The Golden State Warriors were among several teams rumored to be interested in trading for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Along with the New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Miami Heat, some fans expected to see Giannis join a new contending team. However, the NBA trade deadline passed on Thursday, with the Greek Freak staying put in Milwaukee, seeming to shut the door on speculation that the team wanted to move him.
Meanwhile, all of the above teams made other moves, amid speculation that other players would be traded, including the Warriors. While some rumors mentioned Draymond Green as a potential trade piece in a deal, he remained part of the Warriors for this season.
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Now that the deadline has passed, Green opened up about his participation in conversations about a potential trade for Giannis, revealing he was informed about the possibility of a deal and that some of the buzz he’d been hearing was accurate.
According to Green, the Warriors’ general manager, Mike Dunleavy, asked him to call, indicating it was “not urgent,” so Green figured he wasn’t getting traded. However, that wasn’t necessarily the case.
“We talked for a while, and then he’s like, ‘By the way, on the Giannis front, obviously we spoke about Giannis, we talked about what picks we’d send them, but haven’t really talked about the players. But obviously, if we did a deal with Giannis, you or Jimmy [Butler] would have to be in the trade to make it work, but we’re not even there yet or that far down the road. I’m not sure it’s going to happen anyway. Just so you know, all the speculation you’re seeing, some of it’s true,” Green shared on his recent podcast.
He admitted that he’d never really dealt with trade talks in his 13 years of being in the NBA, except for maybe during his first year in the league. He said he figured that they’d more likely trade him in a deal for Giannis than Butler.
With that in mind, he said he had a conversation with his son about the possibility of a trade, as it could significantly alter his life. He also said it gave him an appreciation for what many NBA players have faced during their careers and gratitude for not having to experience it.
The four-time NBA Champion and All-Star called the trade talks “nerve-racking” and has him considering what he needs to do to prevent that from being something he’s dealing with every year for the rest of his career.
Green explained that he knows the Warriors remain dedicated to staying “competitive” and not completing “blowing up” things for the future. He explained that the team is working toward another run but will need to find a way to do so without Butler’s assistance due to his injury.
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