Warriors’ Draymond Green remains heart , soul of franchise

The Bucks put the Warriors through the washing machine. 

By dangling Giannis Antetokounmpo as a carrot ahead of the NBA trade deadline, they made the league’s modern-day dynasty believe it had another shot at the mountaintop. They made Steph Curry believe he had a chance to compete for his fifth ring. And they made Draymond Green face the harsh reality that anyone is disposable if a shiny enough object comes along. 

The Warriors went all in on the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. They were considered front-runners. They were willing to mortgage their future with four unprotected first-round picks. They shifted their focus from pursuing other trades, including Jaren Jackson Jr., before pivoting at the buzzer and landing Kristaps Porzingis.

There was a lot of fallout from the Bucks’ 6-foot-11, 240-pound pump fake.

But none was more revealing than the way Green handled hearing that his name was involved in trade talks for the first time in his 14-season career, something that would’ve been off the table for pretty much anyone not named Antetokounmpo.

Green took it on the chin. 

Two days before the trade deadline, when he was asked about being included in a potential deal, he was markedly understanding. “I think a lot of people want to know how I feel about it, like am I upset about it,” Green said Tuesday. “I’m not at all. If that’s what’s best for this organization, that’s what’s best for the organization.”

That wasn’t an act. One thing Green isn’t is disingenuous. Rather, those were the words of a man who knew he did everything he could for the Warriors. They were the words of someone who poured every ounce of himself into a franchise, helping it become a dynasty that won four championships in eight years. They were the words of someone at peace. 

The 35-year-old Green is known for being fiery. He’s a guy who transformed himself from an undersized No. 35 pick in the 2012 draft into one of the greatest defenders in NBA history. He’s grit personified. For the Warriors, none of this would’ve happened without him. 

He was considered untradable — or at least as untradable as someone can be in a league in which Luka Doncic can be dealt. He had earned that. But when that changed, he didn’t express surprise over the whiplash of it all. He didn’t express disappointment over the shift in loyalty. 

Rather, he leaned into gratitude. 

“I don’t know that it ends at 13 1/2, but if it does, what a f***ing run it’s been,” Green said. “I’ll take the fine for (cursing). What a f***ing run it’s been.”

The thing is the relationship between Green and the Warriors has always been symbiotic. 

His ability to guard 1 through 5 made the Warriors one of the greatest franchises ever. In turn, they supported him through the turbulence that goes hand-in-hand with a player whose oxygen is intensity. 

After Green got into it with Kevin Durant in November 2018, Curry drove to Green’s Oakland home and talked with him in his backyard for two hours. And after Green was suspended indefinitely for striking Jusuf Nurkic in the face in December 2023, Warriors coach Steve Kerr went to Green’s Los Angeles home, sat in his backyard and helped recenter him. 

The Warriors have had Green’s back. And he’s had theirs. 

For Green, if a trade had happened, there wouldn’t have been any bitterness. Any resentment. Any betrayal. While Green can be reactionary, this clearly showed his other side. He’s contemplative. He’s likable. 

You don’t remain on a team for 13 1/2 years if you’re not. A few years ago, Green likened himself, Curry and Klay Thompson to being the co-founders of a start-up. Over their six Finals runs, they played an extra 127 games, or the equivalent of an extra season and a half. 

They became brothers, spending more time together than with their actual families. They wanted to retire together. Thompson left in free agency in July 2024 because he wanted out amid frustrations over contract negotiations and his decreased role. 

If Green had been traded, that would’ve felt different. 

Kerr has called Green the “heart and soul” of the team. His unbridled intensity served as a defibrillator in locker rooms and huddles, shocking his teammates into meeting him at the feverish pitch at which he existed. 

Without Green, the Warriors’ path could’ve been dramatically altered. 

Curry might not have been able to become the best shooter of all time without fully trusting that the other end of the court was patrolled. Kerr might not have been so effective without having a human form of fireworks echoing his words.

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Green is the Warriors’ glue guy, who selflessly facilitated on offense, while also pouring himself into the less glamorous side of the court. He is the person who does the things other players don’t want to do. He’s a blue-collar worker who turned himself into a four-time All-Star and future first-ballot Hall of Famer. 

And when his name surprisingly came into trade conversations, he didn’t hem and haw. He didn’t take veiled shots at the organization. Rather, he understood. 

The Warriors needed to do everything possible to acquire Antetokounmpo. Green knew that. He respected it. Even if it came at a big cost to him. 

Over the last decade, he helped the Warriors become one of the NBA’s most dominant teams. And in turn, they enabled him to become the best version of himself. 

And when his future was hanging in the balance, it was clear he overwhelmingly felt one emotion: appreciation. 

“What do I have to be upset about?” he asked. “I’ve been here for 13 1/2 years. That’s longer than probably 98% of NBA players have been in one place. And this guy from Saginaw has been in a place for 13 1/2 years.”