NBA trade proposals send Warriors’ Draymond Green to Lakers, Kings

The Warriors haven’t exactly looked like a Finals threat this season. And lately, the basketball has taken a back seat to the tension.

That tension boiled over during a recent win over the Magic, when a heated exchange between coach Steve Kerr and Draymond Green ended with Green walking off the floor and heading straight to the locker room.

No punches thrown. No suspensions issued. Just a very public reminder of how combustible things can get when a team sits in the middle and doesn’t quite know what it is.

Naturally, the speculation followed.

Green has been part of the franchise’s backbone since arriving as the No. 35 pick in 2012. He’s still an elite defender. Still a vocal leader. Still one of the most unique players of his generation. But when the vibes wobble and the standings stall, even untouchables get mentioned.

That’s where Bill Simmons stepped in with a thought experiment.

On his podcast, Simmons floated a pair of hypothetical shake-ups involving Green. One sends him to the Lakers for Rui Hachimura and another contract. The other swings even bigger, involving Kings big man Domantas Sabonis.

“I wonder if there was a Rui Hachimura and a contract for Draymond,” Simmons said. “Let’s just mix this up and go in a different direction. Or with a Sabonis sitting out there for the Kings. Could that be a Draymond, Jonathan Kuminga, and picks and let’s just try to get a guy.”

To be clear, this was brainstorming, not reporting. But it taps into something real. When a core ages and the ceiling lowers, the conversation shifts from tweaks to tectonic plates.

The Lakers angle is obvious. Green’s long-standing friendship with LeBron James would drive headlines alone. Sacramento, meanwhile, would represent a philosophical pivot, turning defense and playmaking into a true offensive hub with Sabonis.

As for Green himself, he’s still producing. Through 24 games, the 35-year-old is averaging 8.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, along with nearly a steal and a block per night. He can still swing games. He just does it differently now.

The most likely outcome? Nothing happens. Kerr and Green have been through far worse than a sideline blowup. They’ve built dynasties on worse days than this.

But if the season continues to drift, and if the Warriors keep looking like a team stuck between past glory and future uncertainty, even ideas that sound absurd today have a way of becoming conversations tomorrow.

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