Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has made quite a name for himself in the 2015 NBA Playoffs (and the regular season for that matter), cementing his value as a max-contract player heading into restricted free agency in July. With that in mind, here’s the 4 Teams Most Likely To Land Draymond Green In Free Agency.
4) Atlanta Hawks
Hawks small forward DeMarre Carroll is also an unrestricted free agent, and Atlanta thinks Green can slide into that starting role. His passing ability and versatile offensive game make him a perfect fit for head coach Mark Budenholzer's system, and his gritty attitude would give the Hawks something they desperately need.
3) Houston Rockets
This deal isn’t financially feasible with the Rockets’ current roster construction, but Corey Brewer, Clint Capela, Terrence Jones, Joey Dorsey, and Donatas Motiejunas are have deals with one year left that could be extremely offloadable in multiple different trade scenarios. It’s feasible that GM Daryl Morey keeps a budget brigade together, holding onto Jones and maintaining optimism that 2015 free agent Josh Smith has truly found his way under head coach Kevin McHale.
Or they could move on from one or both of them in favor of Green, using room from a rising salary cap to invest in a floor-spacing power forward who can open a cavalcade of opportunities for Dwight Howard in the paint and James Harden on the slash and kick.
2) Detroit Pistons
Golden State paid Green just $915K this year, and with Green likely to receive a max contract on the open market, they might not be able to afford it with Klay Thompson’s max extension kicking in next season. Detroit will throw everything they have at Green, who hasn’t been shy about his love for his hometown. His versatility is perfect for Van Gundy’s system and would make him the perfect complement to dominant center Andre Drummond.
1) Golden State Warriors
While the other two destinations are intriguing, the Warriors have maintained the line this season that they’re willing to max out Green (or close to it) with the extra year in order to keep him as the primary bodyguard of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. In truth, a system like Steve Kerr’s where Green is anywhere from the third to fifth option on a given night is suited to a grinder like him. He’s the grit underlying the Warriors’ flash, and we remain convinced that the Dubs won’t let him slip away come July.
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