If Draymond Green was available, would Mavs want him, move DeAndre Jordan to get him?
The situation involving Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors is complicated.
The whole thing started when Green screwed up the final possession against the Clippers on Monday night. Durant then yelled at him on the sideline and Green yelled back.
Both then reportedly yelled at one another in the locker room. Green then got suspended one game for conduct detrimental to the Warriors.
A new report from The Athletic posits that Green yelled at Durant about the latter’s pending free agency and called him a naughty word.
Several players on the Warriors then called out Green for his behavior.
A mountain of reports suggest that Durant is going to explore all his options in when he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2019.
Warriors guard Klay Thompson is set to become a free agent at that time, too.
Green, who was the leader of this championship core before Durant arrived, is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2020.
Let’s, for now, shelve the fiscal difficulties required to appropriately pay Durant, Green, Thompson, as well as two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry, in the near-future.
The more pressing issue is this: could a gradual clash of egos and personalities force the Warriors to consider trading Durant or Green this season?
Moving Durant would be tricky. On the one hand, he is a top five player in the NBA. On the other hand, he’s the most-likely of the foursome to leave.
As for Green, his contract makes a less likely. Then again, there was always the possibility his abrasive personality could rub people the wrong way.
If Green continues down this road and the Warriors did put him on the block, would the Mavericks consider making an offer?
So far this week, there’s been a little bit of drama hovering over Mark Cuban’s team, too.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon snuck this note about the Mavericks into ESPN’s latest NBA power rankings.
“Don’t be deceived by DeAndre Jordan’s solid statistics. He has been a major disappointment for the Mavs. He has rubbed teammates the wrong way with what they perceive as selfish play, the most blatant example being when he stole an uncontested rebound from Luka Doncic by putting his forearm in the prized rookie’s back and tipping the ball away. Jordan’s disinterest in playing help defense has been a big problem as Mavs opponents light up the scoreboard.”
Point guard Dennis Smith Jr. denied that report on his Instagram account.
At this point, it’s impossible to say if the Mavericks would consider trading Jordan. And if they did, would it be for a player with an even greater propensity for drama?
Cuban and Green also have a little bit of a history.
Last November, Green took issue with the meaning of the word ‘owner’ in professional sports.
Cuban then told ESPN that the outspoken player “owes the NBA an apology.”
Cuban’s remarks stemmed from his belief that it was unfair for Green to draw a connection between the NBA and the institution of slavery.