Lakers Guard Ready To Help End Playoff Drought, Warns Against High Expectations

Danny Green joined the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency this offseason but had to wait until the Kawhi Leonard domino had fallen before making his decision. He admits that it was an easy one to make in the end but the process would certainly have been difficult as teams saved their cap space with the hope of landing the 2019 NBA Finals MVP.

The 32-year-old shooting guard/small forward was Leonard’s teammate in Toronto as the Raptors went on to claim the 2019 NBA championship and like his teammate, he was looking for a new team in the offseason. There was certainly going to be plenty of interest for the two-time NBA champion but all the contenders were looking to sign the elite free agents first before looking at other available players.

The purple and gold had $32 million in cap space going into the summer and with their wait for Leonard having seen them miss out on D’Angelo Russell and Kemba Walker – they went on to sign Green, DeMarcus Cousins and Avery Bradley in free agency. But the shooting guard admits that it was an easy decision to make and he believes he can add value to the Lakers and help them end their playoff hiatus which has lasted six consecutive seasons.

“It was pretty obvious. It wasn’t a difficult decision,” Green told STAT Sports while appearing at his annual youth basketball camp at North Babylon High School on Long Island. “They have two superstars and they can build around them easy. I feel like I was a piece that could help add to a contender and help to turn the franchise around from the last couple of years or so.”

The arrival of Anthony Davis via a trade from New Orleans Pelicans has made the Lakers the second favorites behind the Clippers, who acquired Leonard and Paul George in the summer, for the 2020 NBA championship. But Green, who will likely be part of the starting lineup alongside LeBron James, Davis, Cousins and Kyle Kuzma admits that until they get on court for the regular season, everything is just talk.

“I think we have a good roster on paper but it doesn’t matter until you put it to work and put it on the court. Everybody looks great in the preseason. We’ll see how healthy we stay and how good our chemistry is. We have some good veterans and leaders,” Green added.

Green was not the first player to be affected by Leonard’s delay in making his free agency decision as another Lakers signing, Troy Daniels, admitted recently that free agency “kinda sucked” for him after generating limited interest as teams waited on the 2019 NBA champion to pick his next destination.