In the past few months, rumors have been continuously swirling around Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors . With the team currently heading to the lottery after years of dominating the league, there is speculation that the Warriors may consider moving Green before the February trade deadline.
In his recent article, Alan Mena of Fansided’s Hoops Habit discussed why the Warriors should trade Green and mentioned two teams – the Portland Trail Blazers and the Miami Heat – who could have interest in adding the All-Star power forward to their roster.
Instead of wasting a year in Golden State, it would definitely be intriguing to see Green playing for a legitimate playoff contender like the Trail Blazers and the Heat this season. Green may not be on the level of LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Kevin Durant, but he would undeniably boost the Trail Blazers and Heat’s chances of winning their respective conferences and contending for the NBA championship this season.
As Mena noted, adding Green to the Heat’s core of Jimmy Butler, Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, and Bam Adebayo would give Miami an “exciting and underrated starting five.”
“If Draymond relocates to the opposite coast in South Beach, he’d have plenty of support — but not on the same level as the Warriors at full strength, of course. Teaming up with Jimmy Butler would propel the Heat’s defense and chances of excelling in the Eastern Conference. A formidable lineup of Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, and Bam Adebayo will be an exciting and underrated starting five.”
It would indeed be interesting to see Green team up with Butler in Miami. Having two of the best defenders in the NBA would further improve the Heat’s defensive efficiency that currently ranks No. 7 in the league, allowing 102.0 points per 100 possessions, per ESPN .
Meanwhile, the potential arrival of Green in Portland could finally give the Trail Blazers the missing piece in their championship core. After struggling early this season, the Trail Blazers are starting to find their way back to the win column. However, despite the recent addition of Carmelo Anthony, they obviously need to add more star power to have a realistic chance of beating Western Conference powerhouse teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers in a best-of-seven series.
Though his numbers this season aren’t that impressive, Mena believes that adding Green to the core of Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Anthony, and Hassan Whiteside would give the Trail Blazers “one of the most deadly lineups in the entire NBA.”
As of now, the Warriors haven’t shown any sign that they are planning to trade Green before the February trade deadline. If they do, the Heat and the Trail Blazers should come up with an interesting offer that could convince the Warriors to make a deal.
In the potential deal involving Green, the Warriors are expected to demand a trade package including young players and future draft picks.
