"We would have traded him" - When John Salley denied Draymond Green being GOAT defender

Draymond Green certainly has no shortage of confidence regarding his defensive abilities. Back in 2021, Green famously, or perhaps infamously, dubbed himself the greatest defender in the history of the NBA. Naturally, his comments stirred up quite a bit of debate.

While the 'Greatest of All Time' debate seems to be narrowed down to either LeBron James or Michael Jordan, the greatest defender of all time is more open-ended. The way Draymond Green saw things back in March of 2021, there was no player who could keep up with him defensively.

At the time, retired NBA veteran John Salley believed that Green was out of his mind. During an interview with DJ Vlad he fired back at Green, while also poking holes in his argument for the greatest defender of all time.

"Dennis Rodman. Let's start with a guy who got All Defensive Player I don't know how many years, made the All-Star game and all that without even putting the ball in the basket, so let's start there. Alvin Robinson, I'm going to go to a name just to make these kids look them up, was amazing.

"Gary Payton, the reason he was called The Glove, there's this defender John Salley, will block your shot and get in your head and can guard somebody shorter than him and somebody 60 pounds heavier. Bill Russell!"

You can see his full comments in the video above.

What did John Salley say about Draymond Green?

With players like Dennis Rodman, Gary Payton, and Bill Russell on his list, many have wondered what Salley thinks of Draymond Green. Does the NBA veteran believe that Green is simply singing his own praises out of turn, or does he actually respect what the Warriors star brings to the table?

As it turns out, even though Salley scoffed at Green calling himself one of the best defenders of all time, he also had a pretty hilarious take on Green's skills. With a laugh, he reflected on his time with the Detroit Pistons from 1986-1992, saying:

"Draymond... If it was the Piston times now, we would trade for Draymond. I'd probably be traded for them to get Draymond Green."

(Suggested Reading: Warriors fans livid over Draymond Green)

Golden State Warriors v Portland Trail Blazers

How did others react to Draymond Green's claims of being the best defender of all time?

While John Salley's response to Green was measured and insightful, Shannon Sharpe had a different take. The way he saw things at the time, the Warriors star dubbing himself the greatest defender of all time was an absurdity.

During an episode of Undisputed alongside Skip Bayless, he launched into a scathing rebuttal, claiming Green wasn't among the 20 best defenders of all time.

"Is he better than Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Dwight Howard, Dikembe Mutombo, Tim Duncan and Ben Wallace? ... Dennis Rodman, Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Pippen, Kevin Garnett, Bobby Jones? ... Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, Sidney Moncrief, Michael Cooper, Bruce Bowen?"

Whether or not Green belongs in a list among the best defenders of all time, one thing is clear. He's certainly got the NBA community listening to his every word.

(Suggested Reading: Draymond Green suspended for Game 3)