With the New York Knicks looking to fill the void left by Mitchell Robinson’s latest major injury, the organization should consider Draymond Green as a potential replacement in a reimagined starting lineup.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Knicks starting center Mitchell Robinson is undergoing ankle surgery following an injury suffered over the weekend. The procedure and recovery will mean the anchor of the team’s defense will miss at least the next two months.
However, he could miss even more time since reports stated he will be reevaluated in 8-10 weeks. While the 25-year-old is having one of the best seasons of his career, this is another one of many seasons where he suffered a notable injury and missed significant time. It makes it hard for the organization to feel confident that he can make a speedy recovery and avoid more injuries for the rest of the season.
That is why New York may need to be creative in trying to replace him this season, and that could include considering some long-term responses. One outside-the-box option could be future Hall-of-Famer Draymond Green.
On Tuesday night, the Golden State Warriors forward was ejected from a game for the third time this season after hitting Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic with a weird spinning punch in their eventual loss. The ejection comes just a couple of weeks after recently serving a five-game suspension for a near chokehold on Rudy Gobert earlier this season.
There were questions about Green’s future in Golden State before the organization decided to bring him back on a team-friendly deal this summer. However, with the Warriors’ expensive roster off to another slow start, their revised front office could see this as an opportunity to move Green and the over $80 million left on his four-year deal without much fan outrage.
With his stock at a new low, Green could be an interesting option for the New York Knicks to approach filling the void left by Robinson from a different angle. Furthermore, with the Warriors very open to moving him, it may only take Evan Fournier’s expiring contract, former first-round pick Quentin Grimes, and a few second-round selections to acquire him.
With that in mind, let’s look at three reasons why Draymond Green could be a worthwhile addition to the Knicks.
4 reasons why the New York Knicks should consider a Draymond Green trade
A new defensive leader and anchor
Mitchell Robinson’s importance to New York’s defense and elite rebounding can’t be overstated and his absence is a major blow. While Green can’t completely fill the rebound loss, the Knicks are a strong group on the boards as a team and the four-time All-Star would still be a help in that area.
However, in this small ball era, Green would give the Knicks an elite frontcourt defender when opposing teams go with smaller lineups. Something they could not always do with Robinson. Green also can guard many centers and could former a unique center platoon with Julius Randle, mattering on the matchups.
- Draymond Green stats (2023): 9.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.8 APG, 43% 3PT
Furthermore, he is a fantastic floor general and could be the best extension of head coach Tom Thibodeau’s defensive mindset on the floor yet.
Green can stretch the floor on offense
While Green hasn’t traditionally been known for his three-point shooting, he can still be streaky at times, and in 2023-24 he is having his best season yet shooting the three ball. Heading into the new year, he is shooting 43% from the arc, which is five points higher than his previous career best.
Even if that number dips to 38%, he could offer a unique element to the offense they wouldn’t have with Robinson by stretching the floor a bit and opening the paint for the drives of top scorers like Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and RJ Barrett.
Knicks’ ball movement would improve with Green
Ball movement has been a bit of a problem for the New York Knicks this season. While they have some good ball handlers in Brunson and Randle, they are still near the bottom of the league in assists and points. Green has always been a great ball-handler and distributor.
Having another player who can move the ball and find their open shooters would help. Especially since he has shot well from three this season, so opposing defenses must respect that and it could open more opportunities to find teammates for high-percentage scores.
Leadership
Even with NBA greats like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Green is seen as the leader of the Warriors dynasty teams. While Jalen Brunson is the team’s best player, New York still seems to lack a defined, no doubt about it leader. Green would certainly be that and has the resume to back it up and that could be huge in a playoff run later this year.