The Golden State Warriors saw the first departure of their legendary trio last offseason when Klay Thompson joined the Dallas Mavericks. However, according to recent reports, another Warriors champion nearly departed in 2023. In a recent ESPN report, it was revealed that Draymond Green nearly joined the Memphis Grizzlies in 2023. According to an unnamed source, Green was “very” close to signing with the Grizzlies.
“Very,” a source close to Green told ESPN, when asked how serious Green was about leaving the franchise he’d won four titles with to join the young upstarts he’d feuded with so publicly during a heated six-game playoff series a year earlier.
Green had even called Warriors coach Steve Kerr and teammates Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to warn them that he was close to joining the Grizzlies via a lucrative sign-and-trade deal, sources told ESPN, before Warriors owner Joe Lacob and new general manager Mike Dunleavy swooped in with a four-year, $100 million extension to keep him in the Bay.
The Grizzlies were just as serious about acquiring Green, sources said, believing his experience, basketball intelligence and toughness were what the franchise needed as it tried to move past a disastrous season in which superstar point guard Ja Morant had been suspended eight games by NBA commissioner Adam Silver for brandishing a firearm in a social media post, and then the Grizzlies endured a disappointing first-round series loss to the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
Ultimately, Green signed a four-year, $100 million contract to remain in Golden State.
Draymond Green Nearly Joined Memphis Grizzlies in 2023
Draymond Green Is Still a Top Defender in the NBA
Despite not being in his prime anymore, Green is still one of the best defenders in the league. Recently, the Michigan State alum said he thinks he can “most definitely” take home the Defensive Player of the Year award this year.
“Obviously, if we keep winning and close this year out strong, most definitely,” Green said when asked if he thinks he has a case to be named the league’s best defender. “I look around the league and don’t see many players impacting the game on the defensive end the way I do. I don’t see many players completely throwing off an entire team’s offense the way I do. One thousand percent.
“Especially with Wemby [the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama] going down, seemed like he had it won. And now it is right there. So 1 million percent I have a case, and I will continue to build that case for these next 13 games. Tonight was a prime example of that.”
With just a couple of weeks left in the regular season, this looks good for Green. He is currently the betting favorite (-175) to win the award. If he does take home the award, this will be the second time he has done so in his career.
The Last Word
To date, Green has spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Warriors. While things can change, it seems likely that Green will retire as a Warrior.
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