Golden State Warriors Owner Joe Lacob Addresses Trade Deadline Speculation Involving Draymond Green: ‘He Was Never Discussed’

The Golden State Warriors didn’t attempt to move Draymond Green at this year’s NBA trade deadline.

That’s at least what owner Joe Lacob told Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard.

Golden State tried to trade for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo at the 2026 NBA trade deadline, but a deal didn’t happen.

“He was never discussed in a trade; Mike was 100% correct what he said,” Lacob said. “I know he got a lot of crap for that. And it did look defensive. I mean, I think he would say that in retrospect.

“But the truth is, the way these things are, you don’t just easily banter around names unless you’re getting serious. … We never really got engagement on some of the big deals to the point where you get into specific names. People can look at the roster and they can make assumptions about who might or might not have to go if you’ve got a certain person.

“But I can tell you he was never shopped in any way. He’s a core person in our franchise. You don’t trade a Draymond Green simply or easily. You do it if you have to, and you’re getting tremendous value and you’re improving your team. Even Draymond has said he understands that. You have to look at these things. But his name was never specifically discussed with another team. And that’s the truth.”

Green has spent his entire NBA career with the Warriors. He’s a four-time champion and four-time All-Star. The future Hall of Famer won the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year Award.

A Michigan State product, Green is making $25.9 million this season. He has a player option worth $27.7 million for next season.

The Warriors won the 2022 NBA championship against the Boston Celtics. They haven’t advanced past the second round of the playoffs since.

Green is averaging 8.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this season. Golden State is in eighth place in the Western Conference standings.