Getty Lakers star LeBron James (left) and reserve guard Quinn Cook.
Well, at least they got a thank you.
A few days after guard Danny Green was traded to Oklahoma City and on the day that Quinn Cook was let go by the Lakers by not having his contract guaranteed, Lakers star LeBron James sent the pair a strong message of thanks for their contributions in helping L.A. to this year’s NBA championship.
Retweeting a “thank you” message from the Lakers’ official account, James wrote that the Lakers, “Would not have won that (trophy emoji) without them both!”
Danny Green Struggled in One Season With Lakers
Of course, there might be Lakers fans who would debate James on that one. Green came to the Lakers on a pricey, $30 million, two-year deal after he excelled in Toronto into 2018-19. With the Raptors, he averaged 10.3 points and shot 45.5% from the 3-point line, which ranked second in the NBA. He shot a career-high 46.5% from the field.
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But the Lakers never got that level of production from him. Green’s shooting numbers slumped, making just 41.6% from the field and 36.7% from the 3-point line. He played only 24.8 minutes per game. He did not redeem himself in the playoffs, either, making only 34.7% of his shots from the field and 33.9% from the 3-point line.
Lakers fans struggled to forgive Green for missing a potential game-winning shot at the end of Game 5 in the NBA Finals against the Heat. But the team’s win in Game 6 let Green off the hook.
Green was traded for Thunder point guard Dennis Schroder on Sunday, giving the Lakers a quality ballhandling backup as they prepare to lose veteran guard Rajon Rondo in free agency. Oklahoma City then moved him on to Philadelphia for Al Horford. In both cases, OKC collected a draft pick.
Danny Green should be really solid with the 76ers, especially since he is in a contract year. Don’t forget that in 2018-19 with the Raptors (also a contract year), Green shot an insane 45.5 percent from 3-point range on 5.4 attempts per game …
Speaking about Green when meeting with the media on Thursday, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said, “It’s hard to lose a player like Danny. He was the ultimate professional and really filled a great role for us and played well, but overall we just feel like this addition of a younger player to our core and for our future was something we couldn’t pass on.”
Quinn Cook Could Not Find Role With Lakers
Cook, meanwhile, never found a role with the Lakers after signing a two-year, $6 million deal last summer. The team had the option to not guarantee the second season of the deal. Cook, who grew up a Lakers fan, was thrilled to don the purple-and-gold.
As a die hard Laker fan growing up, he came here & fulfilled his dream of winning an NBA Championship with the Lakers
Thank you @QCook323 💜🙏
He appeared in 44 games with L.A., but averaged just 5.1 points and 11.5 minutes. He got consistent playing time to start the season as Avery Bradley rehabbed from an injury, but once Bradley returned, Cook’s minutes plummeted.
Even with Bradley opting out of a return with the Lakers when the team reconvened in Orlando for the NBA’s restart, Cook did not get off the bench much. He played just six of the Lakers’ 21 playoff games, for a total of 25 minutes.
Cook has earned a reputation as a valuable bench guy, and has also won a championship with the Warriors. He will likely land with a bench role elsewhere.
But the move helps carve out a little extra salary cap room for the Lakers, who will be focused on re-signing star forward Anthony Davis but will also have to fill out the roster after seeing key contributors Rondo, Bradley, Dwight Howard, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all hit the free-agent market this week.
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LeBron James Sends Strong Message to Departed Ex-Lakers