Getty Rob Pelinka, Los Angeles Lakers
If the Los Angeles Lakers have been telling the truth about wanting to stand pat on making a trade until the right candidate comes along, then now is the perfect time to make a move.
With Draymond Green’s position with the Golden State Warriors hanging by a thread, Rob Pelinka has an opportunity to finally strike a deal that could see Los Angeles quickly leap back into championship contention. However, according to NBA analyst Trevor Lane, the Lakers will need to find a third team willing to enter into the negotiations, if they want to get a deal over the line.
Looking at the Warriors’ options with Draymond Green and potential trades if they go that route-
“The Lakers made the decision not to trade Russell Westbrook and both their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield, taking the gamble that something better might come along midseason. And isn’t this the sort of situation they would be looking for…Add in the fact that Green is a Klutch Sports client and the pieces start to come together…The challenge is that the Spurs and Pacers, who both have cap space to help facilitate a deal, offer most of their value in outgoing players at the center position (Turner and Jakob Poeltl), where Golden State already has Kevon Looney and James Wiseman,” Lane wrote in the latest edition of his newsletter.
Green might not be the type of player to fill the box score, but he’s a proven winner and arguably the best complementary player in the entire league – putting him alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Patrick Beverley would quickly make the Lakers a diverse two-way threat with tons of championship experience to call upon.
Trae Young Sounds Off on Draymond Green
Shortly after footage of Green punching Jordan Poole surfaced on Twitter, there was an influx of reactions and responses from fans, media members, and players across multiple generations.
Yet, no players’ reaction had as much of an impact as Trae Young’s – as the star guard shared his belief that the four-time NBA champion is trying to find a route to the Lakers.
Draymond is tryna get to LA.
Damn ! 😳
Of course, this is just one player’s opinion, but if Green truly wants to join the Lakers, he doesn’t need a trade to do so – instead, he could see out the final year of his current contract, decline his player option, and sign with the team as an unrestricted free agent next summer. However, that would mean Green remains with the Warriors throughout this season, and at this present moment, his position within the organization looks untenable.
Green Could Join the Lakers as a Free Agent
As noted above, there is a genuine path for Green to find himself wearing the purple and gold in the 2023-24 NBA season – and it’s one that a Western Conference Executive, who spoke to Heavy.com’s Sean Deveny under the condition of anonymity – believes is a genuine possibility.
“If he gets a big offer from Detroit, as one example, or maybe Dallas or the Lakers, somewhere he would like to play? He is not going to be shy about leaving. He understands this business…He is Klutch. you know he loves being on the barbershop show with LeBron. He wants to have an entertainment career when he is done playing. You don’t need to be in L.A. for that but it helps,” The executive said.
Green has been with Golden State since they drafted him in 2012 with the 35th overall pick, since then, Green has amassed career averages of 8.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game with 31.5% shooting from deep and 51.4% shooting from two-point range.
He might not be the superstar addition Lakers fans have been waiting for, but Green could very easily become the difference maker for Los Angeles, and help them re-emerge as serious championship contenders for the rest of LeBron’s tenure in Tinseltown.