Warriors GM disputes Draymond Green was on trading block, hours after Green said he was

LOS ANGELES - Maybe Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy missed Saturday's edition of "The Draymond Green Show." 

Hours after Green revealed details of a discussion with Dunleavy about a prospective trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dunleavy said Green wasn't in trade negotiations - contradicting, whether knowingly or not, the four-time NBA champion power forward's claims. Green said on his podcast he conversed with Dunleavy about a "couple deals," including one for Antetokounmpo that would've included Green or Jimmy Butler.

"He asked me about a couple deals. ‘What do you think of this deal? What do you think of that deal? ' And we talked for quite a while," Green said during his Saturday episode. "He's like, ‘And by the way on the Giannis front - obviously we've spoken about Giannis. We've talked about what picks we'd send them. We haven't talked about what players would go into the deal, but obviously if we were to do a deal with Giannis, you or Jimmy would have to be in a trade to make it work (financially).'"

Green also said Thursday night in Phoenix - after the Warriors beat the Suns - he wasn't sure he wouldn't be traded until hours earlier when the trade deadline passed. He also talked about the trade deadline Tuesday after the Warriors lost to the Philadelphia 76ers.

"I don't know that (my tenure ends) at 13-and-a-half (years)," Green said Tuesday. "But if it does, what a f-ing run it's been."

Dunleavy was asked if Green's relationship with the franchise resultantly changed and said "it was never a possibility of him not being here."

Draymond discusses how crazy things got in the days leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline and his conversation with Mike Dunleavy

"He said "We've spoke about Giannis, we spoke about what picks we'd send them, we haven't really talked about the players that would go back yet...… pic.twitter.com/y8mN6nNJgB

- The Draymond Green Show (@DraymondShow) February 7, 2026

Added Dunleavy from the guts of Crypto.com Arena, where the Warriors played the Los Angeles Lakers: "His name was not in conversations other than the ones where teams call me and ask about him, which they do every year. So nothing's new there. … The reality is - nothing was close. Nothing was considered. Draymond was not being shopped or talked about in deals so it's a little misleading and we're kind of picking up the pieces here. But I think he's in a great spot - and so are we, moving forward."

A reporter noted that either Green or Butler would've been included in a would-be deal for Antetokounmpo, drawing pushback from Dunleavy.

"That's an unbelievable assumption," Dunleavy said. "No, no. We're not doing that. I'm not talking about going down the roster talking about who's in trades and who's not. We don't do that."

Dunleavy expressed excitement about acquiring big man Kristaps Porzingis from the Atlanta Hawks - in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield while sending Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors for a 2026 second-round draft pick - and maintaining Golden State's flexibility this summer. Porzingis will debut for the Warriors after the NBA's All-Star break - they return to play Feb. 19 against the Boston Celtics - and worked out Saturday under the direction of the medical staff.

Porzingis conducted an introductory news conference after Dunleavy, who said Golden State is "willing to do whatever it takes to improve the team - whether it's young players, first-round picks. We always have been. We always will be as long as we're into this win-now window" with Stephen Curry. 

Porzingis is playing this season with an expiring $30.7 million contract and Dunleavy acknowledged "keeping the books clean is a factor" in the trade (with Moses Moody's $13.4 million Golden State's lone guaranteed commitment for 2027-28) but also touted the skill set of the 30-year-old. Golden State can re-sign Porzingis this summer or package him in a sign-and-trade transaction.

Dunleavy is hoping he provides the Warriors a boost akin to Butler's.

"I think this is similar," Dunleavy said. "Maybe not to that level. … I'm not sure of our expectations just because we've got to get healthy. … I'm anxious and interested. I don't really have expectations because it's kind of an unknown for us and in some ways I think it will be kind of fun."

Porzingis said he was surprised he was traded to the Warriors, for whom he'll wear No. 7 and with whom he envisions a seamless fit. He highlighted former teammate (with the Boston Celtics) Al Horford's presence along with the passion of Golden State's fan base and said his fit will be "pretty natural" offensively.

"I feel like I'm the type of player that can fit in any offense," Porzingis said. At 7-foot-2, he's a 36.6% career shooter from 3-point range who can pick and roll, pick and pop and exploit mismatches. He averaged 17.1 points in 17 games for the Hawks and 19.6 points per game for his career with 1.8 blocks as a rim protector.

He's also battled a series of leg injuries and an energy-zapping condition called POTS, affirming he believes his health will stay intact the rest of the season.

"I'm confident that I will (stay healthy)," he said. "I'll do everything right and I believe I will. … It's a great, great opportunity to turn a new page. From what I've seen and the conversations I've had so far with the medical staff here and the people that work here, I have to say I'm very surprised and very optimistic that I'm in really, really good hands. Some of the best hands.

"I think that will also add already to what I have in my mind," Porzingis added. "I look forward to having a surprisingly good post-All-Star break period."

This article originally published at Warriors GM disputes Draymond Green was on trading block, hours after Green said he was.