Getty Danny Green (foreground) and Avery Bradley
For Lakers guard Danny Green, this year’s championship was not necessarily something new. He has done it before, first with San Antonio in 2014, then with the Raptors in 2019. Three NBA rings, three very different teams.
Thus he has some familiarity with the way NBA franchises handle giving out rings to players and members of the team staff. Speaking recently on his podcast, “Inside the Green Room,” Green pointed out two players who were not with the Lakers in the NBA restart in Orlando, but who deserve championship rings. Those players were injured center DeMarcus Cousins and Troy Daniels, both of whom were released after the trade deadline.
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But it was a third player who went unnamed—guard Avery Bradley—who drew some raised eyebrows from observers around the league. As Green said according to LakersDaily.com:
With basketball, with us, I’ve seen guys get rings that have been on teams for two weeks, and I’ve seen guys that have been there half the season not get rings, so I don’t know how it’s going to go. It’s ultimately up to the captains, the front office and the organization of how they want to do that, but I’m all for guys that were a part of this team getting rings.
DeMarcus was there rehabbing all year, the only time he wasn’t with us was in the bubble. Troy was with us most of the year, all year, then he also did well in Denver. The guys that have been with us on the roster and on the team, I think they all deserve an opportunity to get a ring because they were part of the team.
Avery Bradley Was a Starter for the Lakers, Played 49 Games
So why no mention of Bradley, who was a starter for the Lakers but opted out of coming back to the Lakers when the NBA reconvened in central Florida this summer? Bradley cited family concerns in skipping out on the team’s return. He had averaged 8.6 points and shot 36.4% from the 3-point line this season, appearing in 49 games.
Cousins never got healthy enough to play for the Lakers. Daniels averaged 4.2 points in 41 games.
Bradley, it is worth noting, has a player option on his contract with the Lakers. He is due to make $5 million next year, but after backing out on the restart, there is a chance that he will opt out and become a free agent. While there was public support for Bradley’s decision, there is a lingering feeling that some players in the Lakers locker room resented Bradley’s decision not to come back.
Avery Bradley Uncertain if He’d Accept Ring
Bradley did discuss this very issue back in July, weeks before the restart got underway. He said he had spoken with general manager Rob Pelinka and that Pelinka told him there would be a ring involved if the Lakers won it all. Bradley was not certain that he would accept it, though, especially because he was sitting out of the postseason.
“Rob Pelinka made me aware of the Lakers offering me a ring if they win the championship,” Bradley told Yahoo! reporter Chris Haynes. “It’s a very kind gesture on their part. … Will I accept the ring? I’m neither here nor there about it. I am 10 years in this league. The physical possession of a ring doesn’t make me feel like more or less of a person. I play basketball strictly for enjoyment and to add to the support of my family. Supporting them is exactly what I’m doing right now.”
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