like it’d work out. Green is a wildly important part of everything that the Warriors do. It wouldn’t make sense to offload him when none of the assets coming in return make the team much better.
Russell already spent a half season in the Bay and it was a disaster. The Warriors were just 8-25 in games when he took the floor for them, during the 2019-20 season. Granted, the team was dealing with injuries at the time, but the success just wasn’t there. At the very least, re-adding him to the roster is not worth letting Green go.
The only way this remotely makes sense for the Dubs would be if they’re giving up on the current core and entering rebuilding mode. Even then, the majority of Dallas’ young talent winds up going to L.A., and not to Golden State.
Mavericks the ‘Right Place’ for Warriors’ Draymond Green
Rumors of Green heading to Dallas are not a new thing. A few months back, an anonymous Western Conference general manager told Heavy Sports‘ Sean Deveney that he believes that Dallas may be the “right place” for the 33-year-old to end up, should he leave the Warriors.
“I have always thought Dallas would be the right place for him. Put him with Luka, another supercompetitive guy, and those two could really raise everyone’s level,” the source told Deveney. “Or they could drive everyone crazy, they could drive each other crazy and wind up at each other’s throats. I think Draymond is the exact right kind of guy you want with Luka [Doncic], though, someone who cares about winning as much as he does.”
Steve Kerr Wants Draymond Green Back With Warriors
In recent weeks, there’s been no indication that Green’s time with the Warriors is coming to an end. In fact, head coach Steve Kerr believes that the star forward is key to the team’s success moving forward. He told reporters so a few weeks ago during his exit interview.
“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. He’s a competitor. He’s an incredible defensive player.”