Getty Images LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
Draymond Green’s future beyond this season with the Golden State Warriors is very much in question and the Los Angeles Lakers have been pointed to as his potential next team if he hits free agency.
Green was not one of the players Golden State extended this offseason, choosing instead to lock up rising stars Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole with lucrative deals.
Green had been fairly adamant that he didn’t feel like an extension would come before the season, which didn’t mean he was plotting his exit from the only team he’s known in his career.
“I spoke on that at the very beginning [of training camp]. I said, ‘I don’t think we’ll do an extension.’ Quite frankly, that doesn’t mean that I won’t be back here. I just don’t think we’ll do an extension this year,” Green said on October 8. “So I said that at the beginning of camp. That’s not something that I’m gonna talk about all year.
“We’ve got a championship to win. I’m not one to let conversations about my future or what I’m going to do … I don’t get off into that. I don’t like to let contract drama linger. Especially when it’s involving me.”
Exec: Green Should be on Lakers’ List
At 32 years old, Green still a defensive force that can guard all five positions on the floor, is an adept passer and has been the emotional leader for the Warriors. However, he’s an offensive liability and is coming off recent controversy by striking Poole in practice.
There’s also the fact that The Athletic reported that he’s looking for a max extension, which might be more than the cash-strapped Warriors — or anyone else for that matter — are willing to do.
Green has a player option worth $27.5 million after this season and can enter free agency in the summer if he chooses to. If he does, a Western Conference executive told Heavy’s Sean Deveney that the Lakers should be interested, although Green’s offensive woes are a concern.
“They’re probably going to look for the star, make another run at Kyrie Irving even though they don’t have the max to give him. Really, though, no one is scared of them if you swap out Russell Westbrook and put Kyrie on the team,” the executive told Deveney. “Draymond Green is on the list, too, if he decides to opt out, and he probably will. He makes them a much better defensive team if you drop him onto that roster but he is getting more and more unusable on offense and they can’t afford another non-shooter.”
Green’s Admiration for LeBron James Well Known
Through four games, Green is averaging 9.5 points, 5 rebounds and 5.8 assists this season. It’s a small sample size but he’s shooting a career-best 64% from the field, hitting 25% of his 3-pointers.
Meanwhile, the 0-3 Lakers are the worst shooting team in the league, making just 40.7% of their shots. Their 21.2% mark from beyond the arc is historically bad.
What makes the Lakers a logical destination for Green is his link to James and clear admiration for the four-time MVP. Green and James share an agency in Klutch, which Green joined in 2019.
While they’ve had their battles in the Finals, the duo have built a relationship away from the court. Green has been a guest on James’ HBO show “The Shop” and has been seen with him at various events. During the Warriors’ most recent title run, Green talked about facing James and said that facing the Celtics really didn’t stack up to the challenge he battled previously.
“Well it doesn’t compare to, like, mentally playing against LeBron James, who I think is arguably the smartest guy to ever play this game,” Green said in June. “Not ‘one of,’ he’s arguably the smartest guy to step foot on a basketball court. So to say that it compares to that, it’s disrespectful to LeBron and it’s a lie to you.”