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Blowout loss could be Draymond Green's last game as a Warrior
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Justine Willard-Imagn Images

Blowout loss could be Draymond Green's last game as a Warrior

Draymond Green has been part of a lot of victories in his 14 seasons with the Golden State Warriors. Tuesday, he and his team suffered an ugly loss in what could be his last game with his only team.

The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Warriors, 113-94, in a game where Green had six points, seven rebounds and three assists. It's the Warriors' last game before the Feb. 5 trade deadline — one where the longtime Warriors forward could be moved.

Draymond Green is no longer untradeable

For years, the idea of breaking up the pairing of Steph Curry and Green was unthinkable. The Warriors stuck by the former Defensive Player of the Year even after he punched teammate Jordan Poole in practice in 2022, got ejected from a 2023 playoff game for stomping on Domantas Sabonis and received multiple extended suspensions during the 2023-24 season.

Now he's reportedly part of the Warriors' trade offer for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, along with Jonathan Kuminga, Milwaukee native Brandin Podziemski and every first-round pick the Warriors can legally trade.

It's not Green's reckless on-court behavior that's made him expendable, nor is it just the opportunity to trade for a superstar. It's that Green has become a huge negative on the offensive end of the court.

Draymond Green is a non-shooter who primarily takes threes

Green is a 32 percent three-point shooter who is making 31.9 percent of his threes this season. At the same time, he's taking 61.6 percent of his shots from behind the three-point arc and taking free throws at the lowest rate of his career. Green has become a stretch big man who doesn't actually stretch the floor — and he doesn't score inside either.

That creates a problem for the Warriors in multiple areas. First, it's hard to play him alongside other poor three-point shooters, one reason disgruntled forward Jonathan Kuminga has struggled to get playing time. It's also caused defenders to play off Green since they don't respect his outside shot.

48.1 percent of Green's three-pointers are considered "wide open," which means defenders are six feet or further from Green. That means almost half the time Green spots up from behind the arc, the closest opposing player is far enough to comply with the CDC's 2020 guidelines for COVID-19.

That's a big reason Green's assists are down and his turnovers are up. He's averaging only 5.7 rebounds and playing the fewest minutes (26.6) since his second season in the NBA.

Green seems resigned to his time with the Warriors possibly being over, telling reporters after the game that he wouldn't be upset if the team traded him "if that's what's best for the organization."

It likely is what's best for the Warriors organization, whether or not they can get Antetokounmpo in return.

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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