Draymond Green stayed with the Warriors and kept the team’s heart and soul alive

The Bucks put the Warriors through the washing machine.

By dangling Giannis Antetokounmpo as a carrot before the NBA trade deadline, they made the league’s modern-day dynasty believe they still had a shot at the mountaintop. They made Steph Curry believe he had a chance to compete for his fifth ring. And they made Draymond Green face the harsh reality that everyone is disposable if only an object comes along that’s shiny enough.

The Warriors went all-in in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. They were considered front runners. They were willing to mortgage their future with four unprotected first-round picks. They shifted their focus from pursuing other trades, including Jaren Jackson Jr., before turning at the buzzer and landing Kristaps Porzingis.

There was plenty of fallout from the Bucks’ 6-foot-4, 240-pound pump fake.

But nothing was more revealing than the way Green handled hearing that his name was involved in trade talks for the first time in his 14-season career, something that would have been off the table for just about anyone not named Antetokounmpo.

Green took it on the chin.

When asked two days before the trade deadline if he was part of a potential deal, he was remarkably understanding. “I think a lot of people want to know what I think about it, if I’m angry about it,” Green said Tuesday. “That’s not me at all. If that’s what’s best for this organization, then that’s what’s best for the organization.”

That was not an act. One thing Green is not is dishonest. Rather, they were the words of a man who knew he was doing everything he could for the Warriors. They were the words of someone who poured every ounce of himself into a franchise, turning it into a dynasty that won four championships in eight years. They were the words of someone who was at peace.

The 35-year-old Green is known for being fiery. He is a man who has transformed himself from an undersized No. 35 pick in the 2012 draft to one of the greatest defenders in NBA history. He is the personification of grit. For the Warriors, none of this would have happened without him.

He was considered untradable – or at least as untradable as anyone can be in a league where Luka Doncic can be dealt. He deserved that. But when that changed, he expressed no surprise at the whiplash of it all. He expressed no disappointment about the shift in loyalty.

Instead, he leaned toward gratitude.

“I don’t know if it ends at 13 1/2, but if it does, what a damn run it’s been,” Green said. “I’ll take the fine for (swearing). What a bloody run it’s been.”

The thing is, the relationship between Green and the Warriors has always been symbiotic.

His ability to guard 1 through 5 made the Warriors one of the best franchises ever. In turn, they supported him through the turbulence that comes hand in hand with a player whose oxygen intensity is.

After Green started dating Kevin Durant in November 2018, Curry drove to Green’s home in Oakland and spoke with him for two hours in his backyard. And after Green was suspended indefinitely for punching Jusuf Nurkic in the face in December 2023, Warriors coach Steve Kerr went to Green’s Los Angeles home, sat in his backyard and helped him center.

The Warriors have had Green’s back. And he had theirs.

For Green, there wouldn’t have been any bitterness if a trade had taken place. Some resentment. Any betrayal. Although Groen can be reactionary, this clearly showed his other side. He is contemplative. He’s nice.

If you’re not, you won’t stay on a team for 13 1/2 years. A few years ago, Green compared himself, Curry and Klay Thompson to the co-founders of a start-up. During their six finals they played 127 extra matches, or the equivalent of an extra season and a half.

They became brothers and spent more time together than with their actual families. They wanted to retire together. Thompson left in free agency in July 2024 because he popular out amid frustrations over contract negotiations and his diminished role.

If Green had been traded, it would have felt different.

Kerr has called Green the “heart and soul” of the team. His unbridled intensity acted like a defibrillator in locker rooms and huddles, causing his teammates to shock him and meet him at the feverish level at which he existed.

Without Green, the Warriors’ trajectory could have changed dramatically.

Curry might not have been able to become the greatest shooter of all time without completely relying on patrolling the other side of the court. Kerr might not have been as effective without a human form of fireworks echoing his words.

Download the California Post app, follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletters

Green is the Warriors’ glue man, selflessly facilitating the offense while also dabbling in the less glamorous side of the court. He’s the person who does the things other players don’t want to do. He’s a blue-collar guy who turned himself into a four-time All-Star and future first-ballot Hall of Famer.

And when his name surprisingly came up in trade conversations, he wasn’t joking. He made no veiled shots at the organization. On the contrary, he understood.

The Warriors had to do everything possible to acquire Antetokounmpo. Green knew that. He respected it. Even though it cost him a lot of money.

Over the past decade, he has helped the Warriors become one of the NBA’s most dominant teams. And in turn, they enabled him to become the best version of himself.

And when his future hung in the balance, it was clear he felt one emotion overwhelmingly: appreciation.

“What should I be angry about?” he asked. “I’ve been here 13 1/2 years. That’s longer than probably 98% of NBA players have been in one place. And this guy from Saginaw has been in one place for 13 1/2 years.”