After finishing third in Defensive Player of the Year voting, it was only a matter of time until Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was confirmed as a member of the NBA's All-Defensive First Team.
That news came on Thursday as Green was named in the team alongside fellow DPOY finalists Evan Mobley and Dyson Daniels, as well as Houston Rockets' playoff rival Amen Thompson and Lu Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The only major surprise may have been that Dort actually received more All-Defensive Team votes than Green, with that coming despite the Warrior veteran easily receiving more votes in the DPOY race.
The Warriors have one final Draymond Green trade opportunity
For as good as Green was over the final months of the regular season, his form in the playoffs wasn't to the level he or Golden State needed in order to make a real run. His defensive impact wasn't quite the same, while his offensive limitations became even more pronounced in the absence of Stephen Curry who went down with a hamstring injury in Game 1 of the second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It's those offensive limitations that leaves the Warriors in a predicament this offseason. With the way in which opposing defenses can sit off Green as a non-scoring threat, Steve Kerr has to be very deliberate in how he builds lineups that include the 4x All-Star.
While it's highly unlikely to happen, there have been suggestions among fans that Golden State should look at moving on from Green this offseason. Doing so would be a huge franchise reset on and off the floor, but perhaps it's needed for the Warriors to build one more true contender around Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.
Green's elite defense over the second-half of the season -- and subsequent ascension to the DPOY conversation and ultimately a place in the All-Defensive First Team -- makes this potentially the final time that Golden State could actually get real value for him in a trade. The front office can point to that and use it as leverage, particularly given defense may have only grown in emphasis based on what the Oklahoma City Thunder have displayed this season.
Would the Warriors really be able to get something of value back in 12 months when Green will be 36? By that time his defensive brilliance may no longer be worth the offensive limitations, meaning Golden State could be stuck with the franchise legend on the final year of a deal making nearly $28 million.