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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The first big domino fell on Monday when Draymond Green declined his $27.7 million player option, a move that many view as a strategic decision rather than an outright exit.
Green is expected to re-sign with the Golden State Warriors on a new deal at a lower annual rate, giving the franchise cap flexibility to potentially chase LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
But according to The Athletic's John Hollinger, the "likely casualty" if Golden State successfully lands both James and Davis is Kristaps Porzingis. Hollinger reported that it would be virtually impossible for the Warriors to re-sign Porzingis for anything beyond the veteran minimum at around $3.9 million annually, and he's probably worth well above that on the open market.
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Hollinger also floated the possibility that Porzingis could be moved to Los Angeles via a sign-and-trade deal that would send James to Golden State. Moses Moody would also likely have to be included in any potential move to give James more than a nontaxpayer midlevel exception.
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Porzingis only just arrived in Golden State, being dealt at the trade deadline in February from the Atlanta Hawks in a move that gave the Warriors the floor-spacing big they'd been searching for. However, Porzingis appeared in just 15 of 30 possible games, averaging 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 23.7 minutes per game.
He's 30 years old and no longer the All-Star he once was, but he's still a 7-foot-2 center who can protect the rim, shoot from long range, and add valuable minutes to a contender. With his two-year, $60 million set to expire, he's about to become an unrestricted free agent and should attract plenty of attention from teams across the NBA.
This situation does make a potential sign-and-trade deal involving LeBron more plausible. The Lakers are reportedly in the market for an "A-list" center. And while Porzingis may be past his prime, his skill set is valuable in a Western Conference dominated by other 7-footers like Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, and Chet Holmgren.
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