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As two of the headliners on a championship-winning squad, Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant will always be linked to Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green. The two co-stars won back-to-back titles during Durant’s time with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
Draymond was drafted by the Warriors in 2012 and has helped form the franchise into a dynasty capturing four titles during his tenure. But his time in Golden State could be nearing a close as the front office has some tough decisions to make. Green, Jordan Poole, and Andrew Wiggins are all looking to be re-signed for max money.
Unfortunately, the Warriors don’t have the money to re-sign all three to max deals. If Draymond does end up being the odd man out, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith says he could look to re-sign with the Los Angels Lakers as a free agent.
“Now [Draymond] wants to be a Laker. He ain’t tell anybody that but don’t think I don’t know. He’d prefer to be a Laker if he got to leave Golden State,” Stephen A. said on ESPN’s “First Take”(via ClutchPoints). “But he’s looking for a payday, going to get 25 million this year, he’s got a player option for [$27 million] next year.”
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Kyrie Irving Eyeing Lakers in Free Agency
Green isn’t the only superstar free agent that could be on the Lakers’ radar. So too could be, Nets star Kyrie Irving. Irving was linked to the Lakers for much of this off-season’s free-agency period.
With the uncertainty surrounding Durant’s future after he made his trade request in June, Brooklyn had preliminary discussions on a trade that would have swapped Irving with Lakers star Russell Westbrook. But those conversations never advanced past the beginning stages.
But this summer, Irving will be an unrestricted free agent, allowing him to choose his next destination freely. Smith says that, like Green, Irving too could be looking to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Lakers.
“This is it. Barring a trade before the trading deadline, this is [Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving’s] last season together. They’re not re-signing with Brooklyn. Kyrie’s not re-signing with Brooklyn. … He is trying to go to Los Angeles,” Stephen A. Smith said on “NBA Countdown” (via HoopCentral).
“That’s what he was trying to do over the summer. That’s what he’s trying to do now. He knows that he’s got to get through this season. Whether they win or lose, Kyrie is pretty much gone.”
Stephen A: Warriors ‘Probably Hoping’ Green Opts Out
Like Irving last summer, Green has a player option for the final year of his deal next season. It means this summer, he can elect to opt out of the $27.5 million option in his contract for 2023-24 and test the free agent market. Smith says the Warriors are ‘probably hoping’ Green doesn’t opt-in. The money he potentially turns down can be allocated toward paying Poole and Wiggins.
“The Warriors are probably hoping [Draymond Green] don’t opt in because they’d have to pay him on top of the cash that they know they got to pay in Poole and Wiggins. So, because of that, this year, I think is, very, very salvageable,” Smith added.
“Because I think that Draymond Green, who wants his money, knows — especially since [the altercation with Poole] happened — that he’s got to go out there, he’s got to be on his best behavior, and he’s got to bring the game of his life if he wants a new extended contract from somebody else other than the Warriors. Because I think this is his last year as a Golden State Warrior.”
The Lakers could be gearing up the create the NBA’s next great super team. It will be interesting to see if they get it done.
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