Warriors' Joe Lacob Sounds Off on Draymond Green, Giannis NBA Trade Deadline Rumors
Golden State Warriors governor Joe Lacob is the latest member of the organization to dispute reports that Draymond Green was ever offered up in talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo prior to the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Speaking to Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard, Lacob echoed general manager Mike Dunleavy's previous comments by saying that Green was "never discussed" in any talks:
"He was never discussed in a trade; Mike was 100% correct what he said. I know he got a lot of crap for that. And it did look defensive. I mean, I think he would say that in retrospect. ... But I can tell you he was never shopped in any way. He's a core person in our franchise. You don't trade a Draymond Green simply or easily. You do it if you have to, and you're getting tremendous value and you're improving your team. Even Draymond has said he understands that. You have to look at these things. But his name was never specifically discussed with another team. And that's the truth."
Two days after the deadline passed, Dunleavy told reporters they never put Green in any offers but suggested other teams might have asked about him.
"His name was not in conversations other than the ones where teams called me to ask about him," Dunleavy said. "The idea that he stayed with the Warriors past the deadline was greatly exaggerated. It was never a possibility of him not being here or remotely close. I've conveyed that to him."
In the lead up to the deadline, ESPN's Anthony Slater reported Green was "involved in the framework of available offers" to the Bucks as part of Golden State's proposals for Antetokounmpo.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported people close to the situation and the Warriors gave an "emphatic 'no'" when asked if Green was completely off the table in discussions for Antetokounmpo.
There is certainly some wiggle room between the way Slater and Siegel reported the situation and the comments from Dunleavy and Lacob about the actual level of involvement any player was in any back and forth between the two teams.
If there was never any formal offer with Green involved made by the Warriors, then he was technically never discussed in a trade. The Bucks reportedly weren't that active in engaging with other clubs about Antetokounmpo leading up to the deadline.
Green did acknowledge that hearing his name in trade rumors took a toll on him, but he was happy to remain with the club that he has spent his entire NBA career playing for.
The 35-year-old Green is in his 14th season with the Warriors. His situation could become a talking point again this summer, as he holds a $27.7 million player option for 2026-27.
