5 Realistic Draymond Green Trades Warriors Should Consider Right Now
Less than 24 hours after throwing a rolling haymaker that landed on Jusuf Nurkić's face, the NBA handed down an indefinite suspension for Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski further reported on some of the details of the disciplinary action.
"Draymond Green, Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr., and Green's agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports are expected to meet Thursday to start discussing a path of counseling and help for Green to move forward," Wojnarowski posted. "The league didn't want to put a specific number on the suspension, but allow Green to take the time he might need to deal with challenges he's facing."
We later learned, in a statement posted by the NBA, that Green "will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play."
There's little need to rehash years of Draymond's history in this space, but it's safe to say it came into play with this decision by the league. The somewhat rapid succession of his punching Jordan Poole in practice prior to last season, stomping on Domantas Sabonis last postseason and choking Rudy Gobert just last month had to be a factor, too.
And those incidents may now be the subject of discussions in Golden State's front office.
"Where is this all going?" The Athletic's Sam Amick wrote. "... With that league-record $400 million payroll (including luxury taxes) hanging over their heads, when might Warriors owner Joe Lacob decide that it's time for a significant change? As one front-office executive put it in the wake of Green's leveling of Nurkić, 'I'd imagine some reassessments (are happening now).'"
The implication there, of course, is that Golden State might finally be considering moving on from Draymond. ESPN's Zach Lowe noted that he's Stephen Curry's "guy," and that none of the lightyears-ahead era Warriors would be moved without the franchise player's OK. But even for a four-time champion and likely future Hall of Famer, most of the goodwill banked with fans has been withdrawn at this point.
Moving him would not be a difficult thing for the front office to sell, at least to the fans and media. The trickier part is getting another team to take him, his baggage and the three years and $77.7 million left on his contract after this season (with 2026-27 being a player option).
Add to all of that the fact that Draymond turns 34 in March, and his trade value has never been lower.
Still, from a basic-stats perspective, he's been solid this year. He's averaging 5.8 assists and 1.2 threes, while shooting 42.9 percent from deep. Assuming he can keep his poise following whatever treatment he receives during this latest suspension, his multipositional defense could help a number of playoff contenders on that end.
So, which teams might take the risk? Bearing in mind that at this moment it seems unlikely any front office would surrender a first-round pick for him, here are some trades that make sense.
Dallas Mavericks
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The Deal: Draymond Green for Grant Williams, Richaun Holmes and a 2025 second-round pick (via Toronto)
Grant Williams has been a decent catch-and-shoot outlet for Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, but he's providing little else, at least on the offensive end.
Some of that is certainly by design. When you have two offensive talents like Irving and Dončić, the likelihood of others being reduced to little more than kick-out options is going to be there.
But that likelihood would be reduced significantly if Draymond were in Williams' spot. He can handle the ball, particularly as a roll man after setting ball screens. His playmaking and passing ability would generate more open looks for Kyrie and Luka.
Now, that would certainly take an adjustment period. Those two guards have gotten used to being the primary and secondary creators on almost every possession, but a few more off-ball opportunities for both would make the Dallas Mavericks less predictable and could juice the scoring efficiency of both a bit.
For the Warriors, Williams is also under contract through 2026-27, but his salary is far more manageable than Green's. And while he's clearly not as good as Draymond right now, he's eight years younger, has a better track record as a three-point shooter and can still provide some switchability on defense.
The more underrated pickup here might be Richaun Holmes. Golden State is terribly small for most of its games. Even starting center Kevon Looney is 6'9" and generally a ground-bound player.
Holmes probably wouldn't change the Warriors' world, and he might not even be an every-night rotation player, but he does add some size and athleticism to a team that desperately needs it.
Indiana Pacers
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The Deal: Draymond Green for Buddy Hield and Jalen Smith
This deal would actually add to the Warriors' already exorbitant luxury-tax bill, so it might require some tweaking or other roster moves to make total sense.
If Golden State really does consider moving Draymond, you have to believe that both short- and long-term flexibility will be among the front office's goals.
Still, this deal would add one of the greatest three-point shooters of all time to a team that already has two.
For his career, Hield has averaged 3.1 threes per game while shooting 40.2 percent from deep. Curry and Klay Thompson are the only players in NBA history who match or exceed both marks.
Lineups with all three on the floor would surely get torched defensively, but they'd also have the ability to rain their own fire down on the other end. If the Warriors are going to move Draymond, leaning into an offense-first philosophy probably makes some sense.
The other Indiana Pacer heading back in this one is 6'10" Jalen Smith, who checks some of the same boxes discussed with Holmes while also having some upside as a shooter. Smith is 23 (seven years younger than Holmes) and 14-of-21 (66.7 percent) on threes this season.
The obvious motivation on the other side of this trade is the need for defense. Any defense. From anywhere.
The Pacers are surrendering 125.5 points per game, which is the fourth most all time (the 2023-24 Washington Wizards are one of the teams giving up more). And while Green wouldn't be enough to singlehandedly fix the issues leading to that mark, he could at least drag them closer to the top of this season's bottom 10 defenses.
