Almost a year and a half ago, the Golden State Warriors were in talks with the Utah Jazz to land Lauri Markkanen in the Bay Area. But this couldn’t have been more awkward. Just shortly after the terms were in discussion, the Jazz signed Markkanen to a five-year, $283 million extension. So, did the Warriors botch a potential great opportunity?
As per ESPN’s Anthony Slater, Warriors forward Draymond Green asked the front office not to pursue Markkanen, given what Utah was asking from the Warriors. Slater said that Green had told Mike Dunleavy and owner Joe Lacob the summer prior to not consider for the trade as the Jazz were askingfor all the draft picks and young players. Green told Slater,
“”I’m a big fan of [Markkanen’s] game. But I think if you want to do something so huge you better be certain that this is the move. You usually don’t win those things against Danny Ainge. I look at history.”
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The fans, however, had the most hilarious reactions upon learning Draymond Green’s involvement in this trade. Some, in fact, suspect Green was afraid he might have been included in the deal that could have potentially sent him to Utah.
One fan wrote,
“Bro knew he was apart of the trade 😭”
Another fan added,
“he said ts cuz he knew he was gon be in the trade package 💀.”
This fan wrote,
“He said that cuz he know he would’ve went to Utah”
Another fan added,
“bro, why are yall giving draymond so much power just bc he old asl😂.”
One fan added,
“Why are they listening to the WWE wrestler.”
This fan wrote,
“My guy was getting traded and vetoed it😂.”
Another fan added,
“Winning a Chip doesn’t mean you’re a gm.”
As of now, Lauri Markkanen is averaging 30.6 points per game while shooting 48.2% from the field. But Green isn’t wrong in his assessment either. Danny Ainge can be quite demanding, and this has happened before. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers have pretty much dealt with every last asset they could for Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell for themselves. But, does that warrant the Warriors missed an opportunity?
Draymond Green Confronted a Fan for Angel Reese Chants
In Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Draymond Green found himself in yet another confrontation. However, this time it was with a fan. Earlier in the game, Green missed five of his shots and rebounded four of them. This led to a fan from the stands chanting WNBA star Angel Reese’s name in order to taunt the Warriors forward.
After picking a shooting foul against Pelicans forward Herbert Jones, Green decided to confront the fan. “He just kept calling me a woman,” said Green, indicating how the fan was referring to him by Angel Reese’s name. “It was a good joke at first, but you can’t keep calling me a woman. I got four kids, one on the way. You can’t keep calling me a woman,” the Warriors star added.
Though the league did not fine Draymond Green for this incident, this isn’t an isolated one. Earlier in 2022, Green was fined $25,000 for directing ‘obscene language’ towards a fan. However, Green remains highly critical of fans’ behavior in the arenas, especially with them getting away with harassing players knowing well the players might get fined upon engaging or reacting.
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