The Golden State Warriors’ reported pursuit of LeBron James was among the most significant NBA trade deadline rumors. And Draymond Green confirmed that ”there were talks” with the Los Angeles Lakers about a potential deal during the truTV broadcast of the 2024 NBA All-Star game.
Green stated that while the conversation did happen, he did not initiate it. He also told Taylor Rooks and Charles Barkley that he spoke with Golden State owner Joe Lacob about the potential trade offer, telling him that if Jonathan Kuminga were involved, he wouldn’t do the deal for James.
“When I talked to Joe on the phone, and we were discussing what we’d have to give up, I said if it’s [Jonathan] Kuminga, the answer is no,” Green said.
Draymond Green wouldn’t trade Jonathan Kuminga for LeBron James pic.twitter.com/vutVQExQjp
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 19, 2024
It’s an interesting twist to the initial report and shows how highly Green thinks of his 21-year-old teammate. Kuminga is averaging 15.5 points and 4.7 rebounds this season while taking significant strides forward ahead of the All-Star break. He’s averaging 18.9 points thus far in February, following up on a January in which he tallied 20.6 points per game.
While Kuminga may be off the table in Green’s mind, if Los Angeles had hypothetically pushed for him as a centerpiece, that would have made for quite the conversation between the two teams. But that’s a thing of the past now, and both teams have entirely shifted their focus back to the tough uphill climb that lies ahead in the Western Conference standings as the NBA playoffs approach.