Indiana could still surround Tyrese Haliburton with plenty of firepower (including Draymond, if his current three-point percentage holds). Hield has been surrounded by trade rumors for seemingly his entire tenure with the Pacers.
Younger wings like Bruce Brown, Bennedict Mathurin and Aaron Nesmith could be waiting in the, well, wings to pick up some of Hield's minutes and offensive responsibility.
Cleveland Cavaliers
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The Deal: Draymond Green and a top-five protected 2027 first-round pick for Jarrett Allen and Sam Merrill
Draymond is more versatile, but he isn't necessarily better than Jarrett Allen right now (hence, Golden State's inclusion of a pick here). The Cleveland Cavaliers' 6'11" center is also eight years younger than Green.
So, why would the Cavs do this?
For one thing, it would force the move of Evan Mobley to what appears to be his more natural position without sacrificing the defensive identity that made this team so good last season.
A front line of Green and Mobley would be smaller, but it would also be more switchable than Mobley and Allen. Green obviously does a little more offensively than Allen, too.
There's a conundrum similar to the one laid out on the Dallas slide. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland need and have gotten used to having the ball in their hands. But adding Green's playmaking would open up some opportunities for offensive creativity.
For the Warriors, this move would open up more minutes at the forward spots for Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and maybe even Dario Šarić, while also improving the team's rim protection.
Allen wouldn't bump Looney from the rotation entirely, but he's a better shot-blocker and above-the-rim finisher. He's an ideal fit alongside a point guard like Chris Paul, who's long been known for his pick-and-roll work with rim-running bigs.
Sam Merrill, meanwhile, is mostly here to make the trade legal under the collective bargaining agreement, but he's a ball mover who's 46-of-119 (38.7 percent) from three for his career. There's at least the outline of a Warriors-type player there.
Of course, giving up a first probably isn't ideal for Golden State, but some teams might even insist on that to take on Green's contract. With Curry turning 36 in March, it's hardly time to get stingy with draft picks.
Los Angeles Lakers
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The Deal: Draymond Green for Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes
This one has to wait a bit longer than others, since Rui Hachimura isn't trade-eligible till January 15, but the indefinite nature of Green's suspension means he may not even be on the floor at that point. It also still gives the Lakers a few weeks before the trade deadline to move the soon-to-be-26-year-old forward.
If they did so for Green, they'd be uniting him with a fellow Klutch client in LeBron James, whom Green has praised on countless occasions over the years. And they'd be making an already stout defense anchored by Anthony Davis borderline nightmarish.
Even with D'Angelo Russell at the point, a lineup with LeBron, Green, AD and Cam Reddish would stifle opposing offenses with switchability around one of the league's best rim-protectors.
And on the other end, a dynamic, playmaking-heavy offense would get another wrinkle in the form of Green's creation. Having him on the floor with LeBron and Austin Reaves would have defenses constantly guessing where the attack is coming from.
For Golden State, this is another move that provides a little financial flexibility. Hachimura makes less than Green, and his contract ends a year earlier. Jaxson Hayes has a $2.5 million player option for next season.
But there are some interesting basketball reasons for the move, too.
Hachimura is two inches taller than Green. And, like Williams, he has a more reliable track record as a three-point shooter. He can't replace Draymond's playmaking, but the Warriors may need to open up some of those opportunities for CP3 and Brandin Podziemski anyway.
Hayes, meanwhile, would give the Warriors the needed size that has been discussed throughout this piece.
Sacramento Kings
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The Deal: Draymond Green for Harrison Barnes, JaVale McGee, a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick (via Portland)
This would be a full-circle moment for Harrison Barnes, who was drafted by the Warriors in 2012 and won a championship with them in 2015.
Bringing him back would represent a downgrade in the Warriors' defense and offensive versatility, but he can still guard multiple positions and has been a reliable deep threat for most of his career. Since the start of 2018-19, he's hit 38.7 percent of his threes.
He'd obviously have some familiarity with Curry, Thompson and Steve Kerr's system without bringing any of the drama that's plagued Green's career.
This trade also brings back JaVale McGee, who won titles with Golden State in 2017 and 2018, to help with the team's lack of size.
And perhaps most importantly, it's one of the only frameworks where it feels relatively easy to send some draft consideration to the Warriors.
The Sacramento Kings probably shouldn't be willing to part with a first for Green, but that 2025 second from the Portland Trail Blazers could be right on the heels of the first round. Without Golden State getting any young(ish) talent in this deal, it'd likely insist on some kind of draft capital.
For Sacramento, this would fulfill this past summer's rumors that had the Kings potentially hunting for Draymond in free agency. More than a quarter of the way into the season, it looks like their near-bottom-10 defense could use him.
On that end, he and Keegan Murray would be switchable all over the floor, and Green would be better able to cover for Sabonis' shortcomings than Barnes is.
On the other, the Kings would suddenly have a wealth of frontcourt playmaking from Draymond and Sabonis. Add De'Aaron Fox to the mix, and this team would potentially have one of the least predictable offenses in the NBA.
