Mavs Trade for Warriors’ Draymond Green Could Put Luka Doncic Over The Top

Draymond Green has been a distraction for the Golden State Warriors over the last two seasons, and a change of scenery via trade to the Dallas Mavericks could be exactly what all sides need.

Dalton Trigg | Jan 3, 2024

Mavs Trade for Warriors’ Draymond Green Could Put Luka Doncic Over The Top /

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The Dallas Mavericks have one of the more talented star duos in the league with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Both players are capable of going off on any given night and carrying the load on offense. However, for the Mavs to get over the hump and become a true title contender, they need another glue guy – a player to direct the defense and do the dirty work.

Rookie big man Dereck Lively II has shown some of these traits, as he's done all of the little things well enough to make an immediate impact for the Mavs this season despite only being 19 years old with less than 30 games of experience. As good as Lively has been, though, the Mavs could use one more guy like him with more experience at their starting power forward position to tie everything together.

Cutting to the chase, Golden State Warriors four-time champion Draymond Green could be the answer. Although Green's best days are behind him at 33 years old, he's still more than capable of holding down a defense and directing traffic. Through 15 games this season, the former Defensive Player of the Year is averaging 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists while shooting a career-best 42.9 percent from deep.

Green is currently serving his second suspension of the season. The first one was for five games in November when he put Minnesota Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert in a chokehold. The current suspension, which has caused Green to miss 10 games and counting, was due to him throwing a punch at Phoenix Suns' Jusuf Nurkic. He is currently in counseling and is suspended indefinitely until he meets the NBA and the Warriors' requirements in order to return to the court.

Draymond to Mavs? Dallas Betting Favorites in Trade

Long story short, it might be time for Green to have a change of scenery, and becoming the 'glue guy' for two players he admires in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas could be the best fit. The NBA trade betting odds certainly seem to think so, as the Mavs are listed as the favorites to land Green if he is traded.

With his Golden State glory days are behind him, and the Warriors not being the dominant dynasty that they once were when Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were at the peak of their powers, it might finally be time for something new.

Mavs' Pascal Siakam Trade Interest 'Overstated'; Who Tops Dallas' PF Wish List?

The Mavs will be looking to upgrade their starting power-forward position at this year's trade deadline according to Marc Stein. And although they do have "registered interest" in Toronto Raptors' Pascal Siakam, Stein hinted that he doesn't think he tops Dallas' wish list. Given the potential price weighed with the potential risk and reward, it wouldn't be shocking to us if Green is the guy on the top of that wish list.

Doncic is playing at an MVP level this season, but he still doesn't have enough consistency on this Mavs' roster to stack enough wins in order to gain more national media respect. Green could help bring that consistency to Dallas' starting five, and he could also help elevate Doncic and Irving to being a true title contender this season.

Published Jan 3, 2024

DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.