A future warrior weighs in on the future of Draymond Green.
Green declined his $27.6 million player option last week, making him an unrestricted free agent and a chance to explore the open market for the first time in his 11-year NBA career.
Much uncertainty looms over Golden State as the trading window begins Friday at 3:00 p.m. PT, but Chris Paul hasn’t been shy about proclaiming his position on the situation.
When asked if he would like to bring Green back to the Warriors, Paul firmly replied, “Absolutely.”
Paul, 38, was sent to Golden State in a blockbuster trade that sent Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and future draft picks to the Washington Wizards.
The veteran point guard said he’s already spoken to some of his teammates, including Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. While it’s unclear whether Paul and Green have spoken to each other since the trade, NBA Twitter pulled out the receipts for their story.
“I don’t like CP at all, we don’t have a good relationship at all,” Green told former teammates and podcast hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson in an April 2020 podcast. respect his hustle and I respect his IQ — he’s smart as hell.”
Green’s lyrics weren’t the only Warriors-CP3 beef in the past, either.
The legendary rivalry goes back a long way. From the 2014 playoffs to 2018 when Paul’s fake laugh at Warriors coach Steve Kerr went viral most recently when Curry told Paul “it’s not 2014 anymore” during a game against the Phoenix Suns in March.
But Paul has been in the league long enough to know that this sort of thing isn’t uncommon.
“It happens all the time in this league,” Paul told ESPN’s Malika Andrews on Monday. “It’s probably the first time I’ve been in a situation like this, but when you get on the pitch with like-minded guys who like to play the game the same way I like, I’m excited about this.
“It’s always a new process when you go to a new team; I’ve done it a few times now, but I’m really excited about it because these guys know what it’s all about. They’ve been there They won again and again, so I’m happy to be part of that process.”
A big part of this whole win was the impact of Green, and it’s clear that Paul would welcome a truce with the four-time champion as teammates.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk podcast