A soon-to-be Warrior is weighing in on the future of Draymond Green.
Green declined his $27.6 million player option last week, making him an unrestricted free agent and a chance to explore the open market for the first time in his 11-year NBA career.
A lot of uncertainty looms over Golden State as the negotiation window begins Friday at 3 p.m. PT, but Chris Paul didn’t hesitate to proclaim where he stands on the situation.
Asked if he would want to bring Green back to the Warriors, Paul firmly responded: “Absolutely.”
Paul, 38, was sent to Golden State in a blockbuster trade that sent Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and future draft picks to the Washington Wizards.
The veteran point guard said he has talked to some of his teammates already, including Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. While it’s unknown if Paul and Green have spoken since the trade, NBA Twitter pulled out the receipts on their history.
“I don’t like CP at all, we don’t have a good relationship at all,” Green told former teammates and hosts of the podcast Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson in a podcast from April 2020. “But I respect his hustle and I respect his IQ — he’s smart as hell.”
Green’s words weren’t the only Warriors-CP3 beef in the past, either.
The storied rivalry goes all the way back. From the 2014 playoffs to 2018 when Paul’s fake laugh at Warriors coach Steve Kerr went viral to more recently, when Curry told Paul “this ain’t 2014 no more” during a matchup against the Phoenix Suns in March.
But Paul’s been in the league long enough to know stuff like this isn’t uncommon.
“It happens around this league all the time,” Paul told ESPN’s Malika Andrews on Monday. “It’s probably the first time I’ve been in a situation like that, but when you get out there on the court with guys that are like-minded and love to play the game the same way that I love to, I’m excited about it.
“It’s always a new process when you’re going to a new team; I’ve done it a number of times now, but I’m definitely excited about this because these guys know what it’s all about. They’ve been there. They’ve won over and over again, so I’m glad to be a part of that process.”
A big part of all that winning has been Green’s impact, and it’s clear that Paul would welcome a truce with the four-time champion as teammates.
