Getty Draymond Green and LeBron James react during a game between the Golden State Warriors and the LA Lakers.
For now at least, Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors appear to be continuing on in their current partnership. And there’s a thought that Green will pick up his option for next season, too. That said, it feels as though bad vibes remain in the wake of the punch heard ’round the Bay.
Should the situation prove to be beyond repair, it may just be in the Warriors’ best interest to part ways with Green, his status as a Dubs legend notwithstanding.
Whether it comes via trade or by simply opting out of his final season with Golden State, one Western Conference GM believes that Green would prefer to land with his pal LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Said the GM, via Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney: “The Lakers — everyone knows he is hanging on LeBron’s (anatomy) these days. It is kind of weird. But it is obvious he wants to play there…”
To that end, here’s one hypothetical trade that would see Green heading to his apparent team of choice while netting the Warriors a pair of useful players.
Three-Way Trade Proposal Sends Draymond to LA
When looking at the nuts and bolts of a Warriors-Lakers swap, it becomes clear pretty quickly that the two teams may not make for the best dance partners; not unless you dramatically alter their existing cores, anyway.
As such, we’re including the Utah Jazz as a third team in an effort to preserve the exercise and pitch the following deal:
- Golden State Warriors receive G Jordan Clarkson, F Rudy Gay and a 2023 second-round pick (from LAL)
- Los Angeles Lakers receive PF Draymond Green and PG Mike Conley
- Utah Jazz receive PG Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick in 2026 (from LAL)
This trade gives the Warriors a high-level backcourt player in Clarkson who’s currently averaging 16.7 points, a career-high 4.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game with shooting splits of 41-37-78. The veteran could bring scoring punch and stability to a second unit that has struggled in the early campaign.
As for Gay, he could potentially step into Draymond’s old spot in the starting five if it’s determined that he still has something left in the take. Or, he could be a nice depth piece behind Jonathan Kuminga and JaMychal Green.
Finally, the Warriors clear $6.2 million off their books for this season — and millions more in tax penalty — while avoiding Green’s $27.6 million option for 2023-24 and, also, adding a draft asset.
What’s the Motivation for the Lakers, Jazz?
Whether this ought to be the objective is definitely up for debate but, if the Lakers are trying to win it all this season or next — with little thought paid to the future — Green and Conley are two playoff-tested vets with something to offer on both sides of the ball.
Green’s passing would be put to full use with weapons like James and Anthony Davis at his disposal, and Conley coming in as a skilled deep threat. Of course, the latter baller is also a high-level ball mover and orchestrator; his career-best 7.3 assists per game have helped Utah to a surprising 4-2 start.
Speaking of the Jazz, the thought entering the campaign was that they were tanking for lottery position. Turns out, they’re not quite bad enough to get the job done. By dealing key players in Clarkson and Conley, CEO Danny Ainge gets the club back on (a losing) track.
Meanwhile, that first-rounder from the Lakers could become incredibly valuable and, as evidenced by the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades, stockpiling picks is a priority for Ainge.