Should the Phoenix Suns pursue Draymond Green in the offseason?
By Adam Maynes
Could History repeat itself in some way?
With Golden State beginning to age some as the young Suns start to hit their primes, one can’t help but hope that someday soon there is a somewhat of a repeat of history similar to the Suns and Lakers rivalry of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.
The Lakers were then, like Golden State is now, the class of the Western Conference and one of the very best teams in the league.
The Lakers then, much like the Warriors now, held the Suns down for many years while Phoenix fumbled and bumbled around until it all finally took a tremendous leap with the acquisition of Tom Chambers in the summer of 1988.
Phoenix then had a young core like now, and the Lakers were finally beginning to show their age, as will happen at some point in the next few years with the Warriors (although I am certainly not claiming that it will be right away).
The two converged in the 1990 Western Conference playoffs when in the second round Phoenix finally upended Los Angeles for the first time in either franchise’s history, with the help of one former key cog of the Lakers’ defensive scheme: Kurt Rambis.
While Draymond Green is absolutely better than Kurt Rambis ever was, the two players do hold many similarities on the defensive end, especially in rebounding in particular and leadership both on and off the court.
Philadelphia is where the Phoenix Suns want to be. dark. Next
The addition of Green doesn’t necessarily make Phoenix better than Golden State, and in fact, would not on any level. If the two teams happened to meet in the playoffs within the next couple of years, if the Suns won even one game in that series Phoenix fans would be ecstatic.
But one still cannot ignore the potential similarities between the acquisition of Kurt Rambis and the potential arrival of Draymond Green during Phoenix’s rise that at some point in the next few years might help hasten the eventual end of Golden State as the Conference’s only premier team.
If Draymond Green does become available for trade this summer, the Phoenix Suns should both take notice, and make an offer.