Three Draymond Green Trade Destinations

We do not know the next time we'll see Draymond Green on a basketball court after the Golden State Warriors forward was suspended indefinitely by the league. It turns out there is, in fact, a line that Green could cross and he did so by slapping the hell out of Jusuf Nurkic. It marks Green's fourth suspension of the calendar year and the second of this young season. And it may finally be time for the Warriors to think about moving on.

To be clear, that is not a likely scenario. The front office would only start looking to move Green if they felt he was a lost cause, and interest would not be terribly high if that was the case. It doesn't help that Green isn't all that good anymore even if you eliminate his insane antics. The multi-time Defensive Player of the Year still has juice on that end of the court but is a total black hole offensively. All of that combined with the pressure of breaking up the team's championship core means things would have to get bad to even consider a move, much less pull one off that isn't just a salary dump.

But it's still something worth thinking about because Stephen Curry is still That Dude and trading Green is one of the only ways they could shake up the roster. If they did put Green and his $100 million, four-year deal on the trading block, where could he go and what could they get in return?

Detroit Pistons

This is far and away the most likely deal because both sides would be desperate beyond words to make something happen. The Pistons are utterly horrific in a way that should be unacceptable to everybody involved and there is no end in sight after they lost their 21st straight contest on Wednesday night. An injection of veteran wisdom and a guy who can hold everyone accountable sounds just like what this young team needs to not be the worst team in NBA history. In theory, this is what Green could provide, and going home to Michigan may be what he needs to get his head on straight. There's basically no downside for Detroit because things literally cannot get worse!

As far as what a trade might look like, the Pistons could send over Marvin Bagley and Alec Burks, which matches salary-wise. Not exactly a resounding return for Golden State but they are not operating from a position of strength and they could flip these two role players for different ones if they aren't fans. A decent enough deal for both sides if things get to this point.

Philadelphia 76ers

Philly doesn't *need* to make a deal this season, per se. The vibes are exceptional after the James Harden trade with Tyrese Maxey picking up all the slack and Joel Embiid still dominating without his pick-and-roll partner. They still don't feel like a team that can hang with the Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks in a seven-game series. They need another piece defensively. Green would be tremendous in that endeavor as a guy who can take Giannis and direct traffic against the various Boston weapons. And, unlike with Detroit, Green will be extra incentivized to keep his head on his shoulders as part of a legit contender.

The Sixers could send out Marcus Morris and Furkan Korkmaz (finally completing his years-long saga of asking for a trade) to match the salary. Like with above it's an underwhelming return but they are at least two moveable salaries that Golden State could attach to picks or other players in order to further shake up the roster. Philadelphia would have to think long and hard about this now that they finally have quality chemistry and no distractions but it could pay great dividends.

San Antonio Spurs

If there is any one coach out there who could probably fix this version of Draymond, it's Pop. Gregg Popovich coached Green at the 2020 Olympics. He's also the most respected basketball mind in the league. He would likely be on board with trading for Green and bringing him into the Spurs program. Green could, in theory, serve as a tremendous defensive mentor to Victor Wembanyama and make the French phenom even better than he already is on that end. In the big picture, spending this year rehabilitating Green's image could pay off for San Antonio. They aren't winning this year, they know they are not winning this year, and his presence will not be so helpful on the basketball court that it'll affect their draft stock.

In terms of what Golden State could get out of it, it'll be more of the same. Sending out Doug McDermott and Zach Collins gets them close to matching salary. Losing McDermott's shooting would hurt for a Spurs team already tight on spacing but, again, they aren't trying to win and losing him wouldn't be detrimental to Wemby's development. Those two players are probably the most useful on this list so it isn't a horrible return for the Warriors. Which is all they'd be looking for if they did decide to move a franchise legend.