The Golden State Warriors may have reshaped their roster at the NBA trade deadline, but one name general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. insists was never realistically part of discussions was Draymond Green.
Amid widespread speculation linking the veteran forward to potential deals, Dunleavy addressed the rumors directly and firmly denied Green was ever close to being moved.
“I’d walk that back a little bit,” Dunleavy said during Saturday’s press conference. “His name was not in conversations. Other than the ones where teams call me and ask about him, which they do every year. So, there’s nothing new there. The idea that he stayed with the Warriors past the deadline was greatly exaggerated. It was never a possibility of him not being here, or remotely close, to be honest. And I’ve conveyed that to him, he knows that, but when stuff comes up in the media I think it feels different for the players. I think that’s the first time it happened with Draymond, so he’s dealing with it in a certain way, but the reality is nothing was close. And nothing was considered. Draymond was not being shopped or talked about in deals. So, it’s a little misleading, we’re kind of picking up the pieces here, but I think he’s in a great spot, and so are we moving forward.”
Mike Dunleavy denied Draymond Green was in active trade conversations. He was then asked if that meant Jimmy Butler would’ve been traded since one had to go out to get Giannis.
“No, no, no. We’re not doing that. I’m not going down the roster talking about who was in trades.” pic.twitter.com/rcXHRmVKep
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 8, 2026
Despite Dunleavy’s strong stance, Green himself acknowledged that trade chatter still reached internal discussions within the organization.
The four-time champion explained that conversations with team leadership touched on potential blockbuster pursuits, including scenarios involving Giannis Antetokounmpo, during a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show.
Draymond discusses how crazy things got in the days leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline and his conversation with Mike Dunleavy
“He said “We’ve spoke about Giannis, we spoke about what picks we’d send them, we haven’t really talked about the players that would go back yet…… pic.twitter.com/y8mN6nNJgB
— The Draymond Green Show (@DraymondShow) February 7, 2026
Ultimately, the Warriors chose to keep Green in place while pivoting their roster-building strategy elsewhere. Golden State instead focused on acquiring Kristaps Porzingis as part of their deadline activity, adding size and scoring versatility to complement their existing core.
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