Look anywhere on the Internet that covers the NBA and you'll see the name Draymond Green. If you were to walk by the proverbial newsstand, his face would be plastered across the front of every sports section. Everyone and their mother is weighing in on Green's suspension and the demise of the Golden State Warriors dynasty.
The Warriors have always put up with the antics and ejections and outbursts and suspensions and the media storms before, because Green was the greatest defensive player in the league and a perfect fit for everything they did on both ends of the court. At some point, however, as his on-court play decreases and his outbursts increase, that tradeoff won't be worth it anymore.
If the Warriors were to decide it's time to move on, that Green is costing them more than he is giving them, could they possibly consider trading the four-time champion?
Can the Warriors trade Draymond Green?
Answering this question involves peeling back a number of layers. Can they afford to trade Green because he is crucial to their defensive scheme? On another level, can they trade Green after all he has accomplished for this franchise? Can they trade Stephen Curry's partner if the superstar isn't on board? And perhaps most worryingly, can they trade Green at his current reduced value around the league?
It's likely that some teams will see this as an opportunity to buy low on a player who is still one of the very best defenders in the league, that this particular moment of discipline will pass and he will prove himself on the court. If so, what could a Green trade look like?
Let's look at five different deals and consider why each team would trade for Draymond and whether the Warriors would be getting enough back to move on from him.
No. 5: Atlanta Hawks trade for Draymond Green
The Golden State Warriors are struggling this season, in part because they have proven veterans playing poorly who were good very recently, including in their 2022 run to the championship. The Atlanta Hawks are similarly caught between their poor play and the memory of a deep playoff run in 2021.
The Hawks thought that they could maximize Trae Young by adding a second ball-handler, but the my-turn-your-turn offense they've developed around Young and Dejounte Murray is a step shy of dominant, even if it's one of the five or so best offenses in the league. That means that the Hawks need to have at least an average defense to ensure they can be a real threat in the playoffs.
What better way to improve the defense than to add a do-it-all defensive big like Draymond Green? The Hawks could offer a deal like this, getting off of the rest of Deandre Hunter's contract and giving up young forward Jalen Johnson to do so:
For the Hawks, they get an elite defender who can roam the paint and create turnovers; any time the Hawks can score in transition it's better for them. Green would also give them an edge that they don't have and help motivate this group to fight for wins.
Is this enough value for the Warriors? DeAndre Hunter has regressed since signing his lucrative new contract and is owed $90 million over this year and the next three. He's a solid defender and merely a decent shooter, but he should fill a rotation role for the Warriors. The real prize here is Johnson, who was one of the Hawks' best players to start the season and could pair with Jonathan Kuminga to give the Warriors a truly dynamic pair of forwards. As with all of these trades, the Warriors would be selling low, but Johnson's upside makes this an interesting offer.
No. 4: Indiana Pacers trade for Draymond Green
The Indiana Pacers have a lethal offense, perfectly orchestrated by budding superstar Tyrese Haliburton surrounded by shooters. On the other hand, their defense is a bottom-three unit, and their lack of size and fight was highlighted when the Los Angeles Lakers ran them over for the In-Season Tournament crown.
Enter Draymond Green, a player who would represent a significant upgrade on Aaron Nesmith at power forward and give them a versatile defender to help them improve on that end. His playmaking on offense can also allow Haliburton to deploy the off-ball part of his game that he isn't using much right now; he can unlock his inner Stephen Curry playing alongside Green.
The Warriors get a Green replacement in Jarace Walker, although it's one who will need time to develop. The 20-year old rookie was drafted in the Top 10 for his defense and short-roll playmaking, both skills that would make him an excellent fit with Stephen Curry as he develops.
Buddy Hield is the win-now piece, one of the league's best shooters who would give the Warriors a truly game-breaking trio of snipers. It would sting to trade Green and have to add a pick to him, but that's the reality the Warriors may need to grapple with. This deal gives them a player for now and a player for later, something that should give them at least a moment's pause to consider.
No. 3: Dallas Mavericks trade for Draymond Green
The Dallas Mavericks have a superstar in Luka Doncic. They invested heavily in a running-mate for him, Kyrie Irving. They seem to have hit on their lottery pick this season as Dereck Lively II is holding down the center position. Who they play at the two forward positions, however, continues to be an open question.
