With the NBA trade deadline approaching, several star players could be on the move, including multi-time champion Draymond Green, who has spent his entire career with the Golden State Warriors.
Tuesday night may have been Green’s final game in a Warriors jersey, and it arrived without his longtime teammate, All-Star Stephen Curry, and more recent teammate, Jimmy Butler, on the floor. The result was a disappointing 113-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Green's stats in the recent season haven't been awe-inspiring. On Tuesday, he finished with just six points, seven rebounds, three assists, and a turnover. To his credit, he also had zero fouls in his 25 minutes on the hardwood.
Following the latest Warriors loss, the former Michigan State star spoke about what could have been his final appearance with the team, as a trade looms.
“I think a lot of people want to know how I feel about it, like am I upset about it? I’m not at all. If that’s what’s best for this organization, that’s what’s best for the organization. I’m not like, ‘Oh man, they f***ed me over or something like that. I don’t really feel that way,” Green said, per NBC Sports Bay Area.
“What do I have to sit and worry about? What do I have to be upset about? Like I’ve been here for 13 and a half years. That’s longer than probably 98 percent of NBA players have been in one place, and this guy from Saginaw has been in a place for 13 and a half years,” he said.
“I don’t know if it ends after 13 and a half years, but if it does, what a f***ing run it’s been. I’ll take the fine for it, but what a f***ing run it’s been,” Green told reporters postgame.
While Green's latest season features averages of just 8.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, the veteran NBA star's career accolades speak for themselves. Green, a second-round pick for the Warriors in 2012, became a four-time NBA All-Star, four-time NBA champion, and five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team representative during his time with Golden State.
However, the NBA landscape is quickly changing, as many teams are addressing roster needs due to injuries and trying to keep up with stronger teams in their conference. The Warriors were struck by a rough season-ending injury to multi-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, despite a positive outlook before the season, given how their older roster looked on paper.
Green isn’t the biggest name currently being mentioned in trade rumors, as Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks takes that distinction. However, Green’s name is part of some of those speculative discussions as a potential player in a multi-team trade.
Time will tell if Draymond Green remains part of the Golden State Warriors, where he was once involved in a great NBA dynasty with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, or if he joins a new team before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
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