The Warriors brought Draymond Green back on a one-year, $27.68 million deal, but that doesn’t guarantee he finishes the season in Golden State.
If the first half goes the wrong way, the Warriors could face a difficult call and move on from a player who has been central to the franchise for nearly 15 years. Green is still the kind of name that carries weight, and the source material makes clear he’ll be in the Hall of Fame someday. But Golden State may be headed for a stretch where it has to make choices that once would have seemed unthinkable.
If that day comes, three teams stand out as possible trade destinations.
Philadelphia is one of them. Green and LeBron James have a strong relationship, and Green even once opted out of his Warriors contract to give Golden State the flexibility needed to try to land James.
That move didn’t end up producing the desired result, but the setup now is different: James is in Philadelphia with Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid, and the Sixers are aiming at a deep playoff run. Green could fill a need there as a defensive tone-setter and playoff-tested enforcer.
He still brings hard defense, a feel for winning in the postseason, and the sort of edge that can get under opponents’ skin. The source also points to Bob Myers’ role in Philadelphia’s big offseason and his past connection to Green from their Warriors days as another reason the fit could work.
Detroit also makes sense. Green is from Michigan and played at Michigan State, so a return home would carry obvious appeal.
Basketball-wise, the Pistons fit too. They’re a young team with promise, but they’re trying to turn regular-season progress into actual playoff success.
Green could give them the kind of fiery veteran presence and mentorship that helps a team take that next step. And in a city that embraced the “Bad Boys” era, his style of play would hardly be a hard sell.
Boston rounds out the list. With Brown gone, the Celtics still have Jaysen Tatum, but they may need another enforcer-type presence, similar to what Marcus Smart once provided. If Boston is in the mix late in the season and looking for a push, Green could be the kind of addition that fits that moment.
There’s always a chance Golden State plays better than expected and keeps him. But if the season turns south, the possibility of a Green trade is very real, and these are the teams the Warriors would likely call first.
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