Portland’s Lillard would love to see Green with Blazers
Don’t let the on- court bickering between Draymond Green and Damian Lillard fool you. The Blazers’ star not only respects the Warriors’ emotional leader, he badly wants to be teammates with Green.
But Lillard, the Oakland-born All- Star guard, isn’t yearning to come back home. He’s been pushing the Blazers front office to bring Green to Portland.
In a podcast Monday, The Athletic’s Sam Amick revealed the extent of Lillard’s desire to play with the fiery Green.
“If we were handicapping Draymond trade destinations if the Warriors decided to blow it up — that’s the one (the Blazers). Damian and his group have for the last couple years been campaigning for that,” Amick said.
To be sure, hav ing Green’s skills alongside him would no doubt do wonders for Lillard, who could benefit from Green’s unparalleled combination of intensity, play-making ability and defensive brilliance.
As the heartbeat of the Warriors, Green has been a pretty fair sidekick for Stephen Curry over the years — as evidenced by the three NBA titles they celebrated together. We got a reminder of Green’s effect on Curry Sunday night during Curry’s 62-point eruption in a 137-122 win over Lillard’s Blazers. We also saw Green and Lillard in each other’s face a couple of times during the game.
It was the most impactful one-point game by any NBA player in years.
Lillard and the Blazers may covet Green, but why would the Warriors be in any hurry to let him go?
It’s true there are plenty of miles on Green’s 30-yearold body and the days of the Warriors dominating the NBA appear gone — at least until Klay Thompson returns next year. Plus, Green earns more than $22 million this year on a deal that runs through 2023-24.
That being said, Green’s intangibles and his overall worth to the culture of the Warriors can’t be quantified. It’s probably why Lillard’s desire of seeing Green suiting up with him is just a dream these days.