Draymond Green Confirms Paul George, Markkanen Trade Rumors, Warriors Wanted Both

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green confirmed the front office sought to add both Paul George and Lauri Markkanen this past offseason.

"The conversation was always about that possibility," he said to The Athletic's Anthony Slater. "You get both of those guys, you make a huge splash. But the Clippers weren't really willing to play ball. Then Danny Ainge was being Danny Ainge."

George previously discussed the Warriors' pursuit on his Podcast P show. He said in July a deal "was a real thing that was close to being done."

Green told Slater the Los Angeles Clippers weren't all that motivated to agree to a sign-and-trade that would've sent George to Golden State.

While Los Angeles didn't get anything in terms of assets once George signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, his departure provided more payroll flexibility.

In their statement confirming the nine-time All-Star would become a free agent, the Clippers cited the new collective bargaining agreement in part for why they wouldn't meet his asking price. Los Angeles added that it "explored an opt-in and trade scenario, but it would have left us in a similar position under the new CBA."

Once George was off the board, going all out to acquire Markkanen made less sense.

"If George had been in tow, perhaps the Warriors would've unloaded everything left in the cupboard for Markkanen—all the first-rounders, second-rounders, swaps and young players the Jazz requested," Slater wrote. "Contention would've been a reasonable expectation.

"But without George, it's clear the Warriors didn't like the price considering the return on investment."

Markkanen ultimately signed an extension worth $238 million in total. The timing of the deal means he can't be dealt before the February trade deadline, so he'll spend at least one more season with the Utah Jazz.

After news of the extension broke, ESPN's Kendra Andrews reported on Aug. 7 that the Warriors' interest in a Markkanen trade waned when the Jazz requested guard Brandin Podziemski as part of their return. Golden State considered it a "bad deal" based on Utah's demands.

To the point raised by Slater, going all in for the 7'0" forward would've been a practical idea if he joined a roster built around George, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and whatever else. That squad might've been good enough to reach the NBA Finals in a wide-open Western Conference.

Adding Markkanen alone, however, probably wasn't going to provide that kind of lift.