Should Warriors Be Looking to Trade Draymond Green amid Latest NBA Rumors?
With the 2022-23 NBA campaign now underway, Draymond Green will look to help lead the Golden State Warriors to a second straight championship. However, could this also be his final season with the only team he's played for in his professional career?
Green is an 11-year NBA veteran, having only played for the Warriors. He's captured four titles, as he's been an integral part of the franchise's success.
But at the end of this season, Green could become an unrestricted free agent if he wants, as he has a $27 million player option for the 2023-24 campaign. So it's possible he'll be on the move at that point. But it doesn't seem too likely that he could leave the Warriors before then via trade.
"Everything I've heard is they are not trading Draymond," ESPN's Zach Lowe said earlier this week on The Lowe Post podcast. "That's just not going to happen. They're trying to win the championship and will try to ride it out unless something drastic happens like the team just falls apart or they're terrible. Draymond is going to be on the team all season."
Is that the right decision, though? Should Golden State be more open to moving the 32-year-old forward.
For one, Green was at the center of some drama for the Warriors prior to the start of the season. Earlier this month, a video was released by TMZ Sports showing Green punching teammate Jordan Poole at a practice.
Since then, Poole has told reporters that Green apologized for the incident and that the two will be moving forward with a "professional" relationship. So it seems it may not have an effect on Golden State's season.
However, it's impossible to know how this situation may have impacted the Warriors' team chemistry. Poole isn't going anywhere, either, as he signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension before the start of the season.
So it wouldn't be surprising if Green ends up on a new team for the 2023-24 campaign. The only question is whether Golden State decides to trade him this season, even if the team is insisting it won't.
The Warriors likely wouldn't get a huge return in exchange for Green amid his contract year. His stats have also dipped in recent seasons, as he hasn't been quite as productive as he was earlier in his career.
Green had four points, five rebounds and five assists in Golden State's season-opening victory over the Lakers on Tuesday. Then, he had 13 points and nine assists in the Warriors' loss to the Nuggets on Friday, showing the type of impact he can still make for the team.
Golden State has championship aspirations, and the best version of its roster for this season likely includes Green, rather than whomever it could get in return in a deal. So the Warriors are likely making the right decision in standing pat and keeping Green, even with everything that's happened involving him this month.
But the team also should be ready to pivot for any reason. If this season doesn't go as well as it hopes, then maybe Golden State should be open to trading Green.
For now, though, the Warriors are taking the right approach to this situation. And if they decide they want to part ways with Green in the future, it can happen next offseason when he may hit the free-agent market.
