There’s a distinct possibility that after over 13 season with the Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green could find himself wearing a new uniform within the next couple of days. That’s the price of doing business when a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the table, and by all accounts, the Warriors are motivated to pair the Greek Freak with Steph Curry if at all possible.
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Trading for Giannis and his $54 million salary will take more than draft picks, though the Warriors would certainly have to include a bunch of those. It would take matching salary numbers, which is where Draymond could come in. Either Jimmy Butler or he would have to be included in the deal to make the numbers work. Notably, Nick Friedell of The Athletic reported that the Warriors have indicated to Butler that he isn’t going anywhere.
Draymond can opt out of his contract this summer, meaning a move to Milwaukee could be just a temporary one unless he works out a long-term extension. More likely, he’ll become a free agent, and though he’ll be 36 by then, a player with his defensive acumen should have no shortage of suitors.
The New York Post published a really fun feature from Melissa Rohlin today on the unlikely friendship between Draymond and his longtime nemesis, LeBron James. Draymond and LeBron have met in the NBA Finals four times. Draymond’s Warriors have won three, though LeBron won his after coming back from a 3-1 deficit after the 2016-17 NBA Defensive Player of the Yea got suspended for kicking him.
Despite their confrontational history, Rohlin wrote, Draymond and LeBron have become close friends. Once they thawed the competitive ice, they realized that they actually have a lot in common, and they’ve since vacationed together, attended concerts together, and spoken glowingly about each other on their respective podcasts.
One super interesting tidbit near the end of Rohlin’s piece is that Draymond would love to play together with LeBron, especially after seeing what Steph and he were able to accomplish together in the 2024 Paris Olympics, when they led Team USA to a hard-fought gold medal.
“I’ve always wanted to [play with him].” Draymond said.
“Saying I wanted to go to his team, that’s not the case. I’m very comfortable in my situation with 30 [Curry] and what we’ve built and what we have … I’ve always wanted the opportunity. Just to experience it, to see how he thinks, to see, all right, what I could do to help him and his thinking. Or what can I learn and pick up about what he’s thinking,” he added.
Draymond has said, “I don’t see a path to it,” when it comes to playing with LeBron, but that was before his name cropped up in these Giannis-to-the-Warriors rumors. That could all change if Draymond gets dealt and opts out.
He could finally join forces with LeBron, whether that be in L.A. or elsewhere. LeBron will be a free agent this summer, so if the two longtime rivals want to finally be teammates, it’ll be within their power to make it happen.
That’s just one subplot of what could be a crazy trade deadline. Giannis could be on the move, and so could James Harden, so buckle your seat belts for the next two days of news.
