Warriors owner denies rumors! Lacob refutes claims of using Green in Giannis trade talks: He was never on the market

On February 21st Beijing time, Warriors owner Joe Lacob became the latest executive to publicly deny that Green was ever included in trade negotiations involving Giannis. In an interview with Warriors reporter Tim Kawakami, Lacob echoed General Manager Mike Dunleavy’s earlier statement, saying Green was never part of any trade discussions.

"He was never put on the trading block, and Dunleavy’s words are absolutely truthful. I know this has led to some criticism and it might seem like he’s just defending himself. Honestly, looking back, he might even feel that way himself... But I can tell you clearly, Green was never offered in any form. He is a core member of our team. You don’t trade Green lightly or casually. Only in extreme circumstances, and only if you receive tremendous value in return that truly upgrades the team, would you consider it. Even Green himself has said he understands this, and these things need to be viewed rationally. But his name was never specifically brought up in talks with other teams — that’s a fact.”

Two days after the trade deadline, Dunleavy told reporters that the Warriors never included Green in any trade offers, though they didn’t rule out other teams inquiring about him proactively.

"Other than some teams calling to ask about his status, his name never came up in our negotiations," Dunleavy said. "The idea that ‘Green barely made it through to stay with the Warriors’ is greatly exaggerated. Leaving here was never a possibility for him, not even remotely. I’ve made that very clear to him.”

Before the trade deadline, ESPN reporter Anthony Slater had reported that Green was included in a feasible trade framework where the Warriors offered Giannis to the Bucks.

ClutchPoints reporter Brett Siegel, however, stated that when asked if Green was completely untouchable in the Giannis trade talks, the Warriors and insiders responded with a definitive ‘no.’

The reports from Slater and Siegel clearly leave some room for interpretation compared to Dunleavy and Lacob’s statements about whether the player was truly involved in negotiations between the two teams.

If the Warriors never formally proposed an offer including Green, then strictly speaking, he was never part of trade talks. Other reports also suggest that the Bucks themselves were not very active in discussions with other teams regarding Giannis before the deadline.

Green himself admitted that being caught up in trade rumors did affect him, but he also expressed happiness about staying with the team he has played for his entire career.

The 35-year-old Green is in his 14th season with the Warriors this year. His future could again become a topic this summer — he holds a player option worth $27.7 million for the 2026-27 season.