Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has shared the story of how he found out about the Luka Doncic trade – and thought it was something different entirely.
The Luka Doncic trade was a seismic event in NBA terms, rocking the NBA world. Even the man who broke the news, Shams Charania, admitted his hands were shaking when he pressed send.
The Doncic trade sent the Slovenian from the Dallas Mavericks to the LA Lakers, and it grabbed the interest of players across the league, proving anybody could be traded.
The Golden State Warriors clinched a trade for Jimmy Butler days later – but it was almost another player who ended up in the Bay.
The February trade deadline was one of the most dramatic in recent memory. One player added to the chaos without being moved, Kevin Durant.
The Phoenix Suns were scrambling to try and acquire Butler, and wanted to move Bradley Beal. But his ‘no trade clause’ and his desire to stay put meant they explored a deal to trade away Kevin Durant to his former team, the Warriors.
Speaking on an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel, Warriors star Draymond Green has broken down just how close it was.
Green says he was told by Warriors owner Joe Lacob that it was almost agreed – prompting some confusion when the Luka Doncic trade news broke.
He explained: “We were at a Warriors charity poker tournament. I had just saw Joe Lacob 10 minutes before this happened, and Joe gets excited, that’s my guy, Joe Lacob’s owner of the Warriors, majority owner.
“And Joe goes, ‘Draymond, I think we gonna get Kevin Durant. Like, it’s right there at the finish line. It’s happening. We get Kevin Durant back’.
“I’m like, oh man. Like, here we go, let’s go. And we talk about it, he’s like, ‘You think it’ll work? I’m like, Absolutely’.
“He leaves. He comes running back to me, like, two minutes later, Draymond, Draymond, I wasn’t supposed to say anything. Don’t say nothing to nobody.
“Joe, I got you. I won’t say anything.”
Green explained how the Doncic trade breaking at the same time led him to believe the Durant deal had been done and made public.
“So we’re at this tournament. And I go sit down. And about 15 minutes later, Steph yells, Draymond, you see the trade?
“I go, it happened? Steph goes, Wait, ooh. I said, Oh, never mind nobody. What happened? He’s like, Luka got traded.”
It was reported a few weeks after the trade deadline, in early March, that the Warriors fully agreed the terms of a trade for Kevin Durant, with Steph Curry brought in on the idea.
However, the move did not work out because Kevin Durant rejected the chance to play for the Warriors again.
Joining Green on a podcast subsequently, Durant explained this was simply because he did not want the upheaval of leaving midseason.
The Warriors moved for Jimmy Butler, which extended their season into the Western Conference semifinals.
But it also likely prevents them from making a move for Kevin Durant this summer.
Durant is expected to leave the Suns. Brian Windhorst claims it is 98 percent that the two-time champion will leave – but his destination remains uncertain.
We took a look at three teams currently being linked, but there could be a whole lot more who are interested in Durant services, while the Suns will be looking to claw back some assets.
