LA Lakers Rumors: Draymond Green is “dream offseason target” for Purple & Gold in 2024 free agency

Draymond Green's upcoming free-agency decision received quite a bit of attention this offseason after he punched teammate Jordan Poole in October. With Green preparing to decide whether to opt in or out of the final year of his contract, many wondered how the incident would play a part.

Although it seemed as though the two put the situation behind them, the Warriors' struggles this season have many wondering if Green will opt out after all. Following a regular season that saw the Warriors struggle to win on the road, they now find themselves down 2-0 to the Sacramento Kings.

While the Kings continue to celebrate another beam-lighting after going up 2-0 in their first playoff appearance since 2004, talk of Green going to the LA Lakers has ramped up. Reports surfaced this week that the Lakers reportedly consider Green a "dream target" in the offseason.

Evan Massey of NBAanalysis.net broke the news, which came before the Warriors' 114-106 Game 2 loss on Monday night. The game notably saw Draymond Green ejected as a result of an incident with Domantas Sabonis. After the Kings center grabbed Green's leg, the outspoken veteran stepped on Sabonis' ribs.

Without Green's veteran presence on the floor, the Warriors went down 2-0 in a playoff series for the first time in the Steph Curry era.

Draymond Green wants a max deal from the Warriors, could this cause problems?

In addition Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors struggling this season, Green reportedly wants a max contract. Similarly, Klay Thompson also expressed his desire to receive a max offer, creating quite a predicament for the Golden State front office.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Thompson expects a new max contract this season, despite the fact that he was injured for much of his current max deal. As Woj reported, Thompson "has an expectation that he would be rewarded with a new max-level contract extension this offseason."

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green

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From the sound of things, the expectation is that the Warriors will ultimately give both Green and Thompson max contracts. Given that they have young stars like Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins on board for the immediate future, the fallout from breaking up the big three cannot be understated.

Of course, the rebuttal to those who want Green and Thompson to get a max deal is that both are 33 years old. In addition, Thompson notably sat out two full seasons during his recent five-year deal.

With another five-year deal, both men would likely experience a decline in play as they get older. At the same time, however, Warriors fans and most importantly, Steph Curry, may not be happy to see the two men join different teams.

With the NBA playoffs underway, only time will tell how things play out this offseason.

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