Like him or not, Draymond Green is one of the best players of his generation. He's a unique defender and one of the best, savviest playmakers in the league.
His basketball IQ has been key to the Golden State Warriors' success. And while he may not be much of a scorer, his presence has opened up plenty of lanes for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to do their thing.
Green Wants To Get Paid
That's why he's done taking pay cuts. Green wants to sign a max contract extension, and the Warriors may not be in the position to do so due to their current salary cap limitations.
With that in mind, an Eastern Conference executive told Heavy's Sean Deveney that Green could turn his attention to his hometown Detroit Pistons as a potential next destination:
"With Green reportedly eyeing a max contract next year, Golden State may choose to draw their line in the sand. And according to an Eastern Conference executive who spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, the Detroit Pistons could be a potential landing spot for Green," read the report.Pistons Make Sense
The Pistons have enough cap space to pull this off. They could send Alec Burks, Kelly Olynyk, and a second-round pick to the Warriors via sign-and-trade, and Green would finish his career with the team he grew up rooting for:
“Draymond has always wanted to go there, he has always wanted to play for the Pistons. And they’ll have the cap space. It’s hard to see Draymond playing anywhere else outside Golden State but if it going to happen anywhere, Detroit would be a good bet,” the executive told Deveney.They've Always Liked Him
The Pistons actually tried to land Green not once but twice. They targetted him in the Draft, but he was already gone, and then nearly pursued him as an RFA in 2015:
“Detroit has always wanted Draymond on that team, (owner Tom) Gores has always wished they had gotten him in that (2012) draft in the second round (Green was gone when the Pistons picked, and they took Khris Middleton),” the executive explained to Deveney. Gores is a Michigan State guy, and they wanted to give Draymond an offer sheet when he was a free agent (in 2015), but by then, the Warriors were going to match any offer. So they just have not had the chance. If they can show some improvement this year with their young guys, they could get themselves in the mix.”Dubs Don't Have A Lot Of Leverage
The trade might not be perfect for the Warriors, but it's not like they could do much. Not many teams have the cap space and need to give Green the deal he's looking for, so they might as well get what they out of his contract.
Green's homecoming would make sense for him and the Pistons, and it would be a fitting end for his career after all those years living up to Detroit's physical, gritty, defensive-minded basketball.
]]>The Inquisitr
