NBA
Danny Green thinks the Lakers would’ve been repeat champions in 2021
Joe Lyons is a sports writer and basketball expert for Basketball Insiders. Joe has a keen eye for the betting markets within the NBA and a great passion for the game of basketball. also been published by Nottingham Forest FC, working with the academy and senior teams to produce content on matchdays. He formerly covered the Premier League and EFL as an on-site reporter during the 2020/21 season for Prost International. He is an expert in a range of other sports including soccer, horse racing darts and American football. Joe specialises in long form SEO content alongside news, tips and betting.
All posts by Joe LyonsUpdated8 hours ago on December 17, 2024
Three-time NBA champion Danny Green thinks his Los Angeles Lakers would’ve been repeat champions in 2021 if the team had stayed together.
Green, who won titles with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, Toronto Raptors in 2019 and Lakers in 2020, expressed his view regarding what could’ve been for Los Angeles in 2021.
GM Rob Pelinka decided the team needed a new outlook in the 2020 offseason and lost the likes of Avery Bradley, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo to free agency while also trading Green and JaVale McGee.
Green argued that while the 2020/2021 team was more talented than his, it simply wasn’t the same:
“The team wasn’t the same after. Guys went to different places and got traded, so we weren’t able to run it back.
“We spoke about this a couple times on Dwight Howard’s podcast and a bunch of other people’s podcasts.
“He thinks we would’ve gotten a three-peat. I say we would’ve got two. I don’t know if we would’ve done three but I think for sure if that team would’ve stayed together, we could’ve gotten a second one.”
WATCH: 21 minutes of the best 2020 Lakers highlights
21 MINUTES OF THE 2020 LAKERS BEING ICONIC 🌟 pic.twitter.com/Iu7cZPvxhh
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) July 26, 2023
The Lakers traded the draft rights to Jaden McDaniels plus Green to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Dennis Schroder – and while they started strong, LA quickly tailed off and finished as the seventh seed.
Frank Vogel’s side were first-rounded in six games to the Phoenix Suns and the season was plagued by injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
When the Lakers were 21-6 after 27 games, Davis injured his achilles and spent the next 30 games from the sidelines.
During the Suns series, Los Angeles were leading 2-1 and winning in Game 4 before Davis injured his groin and Phoenix won three straight to seal the deal.
