It may be too early in the season to figure out what the future holds for Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors. Talk about the 30-year-old possibly being dealt out is in the air and one team ready to take him in is the Portland Trail Blazers.
Green did not start the season due to an injury. The three-time all-star forward has been struggling to stay fit, adding to the woes of Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
The word going around is that if the Dubs fail to perform well this 2020-21 NBA season, Green is one of the players likely to be dealt out. And the Blazers are now picked to be one of the potential destinations which would largely be because of resident star Damian Lillard.
.@Money23Green addresses the events that occurred earlier today in Washington D.C. pic.twitter.com/PTDx5DuPB5 — Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 7, 2021
According to The Athletic, Lillard has been pushing for a Draymond Green trade. Green and Lillard are close friends, further making a reunion as something that makes sense.
Sam Amick adds that Lillard and company have campaigned for a deal to acquire Green. It was not mentioned who Portland may give up in the event the Dubs are interested in discussing an NBA trade involving the temperamental player.
As pointed out by NBC Sports, Green is in the first year of a four-year $99.6 million extension with the Warriors. The Dubs are now facing a luxury tax bill of about $147 million following the acquisition of Kelly Oubre.
Depending on how the season goes, the Warriors could offload some players to pull down those luxury tax numbers. Green could be one of them although that remains to be seen.
Adding Green would also make sense for the Blazers, They need a power forward to fill up the void left by Zach Collins who underwent a second surgery for his ankle. Carmelo Anthony and Robert Covington have been tasked to fill in the void but both are not known to be natural power forwards.
Considering Green has been a vital part of the Dubs NBA title runs, he could be the last option for Golden State if they are to offload some players. Management is indebted to Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson but needs to figure out their trajectory moving forward.
At some point, the Warriors will deal out one or some of their original “Big Three.” That could happen this season or perhaps in a couple of more years. There is also a chance it may not happen at all – even if most spend more time in sickbay than on the basketball court.
