Draymond Green Could be the Missing Piece For the OKC Thunder
Draymond Green has long been a villain-esque figure in Oklahoma City, but he may be exactly what the Thunder needs.
The Golden State Warriors star has never played for another team, but amid the team’s struggles, Green’s time in San Francisco could run out soon. With the former all-star serving an indefinite suspension for his flagrant foul against Jusuf Nurkic earlier this month, a change of scenery could be what he needs.
In a podcast with Ryen Russillo, Bill Simmons proposed that Oklahoma City could make sense as a potential destination. As long as the Thunder can get him for a fair price, he could be the piece that completes the team.
Given the uncertainty surrounding Josh Giddey’s future and his poor play this season, Green could replace him in the starting lineup. The forward would slot in next to Chet Holmgren in the frontcourt while Jalen Williams and Lu Dort start on the wing.
And after spending the past decade setting up and screening for Stephen Curry, he would get to do the same for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Green has averaged 5.8 assists in 15 games this season, which would be good for second on the Thunder.
In a small sample size, the 6-foot-6 forward has had his best scoring season since the 2017-18 season. He has also shot a respectable 18-of-42 from 3-point range this season.
The obvious risk with Green will be his availability, not from injury but from his actions on the court that have crossed the line in the past few months. A concern that the Warriors have to deal with currently and that coach Steve Kerr talked about after Green’s latest suspension was announced.
“The one that grabbed Rudy (Gobert), choked Rudy, the one who took a wild flail at Jusuf (Nurkic), the one who punched Jordan (Poole) last year, that’s the guy who has to change,” Kerr said. “And he knows that.”
If the Thunder believe that he can or has changed, the former Defensive Player of the Year could turn them into a championship-level team on that end.
Green has been selected to an All-Defensive team in eight of the past nine seasons, anchoring a top-five defense five times in that span. With the Thunder ranking sixth in defensive rating this season, he could improve an already elite defense.
While the defensive star would not necessarily solve Oklahoma City’s rebounding problems, his experience as a small-ball center could bolster the team’s defense when Holmgren is off the floor. Considering Green has weaknesses similar to Giddey’s offensively, Oklahoma City’s starting five could also see a sizeable improvement with the defensive upgrade.
With three years left on his contract after this season, the Warriors could be willing to move on from a key piece of four championship teams. To make salaries match, Davis Bertans would need to be included.
Along with that, the Thunder would likely need to include a combination of at least two young players or draft picks. Ousmane Dieng, Aleksej Pokusevski, Aaron Wiggins and Tre Mann are some of the players the Warriors could be interested in and the Thunder may be willing to send out.
Considering none of those five players have been regular rotation players for Oklahoma City this season, if Golden State’s ask for draft compensation is reasonable, a trade for Green could be relatively low risk.
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