The Golden State Warriors are staring at a franchise-defining dilemma in their pursuit of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. But landing him would come at a steep cost. That cost could be franchise legend Draymond Green. Of course, that would be a tough decision to make for the front office.

According to Mark Willard of 95.7 The Game, the Warriors simply don’t have the stomach for it. During a recent on-air discussion, Willard argued that the Warriors’ front office is too emotionally tied to Green to ever pull the trigger on a trade.

“I have a hard time believing that for 12 years. Okay, you won’t. You won’t suspend him.
You won’t punish him. You won’t speak up against him. You won’t take anybody else’s side against him. You won’t do anything, and then you just trade him? I don’t think they got the guts,” Willard said. “I mean, Joe Lacob, Mike Dunleavy? Yeah. I do not. That would… blow me away.”

“I’m not saying that’s not a shoot or shoot. I would like to say that this is the most outside of their usual behavior that we would have ever seen in the life of this regime,” he further blasted the Warriors’ front office. There’s no doubt that Green has been a key figure for the Dubs for over a decade now and was instrumental during the team’s four championship runs in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022.

Not just that, as Mark Willard pointed out, the 35-year-old is also quite close with team owner Joe Lacob as well as general manager Mike Dunleavy. So, it’s hard to believe that they’d be willing to give up their star forward ahead of the trade deadline. However, having said that, if Golden State wants to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s set to make around $54.1 million this season, they must give up someone.

That’s especially true because the Warriors are hard up against the second apron. To make the finances work under the new CBA, they would likely have to move either Green or Jimmy Butler, who’s set to make around $54.1 million as well this season. And while the front office weighs its options, league reporting suggests Green is preparing for the possibility that change is coming.

Draymond Green Preparing for the Possibility of a Trade

Just a few days ago, when asked about the possibility of getting traded to Milwaukee in exchange for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Draymond Green was unfazed as he suggested that he’s not losing any sleep as the rumors swirled. However, despite those strong comments, it seems like Green might be starting to worry about his future.

In fact, The Athletic’s Sam Amick believes Green and his team are preparing themselves for the possibility that he could be sent to Wisconsin.

“To that point, league sources say Green and his camp are well aware that the prospect of him being sent to Milwaukee is very real,” Amick wrote in his latest piece.

“As our Nick Friedell reported on Monday, Jimmy Butler has been given strong indications that the Warriors plan to ‘stick by him as he begins a year-long rehab’ from his recently torn ACL. And if Butler isn’t in the proposed deal — based on the economics and league rules — then Green is.”

While the Warriors wouldn’t include Green in a deal unless they absolutely have to, financially, as we mentioned, the Dubs will have to include Draymond Green in the deal if Jimmy Butler is out of the picture. Now, whether the franchise will go through with this, sending away the backbone of their defense and a leader who has led them for over a decade? We’ll have to wait and see.