The Golden State Warriors made their move Thursday ahead of the trade deadline, dealing Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in return for Kristaps Porzingis. It brought an end to Kuminga’s time in the Bay Area and signaled something bigger: this front office is trying to squeeze everything it can out of what remains of Stephen Curry‘s prime.
The deal also shifted attention away from Draymond Green, who had been mentioned in much chatter around a potential run at Giannis Antetokounmpo. Although Green didn’t shy away from addressing the trade after Golden State’s 101-97 comeback win over the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center on Thursday night.
Speaking with reporters, per NBC Sports Bay Area & California, the veteran forward made his feelings about the addition pretty clear.
“I like it… adding more size, more rim protection, more shooting. Porzingis, switch guards on him, he really punishes him… He was the missing piece to a Boston championship.”
That perspective means something coming from a player who’s been part of four championship teams and understands what separates contenders from pretenders. The fit makes sense when one breaks it down; even some fans understand it. Green runs the defense and keeps the ball moving on offense, while Porzingis provides the kind of rim protection and floor spacing Golden State hasn’t really had since their 2022 title run.
Draymond Green also went into how having another big who can protect the basket opens things up for him.
“For me personally, I love when there’s another rim protector on the floor… it unlocks everything I can do defensively. If you just take off, you break the scheme. With another rim protector, you can take those chances.”
The whole situation got a little messy leading up to this, though. As mentioned earlier, Green’s name had been floating around in trade discussions connected to Antetokounmpo before the Warriors ultimately went in a different direction with Porzingis. Those rumors eventually cooled off, and Green remained in the Bay.
There was plenty of chatter before the deadline about Draymond Green and the Lakers having mutual interest. Around the same time, league circles floated a three-team deal that could have sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to Golden State. After the season, those same trade ideas could find their way back into league conversations.
Still, the main question mark with Porzingis hasn’t changed. It’s about whether he can stay healthy. He’s only played in 17 games this season and hasn’t suited up since January 7. That lingering absence is hard to ignore when evaluating what he’ll actually give this team going forward.
The Warriors are said to feel good about where things stand medically and think he’s getting close to being back, but they’re not rushing him onto the floor just yet. When he does return, Draymond Green clearly sees how the Latvian big man will fit in alongside Al Horford and the rest of the group.
“Both of those guys are smart. They can shoot, protect the rim, guard smaller guys, guard bigger guys… if you switch on him, he just throws it to shooters. That changes an offense.”
Porzingis does things most traditional centers simply can’t. Before going down, he was putting up 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 0.5 steals per game. His shooting range could drag defenders away from the paint and create space for Curry to operate. It also gives Golden State’s motion-heavy offense more breathing room than what they had when playing through a conventional big.
Green’s comments make it obvious he values the defensive impact just as much. The rim protection has been a glaring weakness. Of course, none of that matters if the two can’t build chemistry once they’re sharing the floor. Based on how Green talked about the move, he seems to believe that won’t be an issue.
