Draymond Green Rumors: Grizzlies Had Interest in Warriors FA Before Smart Trade

Prior to acquiring veteran point guard Marcus Smart from the Boston Celtics in a three-team trade ahead of the 2023 NBA draft, the Memphis Grizzlies reportedly had their eyes set on another defensive specialist.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Grizzlies had substantial interest in Golden State Warriors star forward Draymond Green, who is set to be a free agent this summer.

"I'm told that the Grizzlies' pre-Smart interest in Green was genuine," Stein wrote. "And it's fascinating to simply consider the idea of Green engaging Memphis in free agency conversations after the teams' past battles."

As Stein mentioned, the Grizzlies and Warriors have developed a rivalry over the past few years that would've made it interesting to see how negotiations played out between Memphis and Green, who declined the $27.6 million option on his contract to test the open market this summer.

In the 2022 playoffs, the Warriors defeated the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Semifinals on their way to claiming their fourth championship in eight years. During that second-round series, Golden State guard Gary Payton II suffered a broken elbow after a hard foul by Memphis swingman Dillon Brooks, which prompted Warriors coach Steve Kerr to say Brooks "broke the code."

This year, the two teams split the regular-season series 2-2, with each matchup featuring trash talk from star players. Green, in particular, was subjected to a slew of disparaging remarks from Brooks.

"I don't like Draymond at all," Brooks told ESPN's Tim Keown in March. "I just don't like Golden State. I don't like anything to do with them. Draymond talks a lot. Gets away with a lot, too. His game is cool -- with Golden State -- but if you put him anywhere else, you're not going to know who Draymond is. He plays with heart, plays hard, knows the ins and outs of their defense. I guess that's why they like him over there."

It sounds like they would've liked Green in Memphis, too, but we'll likely never know thanks to the arrival of Smart. The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, Smart provides some insurance for the Grizzlies while they're without star point guard Ja Morant during his suspension for the first 25 games of next season.