The Los Angeles Lakers struggled to win basketball games last season and there was a laundry list of things that were wrong with the team. One of the biggest issues for the Lakers was the fact that they did not have wings who could defend on the roster as they had before during the 2020 championship run.
Rob Pelinka and co. are looking to recapture that 2020 magic (with the addition of Russell Westbrook) and might be able to do so by bringing back players from that team.
While Danny Green went ice cold in the Orlando bubble, he was a very important part of that team that won the championship in 2020. Green was then traded with a first-round pick for Dennis Schroder and was flipped from OKC to Philadelphia.
Green continued being a solid role player in Philly but now is likely going to find a new home. According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, the Sixers are exploring traded involving Green and the 23rd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. For those unaware, Green did tear his ACL in the playoffs in early May.
While the Lakers are definitely not going to be the team that is trading for Danny Green, this could open the door for the Lakers to reunite with the former role player who had such a big role on the 2019-20 team.
How these Danny Green rumors could lead to a Los Angeles Lakers reunion:
The fact that the Sixers are shopping Green AND the 23rd pick in the 2022 NBA Draft should tell you all that you need to know about Green as a trade asset and the kind of deal that the Sixers are looking to pull off. The Sixers are not trading Green for young assets. They are packaging someone who does not have much value (because of the torn ACL) with a first-round pick to get an upgraded role player.
It is essentially what the Lakers thought they were doing when they traded Green the first time for Schroder. In hindsight, it was clear that the Lakers were probably better off with just Green and that pick.
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What is really important about this trade is the fact that Green is making $10 million next season but it is non-guaranteed. The Sixers could cut him for free but before doing that, it makes much more sense to see if the team can leverage his salary figure into getting a different contract.
Thus, we can infer that the team that is acquiring Green likely has no use for Green himself and is mostly just trying to get the asset that is attached to him. With his deal being non-guaranteed, this new team could simply cut ties with him and not have to deal with any financial burden. They would free up salary-cap space and get an asset.
An example of this would be something along the lines of the 76ers trading Green and pick 23 to the Thunder for Derrick Favors only for the Thunder to turn around and cut Green. The Sixers probably would never do that specific deal as Favors is not worth it, but that is along the lines of what they are trying to accomplish.
Green will likely be on the open market and he will definitely be available for the veteran minimum because of the torn ACL. That will allow the Los Angeles Lakers to either sign him before the year and stash him or come up with a handshake agreement behind closed doors to bring him back once he is healthy.
A nine-month recovery time is standard for a torn ACL, though it could take longer or slightly less. If it took Green nine months he would be available to play by late-February, early March — right around the time teams make buyout additions as is.
Simply put: Danny Green could be a buyout addition for the Los Angeles Lakers that is months in the making this upcoming season.