IN THE LEAD–UP to the trade deadline in February, Curry and Kerr echoed a sentiment first shared publicly by Green. The three delivered a unified message about the need for their front office and ownership group to be pragmatic in their approach, stating that it would be unwise to unload all their future assets for the most realistic available upgrade.
Green even told Dunleavy and controlling owner Joe Lacob the summer prior not to green-light a trade for Lauri Markkanen, considering the Utah Jazz were asking for all the draft picks and young players.
“I’m a big fan of [Markkanen’s] game,” Green said. “But I think if you want to do something so huge you better be certain that this is the move. You usually don’t win those things against Danny Ainge. I look at history.”
