Los Angeles Lakers rumors: Danny Green could push 30+ minutes per game

Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve Danny Green, as in a recent team mailbag, he was projected to play 30+ minutes per game during the 2019-20 season.

There have been some Los Angeles Lakers rumors recently as the team was approved for a Disabled Player Exception. However, that exception does not provide enough money to pay for a majority of the veteran minimum’s.

As a result, with training camp right around the corner, a roster move is unlikely to occur. Instead, the focus will turn to the players that are healthy and ready to contribute. One of those players that people are ready to see in the purple and gold is Danny Green.

Green was the biggest free-agent signing for the Lakers this summer. He received the most lucrative deal from the organization, agreeing to a two-year, $30 million deal. While some people believed this was an overpay for a player who is 32 years old, he is a great fit for this roster.

Last offseason, after signing LeBron James, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka inexplicably went in a different direction to fill out the roster. Instead of signing shooters and floor spacers, they signed players they considered playmakers and defenders. The results were disastrous.

This offseason, with Pelinka leading the way, they landed Anthony Davis and went back to the bread and butter of building a roster around James; shooting, shooting and more shooting. Green is integral to that plan.

Throughout his career, Green has showcased incredible marksmanship from the 3-point line. He is a 40.4 percent shooter in his career and steps it up when the lights get brightest. He is 17th all-time in career playoff 3-pointers and has knocked down 47.1 percent of his 3-point attempts in the NBA Finals.

In addition to his lights-out shooting, Green is also a great defender. He will be relied upon throughout the season to provide stellar perimeter defense throughout the season. And if things go according to plan, we could see him doing that a lot in each game.

Mike Trudell of Lakers.com recently did a mailbag on the website. One of the things he discussed was Green, and he predicted that Green would play 30+ minutes per game.

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That would easily set a career-high for minutes, as the most minutes Green has averaged in a season is 28.5 in 2014-15. Even in the postseason, Green has surpassed 30 minutes per game only once. That came during the 2012-13 season when he averaged 31.9 minutes per game.

While having a player of Green’s caliber on the court that many minutes would help the team, they should not burn him out before the postseason.

Los Angeles has some solid depth in the backcourt, as Avery Bradley and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are capable shooting guards. In specific situations, Alex Caruso could also fill in depending on how the point guard situation shakes out. Troy Daniels is another player that could help spread the floor with his 3-point shooting.

The Lakers want Green out there, but having him set a new career-high in minutes played, at 32-years old, could be a questionable decision. The team would be better off using Green for the 25-28 minutes he is used to during the regular season and then pushing him to 30+ during the postseason.

If the Lakers are relying on Green for 30+ minutes per game, that isn’t an ideal situation.