Draymond Green basically asked Devin Booker to play for the Warriors on national TV

Draymond Green wants Devin Booker gone from Phoenix Suns

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green took Shaquille O’Neal’s spot on the NBA on TNT crew on Friday night ahead of the matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards.

First, Green praised the Toronto Raptors and how they’re looking like a real competitor after a few games. When asked about the hot-start Suns, after saying how good it has been to see Devin Booker perform at a high level and lead the Phoenix Suns to a 4-0 start in the bubble, he immediately inserted a caveat:

"“It’s great to see Book playing well and Phoenix playing well, but get my man out of Phoenix. It’s not good for him, it’s not good for his career.”"

Yup. That’s a pro calling for Devin Booker to get out of dodge. The Suns have not won more than 24 games before this season throughout Booker’s career.

Green went on to qualify his insertion, implying that Phoenix doesn’t offer him the best place to play basketball.

"“I need my man to go somewhere where he can play great basketball all the time and win, because he’s that kind of player.”"

Booker has shown just that in the bubble for sure, but he’s doing it… With the Suns. Why does he need to go elsewhere given what he’s showing us, albeit in a small sample?

Is Draymond Green asking Devin Booker to come to the Warriors?

After a back-and-forth with Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson about what Phoenix is setting up and the value in being patient, Green still didn’t back down.

Ernie Johnson asked Green, “are you tampering?”

“Maybe” was Green’s answer.

Well, Draymond, “maybe” you’ll have a fine coming. Tampering rules are looser player-to-player, but they do still exist.

But if it meant landing Booker, heck, it sure would be worth it. And it wouldn’t be the first major star Green convinced to find his way to Golden State. Infamously, he persuaded Kevin Durant to join the Warriors with a simple text after the Game 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals. Maybe this is the start of his pitch for Booker.

Unlike Durant, though, Booker isn’t a free agent anytime soon. To acquire his services, a team would have to engage in a trade.

Booker’s current contract goes all the way up to $35 million by the final year in 2024. Stomaching that when Green, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson combine for nearly $100 million already next season probably isn’t realistic. In fact, if a player were to be moved for Booker, ironically it would probably be Green.

I don’t think we’ll be seeing Booker in the Bay anytime soon.