Few NBA players to never play together have as close of a relationship as Draymond Green and LeBron James. Despite having some hostile moments in the mid-2010s rivalry, Green goes out of his way to praise and defend James any time he gets the chance. LeBron leaving the Los Angeles Lakers to fully test the free agent market has led to Green having some choice words for the NBA franchise.
Draymond used his podcast to declare that the Lakers will regret losing James in multiple ways:
“Then there’s the basketball side of it. Anytime LeBron James is on the floor, your team has a chance to win. But you also have to account for him in a major way. Personally, I think the Lakers are going to feel that next season.
Now that he’ll be gone, I think the pressure on Luka rises. Luka is built for it. But I think the pressure on Austin Reaves rises even more. Personally, I think the Lakers organization will feel LeBron’s absence more than they realize, from both an economic standpoint and just his overall presence. Bron is such a massive force.”
Green thinks that the Lakers will both suffer from making less money without LeBron on the roster and that the team will decline. Luka Doncic was praised by Draymond for being “built” for the face of the franchise role. However, Austin Reaves was named as having a lot more pressure without James there to help share the lead roles.
Draymond Green Badly Wants To Team With LeBron
The friendship between the two is obvious, but the basketball side sees Draymond dreaming of playing with LeBron. Golden State Warriors’ management was able to convince Green to decline a nearly $30 million player option to increase their chances of signing James.
Initial rumors indicated that the Warriors would try to trade for Anthony Davis from the Washington Wizards to further convince LeBron to join. Green will likely accept a massive pay cut to get James on the roster if that scenario unfolds as desired.
Golden State will be expected to pay Draymond close to the option he turned down if they strike out on signing LeBron or any other star to improve their title contending hopes. Regardless of what happens, it is telling that he’s willing to take less money for the honor of playing with James.
Pressure Growing On Lakers For Losing LeBron
The Lakers will always have pressure on them, especially for an offseason they franchise spent multiple years planning for. Doncic and Reaves give them a solid first two options, but the moves made this summer have created concern.
Losing LeBron, likely Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, DeAndre Ayton, and Jaxson Hayes see over a third of the roster from last season gone. The Lakers have added Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, and Quentin Grimes as the major additions.
A fair argument can be made that the Lakers got worse talent for talent after finishing as a top four seed in the Western Conference. If LeBron’s next team thrives and the Lakers take a step back, Draymond’s words will be proven right with the NBA world slandering them for losing an icon.
Draymond Green Vows Lakers Will Regret Losing LeBron James