2015 NBA Free Agency: The case for Draymond Green
Draymond Green has emerged as major talent on a loaded Golden State Warriors team, yet we are still unable to gauge his value. The fact remains, he may end up being the best fit at power forward for the Orlando Magic.
Draymond Green was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft, leaving most of us to wonder how a player as good as he was at Michigan State would slip so far. And it is fairly evident to why — his height. There is also the fact that it does not matter at all.
Due to sheer determination and very long arms, Green is able to cover multiple positions quite well. He is not going to leap out the gym for a rebound, he is not a great highlight producer. But he is on his way to being a great player, and Rob Hennigan needs to take full notice because Green is likely on his way out of Golden State.
He is just not the focus of an excellent Western Conference team. It is questionable as to whether he could function as a No. 2 or No. 3 option within an offense, but his value far exceeds his humble statistics.
Tobias Harris? Quite the opposite. It is easy to put up big scoring numbers on a team so bereft of natural independent scorers. Harris is also a small forward playing a lot of power forward, and he is average defensively at best. Average simply is not good enough against premier players.
And then there is Green, who fills a niche as a defender and could likely put up the same scoring numbers or even better if he were a member of the Magic.
He has not at all hinted at a team that he is interested in signing with. Beyond that, teams are unsure of whether he is worth the max contract he may get in the free market. There are too many mistakes with those max deals, and the lack of production from guys like Josh Smith and a 32-year-old Joe Johnson prove that fully.
There is also the fact that Green responds well under pressure. He hit multiple top-notch game sealing shots at Michigan State, and if given the opportunity, he will do the same with Orlando or a team without the likes of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in the backcourt.
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It is not that Green is uninvolved in crunch time, it is that the bulk of the shots are going to go to Steph Curry. And who can question that as a poor decision? He is lights out.
Green hits the three relatively well, but that does not need to be his forte. He is going to carve out a career built on hustle and extreme defensive intensity. He is going to enhance one lucky team by adding a glue guy at worst, and a potential All-Star at best.
The range for his actual potential is hard to pin point, but it is inane to think he is peaked out, and that opinion has been dealt out by some media, despite the fact he has already displayed a consistent upward learning curve.
It is just that he needs to be given a larger role, and he will be given a more lucrative deal. As to whether he is worth a max? Lesser players have received it, like the aforementioned Josh Smith — or even Eric Bledsoe. A lot of the contracts are the result of timing and the market.
Chandler Parsons was basically acquired to try to weaken a rival team. And it did not work out because Parsons has capped his talent. He is a very good role player, while Green is a potential All Star.
There is every indication Green could evolve into a 20/10 type of player, and that is what teams will expect if they shell out the major bucks to reel him in.
Will the Magic? It is tough to say.
It is difficult to ascertain how Magic general manager Rob Hennigan may value his worth to the franchise. But small forwards like Harris are a dime a dozen, and the Magic could simply select a replacement in the draft either this year or next. Maurice Harkless could be the answer, but his consistency has been so troubling.
Yet again: Green fits in Orlando. He can play the 3-spot too.
There are simply too many reasons and this could be written as a small book. It is the right move to bring in the undersized beast and be pleased that the decision at worst results in a productive player who can contribute to the Magic on a regular basis.
Green is tough and plays hard, blending with the blueprint of Hennigan’s master plan. There is one, starting to unravel, and the likelihood that Harris is left to walk is dubious. There are several schools of thought as to Harris’ value just as much as Green’s.
Just know that this writer favors Green, by a green country mile, indeed.
The Magic are not going to snag a major talent this summer because most of them will likely stay put (LaMarcus Aldridge being the most notable). That makes Green the best player available, and by all means some team will pay him $10 million per season at the minimum. Will that team be Orlando?