The defensive weakness of their backcourt requires versatile defenders on the wing. Grant Williams was their big offseason addition and he has played well, but he isn't going to be switching onto opposing guards. Derrick Jones Jr. and Dante Exum are options, but Exum can't bang with bigs and Jones is an offensive liability.
The Mavericks aren't just a team trying to win right now, but they are a franchise that clearly isn't concerned with taking a chance on a player with temperament issues who has clashed with the league; they traded for Irving last season and they could easily be a team in the mix for Draymond Green this year.
Here's what a deal could look like:
The Warriors would likely waive Gui Santos to make this deal, which gives them players at three different positions to further fill out their depth. Dwight Powell is big man depth in case Kevon Looney or Dario Saric were to miss time. Seth Curry would come full circle back to the Warriors and give them a sniper to replicate Curry were he to miss time, a la another Curry relative in Damion Lee a few seasons ago.
The prize here is Williams, a player much younger than Green who can fill most of his role on defense, enabling them to go small and put Williams at the 5. On offense, he's not the playmaker that Green is, but instead is a significantly better shooter and is a pathway to true 5-out lineups, something the Warriors have largely never had (depending on your definition of Green's shooting) but are enjoying this season with Dario Saric.
No. 2: Sacramento Kings trade for Draymond Green
It may seem like a distant memory, but Draymond Green was an unrestricted free agent just this past summer, and it was at least a possibility that he would leave for another team. Enough of a chance, in fact, that when the Sacramento Kings made a draft-day trade to clear salary it looked like they might be lining up to make a run at Green in free agency.
They weren't; Green re-signed with the Warriors and the Kings instead used the cap space to give Domantas Sabonis a large raise they didn't need to give him. That doesn't mean they can't still use Draymond Green; he's an ideal fit for their offensive system that is modeled in large part off of the Warriors, and he would revitalize a defense that has impressively clawed its way to 20th but still has room to grow.
Could the Kings get the Warriors to bite by including an old friend?
The Kings replace Barnes with Green, getting a jolt on defense and another playmaker on offense. They lose out on Barnes' shooting, but if any team in the league can handle that tradeoff it's the Kings.
For the Warriors, Barnes is a versatile player who won't kill their offense and can be relied upon defensively, if not to the level he played at when he was a starter on the 73-win team. He won't need much of a learning curve on the Warriors' system, a major impediment to midseason additions throughout the Steve Kerr era.
Chris Duarte is a nice flier on a third 2021 lottery pick, and the Warriors may demand at least a second be added in. This is a bet on the familiarity of Barnes helping them this year, while most other trades are somewhat more for next season than this one.
No. 1: Miami Heat trade for Draymond Green
The Miami Heat get into the mix for nearly every notable name that hits the trade market, and if Draymond Green comes available he will likely not be the exception. The Heat thrive on a versatile defensive system that can move seamlessly between blitzing to switching to zone, and Green would be a perfect fit given his versatility and basketball intelligence.
On offense, his playmaking would be helpful but his lack of shooting would potentially strangle a team also starting Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo; the Heat have almost always played a floor-spacing power forward over the past few years. That doesn't mean they wouldn't go after Green, however, as they (1) love adding stars, even former ones (Ray Allen, Kevin Love wave hello); (2) are the kind of shrewd front office to think they can buy low on Green; (3) have enough confidence int heir culture to help Green moderate his behavior; and (4) their defense would be so lethal they may not worry about a less potent offense.
What about the Warriors? Those not following the Heat this season may initially balk at this offer, but Duncan Robinson has taken a big step forward this season, adding a dribble-drive layer to his already lethal shooting. His off-ball gravity paired with the Splash Brothers (even if just one at a time) would be an experiment in floor-spacing the league has never seen before. Caleb Martin would give the Warriors another body at power forward to help them replace Green.
None of these deals are necessarily exciting for the Warriors; that's the reality of the situation they are facing. They are left trying to get a veteran role player and a young guy to develop; there won't be picks and players and prospects rolling in for Green. He has essentially neutered his value to the Warriors both on the court and on the trade market.
The Warriors don't want to trade Draymond Green. The question is whether he forces their hand and makes it impossible to keep him.