Minutes into the All-Star game, Draymond Green spills beans on the LeBron James trade. Sitting alongside Charles Barkley in the TNT commentary, Green was tricked into dropping the details about the Golden State Warriors’ attempt to steal James. Chuck started the conversation by saying, “The Lakers will take the trade tomorrow… If the Lakers can get Klay and Kuminga, they will do that deal tomorrow.”
In response, Green immediately responded with a big “No” and when Jonathan Kuminga was involved in the trade talk. Moreover, he also said, “It came out like almost like I’m initiating this stuff like Draymond contacted LeBron, no it came to my desk, something came over to my desk.”
Draymond also disputes that he initiated the LeBron trade talks. Said "it came across my desk" so he discussed it.
— Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) February 19, 2024
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Moreover, Green also confirmed that he had a conversation with his agent, Rich Paul, regarding the trade. He also clarified a misconception that was in the air. “I had a conversation with Rich, but I didn’t initiate these talks.”
While DrayMagic sat there, spilling the beans on the show, LeBron James denied that he was even aware of the trade before it was public. Moments before the All-Star game, James sat down with the Inside Guys, and Ernie Johnson asked Bron about his involvement in the latest Warriors attempt.
He simply said, “I actually heard about it when everybody else heard about it… Sometimes this conversation happens behind closed doors that you don’t even know about.”
LeBron on the Warriors trade rumors last week:
"It didn't go far at all. I actually heard about it when everybody else heard about it." pic.twitter.com/C4eUOLOLVt
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) February 18, 2024
To top it all, he hilariously pulled in Chuck and Shaquille O’Neal, saying that they might have also faced similar encounters during their career.
Moving back to the Chuck-Green conversation, Barkley provided a beautiful perspective into the future if at all the Dubs trade Kuminga to the Lakers.
What if Kuminga joins the Lakers?
Jonathan Kuminga has had a breakout season for the Warriors. The 21-year-old earned his spot in the starting line-up this year and has turned out to be second best offense player for the Dubs, pushing Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins behind.
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Despite his service for the team, he was dragged into trade conversation to steal James. Reflecting on that, Chuck said, “The one thing the NBA does not want to see is Anthony Davis put together with Kuminga for the next 10 years. That would be scary.”
As predicted by Barkley, Kuminga will go on to become an offense machine with his bouncy play near the rim. It’s safe to say that the Warriors’ future is in safe hands.
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What do you make of Draymond Green’s perspective on the LeBron-Warriors trade attempt? Let us know in the comments below.