Draymond Green is delighted to see Lauri Markkanen get paid, even if it comes at the expense of the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State was aggressive in its effort to trade for Markkanen before the star forward signed a massive five-year, $238 million contract extension with the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, eliminating any chance of him being traded leading up to and during the 2024-25 NBA season.
On the latest episode of “The Draymond Green Show,” the Warriors forward briefly discussed Markkanen’s contract and congratulated the big man for securing the bag.
“Shams [Charania] is reporting that Lauri Markkanen is about to sign a huge contract with the Utah Jazz, making him untradeable for the next year in signing that big extension,” Green said.
“I think that’s great for the Utah Jazz. There was a lot of talk they were going to move him … Danny Ainge is always up to something, I don’t know.
“So shoutout to Lauri, get your bag. Love to see guys get paid.”
Green then seemed to reference the continuous coverage of the Markkanen trade sweepstakes in recent weeks, and after the Warriors missed out on acquiring him, is eager to put the rumors to rest.
“And yeah, moving on in sports media, because that has been talked [about] … and it kept popping up in my Instagram algorithm,” Green added.
“Like, don’t keep showing me that, I don’t want to keep seeing that. No, but shoutout to Lauri, man.”
At the end of the day, Markkanen did not land with the Warriors, but Green nevertheless is happy for the 7-footer.