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During their Game 6 loss to the Miami Heat in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals, the Philadelphia 76ers’ season was not the only casualty.
Guard Danny Green tore the ACL and the LCL in his left knee, and there was concern that the injury could threaten his 13-year career. But just three and a half months since he underwent surgery, Green already is back on the court.
Famed shooting coach Chris Matthews posted a video on Twitter on August 31 of the shooting guard and small forward practicing 3-pointers. “The doctor gave us the ok to get that jumper back on auto-pilot. Last two seasons Danny Green shot 40% from 3PT. Feels good to get back in the gym with my guy,” Matthews wrote.
What’s Next for Danny Green
Green’s focus will be on making an impact on the Memphis Grizzlies this season after the 76ers traded him and their 23rd overall pick on draft night to Memphis in exchange for De’Anthony Melton. He is still several months away from suiting up and playing.
“From a player performance standpoint, Danny Green actually profiles as someone the Grizzlies could use,” The Memphis Commercial Appeal’s Damichael Cole wrote on August 24. “The problem, however, is that he tore his ACL in the playoffs and won’t be available until some point in the second half of the season at the earliest.”
He is due $10 million for the upcoming season, but that number is non-guaranteed. Due to the salary-matching rules of a trade, Green, 35, was guaranteed $6.9 million after being sent to Memphis. According to Mike Scotto of USA Today’s HoopsHype, the remainder of the deal is still to be determined and the two sides agreed to extend the deadline to decide as he continues to recover.
“Danny Green’s guarantee date is no longer July 1. His $10M salary now becomes fully guaranteed if not waived by Jan. 10 league-wide cutdown date, sources told @HoopsHype colleague @Yossi Gozlan and me. Green’s guaranteed amount was increased to $6,964,781 to be traded to Memphis,” Scotto tweeted on June 28.
If he does stay in Memphis, expect Green to grow into a valuable contributor. The youthful Grizzlies took a massive step forward last year to earn the second-best record in the NBA. If he sticks with the team Green will have a chance to provide necessary veteran leadership to Memphis.
He made an incredibly positive impact during his time in Philadelphia beyond what was expected. The veteran also hinted on his podcast, “Inside the Green Room,” that he had discussed a return to Philadelphia with Embiid if his contract gets bought out.
Danny Green’s Time With Sixers
Green was first traded to the Sixers in the deal that sent Al Horford out of town. It was one of Daryl Morey’s first moves upon taking control of the organization. Green was a very impactful role player during the two seasons he spent in Philadelphia. He averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game across his 131 games. The North Carolina product also shot 39.5% from beyond the arc with the Sixers and attempted a career-high 6.3 three-point attempts per game during the 2020-21 season.
In both years with the team, an injury to Green in the playoffs exposed the lack of depth the Sixers had behind him. The veteran proved to be an ideal complement to Embiid due to the spacing he provided. The starting lineup of Green, Seth Curry, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Embiid recorded 13.8 more points than their opponents per 100 possessions in 2020-21 while logging over 655 game minutes together.
The holes in the Sixers roster and the fact that Green would be unable to suit up at the start of this coming season made it clear that moving on was the right decision.
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