The Golden State Warriors cannot afford to trade Draymond Green

The Golden State Warriors have not engaged in any trade talks revolving four-time champion Draymond Green, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe. The report came after the Warriors rough 3-5 start to the new season, with the team fortunate to have now scraped to a 4-7 record following a hard-fought win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday.

Trade speculation began following a preseason scuffle in practice that climaxed with Green punching rising star Jordan Poole. The latter solidified his future with the franchise by signing a four-year contract extension in the following fortnight.

Green’s been involved in his fair share of moments and plays that fans and referees have deemed to be ‘dirty.’ It’s made the 32-year-old a divisive character around the league and one opposition fans love to hate.

Combine this with all of his podcast drama, where he seems almost more interested in how many points LeBron James has scored than how well the Warriors are playing, and things weren’t looking so great for Green’s future with the Warriors.

From an on-court perspective, Green’s offensive production has nosedived in recent seasons, even to the point where he was benched by Steve Kerr in important closing moments of Game Four in the 2022 NBA Finals.

Despite the off-court drama, Draymond Green is an all-time Golden State Warriors legend that the franchise cannot afford to lose.

When he was first drafted by the Warriors with the 35th pick in 2012, Green was more of a score first small-forward who also had the knack for being an elite passer and secondary ball-handler. After playing with the big man from Australia, Andrew Bogut, Green learned the value of defense and worked tirelessly to improve on that end of the floor. His efforts would not go unrewarded as after an injury to David Lee in 2014, Green got the opportunity to start and he never looked back.

Since that opportunity, Green has become one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history, while becoming the perfect foil for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the offensive side of the ball.

Green has been invaluable over the last eight years, playing a major role in four championships and nearly leading the Warriors to a fifth in what would have been a Finals MVP worthy performance should they have beaten the Cavaliers in 2016. He was a huge part of their 73-9 record that season, along with the utter dominance that occurred once Kevin Durant signed that offseason.

For years he’s been an emotional leader for the Warriors, making the big plays when they’re needed while still letting the referees know whenever something goes against him and the team. Green has been an invaluable resource for the Warriors younger players, who’ve been provided with their own big plays thanks to Green’s innate ability find cutters for massive dunks or fancy layups.

Green may not be loved or even liked for that matter by most NBA fans, but he means a lot to nearly every Warrior fan. While his recent indiscretion may have lost some respect, every member of Dub Nation should be happy with the news that the team appears unlikely to move on from their spiritual leader.