SAN FRANCISCO – Draymond Green has known, for a while, that he could be moved for Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo before Thursday’s trade deadline.
He had read the reports, heard the questions from his friends, listened to the chatter. Like the vast majority of outside commentary concerning the 35-year-old, he shrugged it off.
Green has seen hundreds of teammates come and go since joining the Warriors as the No. 35 overall pick in the 2012 draft, always the observer and never the serious subject of midseason trade talks. Even as Klay Thompson and the rest of the non-Steph Curry members of the 2010s dynasty faded away, Green remained immovable.
That was, until recently, when coach Steve Kerr had a private conversation with the Warriors’ mainstay about possibly being sent away from the only team he has ever known.
Kerr wondered if Green’s wife had any reaction, a question that left the player stunned.
“He’s like “How’s Hazel handling it” and that’s when it got real to me,” Green said during his media availability after Tuesday’ night’s loss to the 76ers, “I was like, I haven’t spoken to her about it.”
Green is making over $25 million this season, and his salary would be necessary to make a trade for Antetokounmpo viable for the Warriors.
Would Green love to end his career wearing No. 23 for Golden State? Of course.
But if the 4:38 mark of Tuesday’s fourth quarter was truly the last time Green checked out of the game as a Warrior, he will accept that decision.
“At some point, it’s going to come to an end, whether that’s in a day or two, or a year or two, its going to come to an end at some point,” Green said. “You have to be okay with that. It’s not something that I can hold on to forever, because I can’t play basketball forever, so it’s got to come to an end at some point anyways.”
“If you had told me 13 and a half years ago that ‘I’m handing you this sheet of paper, and you can sign it to be in a place for 13 and a half years,’ would you sign it,” Green later asked rhetorically, “I would have signed it faster than you can blink. What do I have to worry about, what do I have to be upset about? I’ve been here for 13 and a half years.”
Having thought about it for a few days, Green decided to bring the topic up to his son DJ during their drive to Tuesday’s game.
It’s a business, Green told the child. Most players get traded multiple times in their career, and Green has been one of the blessed few to stay with one organization for over a decade.
But when a franchise has the ability to improve like the Warriors hope to, even a team icon like Green could be expendable for the right player.
“Oh, I don’t understand why they would do that,” Green’s son said.
The kid may have been confused, but his father understood precisely why the Warriors would be okay with shipping Green away from the Bay Area, regardless of the four titles he helped them win, the nine All-Defense teams and the four All-Star nods.
He said he has had discussions with the front office, but declined to divulge any specific details to reporters.
“If that’s what’s best for the organization, that’s what’s best for the organization,” Green said. “I’m not like, ‘Oh man, they (expletive) me over’ or something like that. Like, I don’t really feel that way.”
During his 12-minute press conference, Green repeatedly expressed gratitude toward the Warriors, striking the tone of a man that has accepted the end could be near.
The Warriors travel to Phoenix on Wednesday afternoon, and play the Suns on Thursday before going to Los Angeles for a Saturday showdown. Green was not quite sure how far he would make it on that trip.
“Yeah, it is business as usual. Come out, play, go home, come back tomorrow and fly …. Maybe, play Thursday … maybe, maybe not,” Green said.
And if Tuesday night was indeed the end, Green concluded his Warriors career with his head held high.
I don’t know if it ends at 13 and a half, but if it does, what a (expletive) run it has been,” Green said. “I’ll take the fine for it. What a (expletive) run it has been.”
Leave a Reply