"He's their consistency"- Former NBA champ Iman Shumpert says Draymond Green is an extremely important piece of the Warriors
Draymond Green is an unrestricted free agency this summer. The veteran forward opted out of his player option, likely hoping to secure a longer-term deal that could potentially be the last of his career.
Green is not guaranteed to remain with the Golden State Warriors. Multiple teams will be interested in adding him to their roster before next season, as his presence is seen as a valuable commodity for winning.
According to former NBA champion Iman Shumpert, the Warriors need to ensure Green stays with their roster. This is due to his importance to their core and how he impacts winning at the highest level. Here's what he said on "No Chill with Gilbert Arenas:"
"When you lose that loud mouth guy, that's like he's going to yell at the other team, but he's in it," Shumpert said. "He's intense. He knows all the plays, he knows the coverages, he knows everything. He doesn't have to perform well for him to mean some to a team.
"I think that he's their consistency. Like when they have ups and downs, when they have this and that, like, I feel like he's their even keel, whether they understand that or not."
Draymond Green has been with the Warriors since being drafted with the 35th pick in 2012, and has been a huge part of their all-conquering dynasty. However, Green will want to ensure his contract is on a team that will continue to give him a significant role within their rotation - something which the Warriors will certainly offer.
Kendrick Perkins believes Draymond Green makes sense for the LA Lakers
On a recent episode of ESPN's "Get Up," former NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins made the case that Green's presence on the Los Angeles Lakers would have prevented them from getting swept by the Denver Nuggets:
"With [Nikola] Jokic being in the Western Conference, being the best player in the league right now, you definitely need a defensive duo like Draymond [Green] & [Anthony Davis]. He could put the Lakers on the top. They got swept all because they could not control or guard Jokic."
Green has been linked with a move to the Los Angeles Lakers for the past 12 months, with multiple media outlets projecting the forward to team up with LeBron James next season.
The Lakers made a deep playoff run this year after Rob Pelinka re-tooled their roster at the February 9 trade deadline. However, LeBron James and Anthony Davis were powerless to stop Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets from romping to a 4-0 series victory in the Western Conference Finals.
There's no telling how much of a difference Draymond Green would have made to the Lakers' chances of contending for a championship last season. However, the Lakers will likely be curious as to how much he could help moving forward.