NBANews

3 NBA Teams Viewed As Legit Draymond Green Suitors

3 NBA Teams Viewed As Legit Draymond Green Suitors

Draymond Green has been an instrumental part of the Golden State Warriors’ championship dynasty.

Not only has he been there for all four of the team’s championships over the last eight years, but the one time he went and got himself suspended – the Warriors immediately got upset by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Green is currently entering the final year of his deal. He is due $27.6 million this season and will become an unrestricted free agent after that.

By all accounts – he will seek a max contract this summer. The Warriors have hinted that they will not give it to him.

So where does that leave all parties involved?

Recently NBA insider Sean Deveney spoke with a Western Conference executive who believes three teams have the inside track on stealing Green away: the Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Los Angles Lakers.

“He does not want to, but if you ask around, I think there is a sense that he would,” the exec said.

“There is a limit on how much they’re going to spend to keep this thing together and because they have young guys are just about every position, they’re approaching it like there’s no one outside of Steph that they have to keep.

“Look, it would suck for them if Draymond left, it would suck to call up Steph and have to tell him, but Draymond has made it clear he is about player power. 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.”

All three of those squads make sense for their own individual reasons.

“He has always thought about playing for Detroit, helping his hometown of Flint at the same time. He would love to play with a superstar like Luka where he has to just play off him,” the executive continued.

“And 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.”

Green has been very open this summer about which recently-departed Warriors player he will miss most in 2022-23. That means he is keenly aware of Golden State’s financial woes at the moment. And it is precisely those issues that may preclude him from returning next year.

Ownership recently discussed Green’s pending status, and the statement didn’t evoke much in the way of confidence that something will get done.

Green is obviously a unique talent. Even NBA refs admit that he is allowed to get away with things that other guys can’t get away with.

But his skillset only works in very specific situations. He is not a guy that any team could build around.

And he is going to be 33 next year.

It will be very interesting to see where Green and the Warriors go from here. If they can figure out a money situation that works for everyone, that would probably be the closest thing to a win-win all sides could accomplish.

Related: Tom Brady’s Buccaneers Teammates Mock His Marriage Woes

Charles Kruger

Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7's go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
Back to top button