Report: Draymond Green Wanted To Play For The Lakers Or Clippers After Trade Rumors Surfaced
Apr 2, 2026
Around the time of the trade deadline, it looked like Draymond Green had overstayed his welcome in Golden State. His relationship with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr appeared to be strained, and there were rumors that the front office was shipping him elsewhere, perhaps as a trade asset to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Green’s relocation to Milwaukee didn’t materialize, but apparently, the former Defensive Player of the Year also had some landing spots in mind.
According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater (who happens to be a longtime Warriors correspondent), Green was considering two teams in particular. “League sources said a reroute to the Los Angeles teams were on his radar when the idea of a possible trade surfaced,” Slater reported on Wednesday.
Needless to say, Green joining either the Lakers or the Clippers would have been the headliner of this year’s trade season.
Green’s ties with the Lakers are anchored on his friendship with LeBron James. Over the past offseasons, photos of Green and James attending events and engaging in leisurely activities have been plastered all over the internet. Both four-time NBA champions also share an agent in Rich Paul, the CEO and founder of Klutch Sports.
On the court, Green and James have fought epic wars, squaring off in the NBA Finals for four consecutive years when LBJ embarked on his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Green and James are no longer at the peak of their powers, but a team-up on the purple and gold squad would have been interesting, to say the least.
What would have happened if Green had joined the Clippers? A team that has one of the oldest rosters in the league would not have necessarily added fresh legs by acquiring Green, who turned 36 last month. Still, Green would have provided a strong voice on the hardcourt and in the locker room, a voice that Clippers main man Kawhi Leonard is not known for.
Green can test free agency this summer, but it’s likely that he’ll re-sign with the Warriors. Be that as it may, there’s a sliver of a chance that he’ll pack up his bags and move somewhere else on the West Coast.
