Draymond Green has known only one jersey for the entirety of his NBA career. The Golden State Warriors are reportedly ready to change that — under the right circumstances.
Despite being touted as a contender before the 2025-26 season started, the Warriors have shown plenty of cracks in the armor so far. The Los Angeles Lakers' California rivals have only managed a 13-12 record to this point, hovering around the Play-In portion of the Western Conference bracket.
What's an easy way to change your circumstances? Trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, of course. Given that opportunity, Jake Fischer suggested the Warriors would be willing to send their four-time NBA champion to his next destination.
Fischer said, “The only player, I think, in the league that Golden State would be willing to move Draymond Green for would be Giannis Antetokounmpo. ... I don't think that they are going to be pushing Draymond's salary onto the table — or Jimmy Butler’s salary — for anyone short of him.”
Golden State Warriors' path to Giannis trade could include Draymond Green
Much like LeBron James, Stephen Curry's window to win another championship before his career is over is rapidly fading. James got Luka Doncic to help him push for one more. The Warriors would be completely justified to want Giannis aiding their franchise's G.O.A.T.
Green has been a constant during the Curry era in Golden State. Draymond molded himself into the ultimate sidekick, serving as the perfect Swiss army knife and executing whatever the Warriors needed from him (minus high volume scoring).
Seeing Green moved elsewhere really would be a testament to just how special Antetokounmpo is. There should be no doubt that any team with Giannis in the mix, and a competent supporting cast, should be catapulted right into the title picture under most circumstances.
Granted, the Oklahoma City Thunder look absolutely ridiculous this season. Even so, Antetokounmpo is exactly the type of player who should force that unstoppable juggernaut to encounter some matchup issues in a potential playoff meeting. That should be one of the main reasons Giannis would be so coveted if, or when, his sweepstakes officially commences.
Pairing up Green's contract with Jonathan Kuminga and salary filler would be enough to make the math work for the Milwaukee Bucks superstar. From there, the added compensation just needs to be discussed.
Green has very little reason to remain in Milwaukee after that potential trade. It should not be surprising to see a scenario similar to what happened with Jrue Holiday and the Boston Celtics occur where another team swoops in to reroute Draymond towards their contending team.
At $25.9 million, Green is on a fairly manageable salary for a team pushing to win a championship. Perhaps, in this complete hypothetical, that is where the Lakers may want to toss themselves in for consideration.