One of the juiciest rumors of the NBA trade deadline was Warriors owner Joe Lacob inquiring about a potential trade for Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James at the behest of Draymond Green, something the Golden State veteran would have welcomed.
Speaking to Carmelo Anthony and Kid Mero on the “7 PM in Brooklyn” podcast, Green explained why he thought the trade would have worked in terms of the locker room chemistry between James, a close personal friend of his, and the rest of the Warriors' roster.
“Locker room wise, I think you have mature individuals that understand each other because we are all the same, an appreciation for where we are in our space, likeminded individuals,” Green said. “How does it work? We’re all secure in who we are and so I think that works no problem.”
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Green then went on to explain that in terms of the hypothetical on-court chemistry of James and the Warriors, things would sort themselves out since both parties are focused on winning and doing what needs to be done to ensure that happens.
“The basketball [side of things], I think that’s the easiest part because you got a bunch of guys who know the game and are not in competition with the next guy, like very at peace with where they are,” Green told Anthony and Mero. “And so, the number one thing would be to win. You also have a group of guys that know how to win and so I think in looking at it, I think that team would win a championship, no problem.”
Anthony disagreed with Green’s assessment, explaining that the number of players the Warriors would have to have traded to get James would have essentially meant they would have had to build an entirely different team, making it unlikely that they would be able to win a title.
Green admitted that it would have been difficult to make the deal happen before expressing how cool it was even to be able to have a conversation about James joining the Warriors, noting the unlikeliness of such talks.
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“I think it would be dope but it ain't happening, and the deadline was cool, just to have a couple of conversations about it, like to entertain the thought of that, it was cool to have a conversation. Because you could never even fathom that the conversation would happen.”
James has been a longtime foe of Golden State, with the two facing each other in four consecutive NBA Finals when he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since signing with the Lakers, James and the Warriors have faced off plenty of times, including a recent double-overtime thriller won by Los Angeles.