Draymond Green's future with the Golden State Warriors has once again garnered speculation after the veteran forward's fiery exchange with head coach Steve Kerr during Monday's win over the Orlando Magic.
While this might be just another small bump in the road to Green retiring with the only franchise he's ever known, that hasn't stopped notable NBA analyst Bill Simmons from proposing a blockbuster trade that sends the veteran forward to the absolute worst place possible from a Warrior perspective.
Bill Simmons proposes Draymond Green trade to the Lakers
The idea of Green playing with now long-time friend LeBron James isn't a new one -- both through hypothetical deals sending the former DPOY to Los Angeles, along with Golden State's highly publicized interest in trading for James previously.
Simmons believes that the Warriors trading Green could provide him with one more crucial source of motivation to fuel another long playoff run, assuming he were to go the right team which the Lakers could certainly be.
“Put Draymond on that team, reinvigorated with, I can't believe they traded me. I'm going to triple down and be a maniac. And that's kind of what the Lakers need," Simmons said. "Obviously, he has a long relationship with LeBron and the clutch factor."
Green ending up with the Lakers would be the worst possible outcome for the Warriors, giving him immense motivation and opportunity on a direct rival who you see four times a year. Perhaps it would be a good thing if Green flopped in Los Angeles and actually ruined their title hopes to some degree, but as Simmons outlines, it actually makes some sense on their current roster.
The issue for the Warriors is that they no longer possess the same level of offensive talent to make up for Green's limitations, which is perhaps why the 35-year-old has forced things recently and become a turnover machine at times.
That wouldn't be the case with the Lakers who have been gifted the dynamic trio of James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. They're seventh in offense despite injuries to all three stars at different points already this season, but only 24th in defense which is something Green could quickly address and particularly if he's playing with a chip on his shoulder.
The Lakers have enough expiring salary to reach Green's $25.9 million salary, but it would likely need a third team for the Warriors to get a player they're willing to give up their franchise legend for. It still feels highly unlikely that Golden State will trade Green, let alone to a close rival where it could really come back to haunt them.