Danny Green Was Caught Off Guard by Sixers Trade, but Happy to Join Team That Was a “Pain in the Ass” to Play Against

We finally got to hear from Danny Green on Wednesday afternoon. It took weeks for the OKC/Philly trade to go through, but now that it’s official he’s able to practice and speak with media, alongside fellow newcomers Terrance Ferguson and Vincent Poirier.

Green is 33 years old and coming off two straight championship seasons with two different teams. He’s here on an expiring $15 million dollar contract and then the Sixers can clear that cap space if they’d like, and/or bring him back on a cheaper one-year deal.

The former Spur, Raptor, and Laker was sent to Oklahoma City on draft night and told reporters today he wasn’t entirely sure where he would end up.

“There were a lot of moving parts,” said Green. “I wasn’t sure if that was the final destination. I had to talk to my agent. I didn’t get a chance to talk to (OKC General Manager Sam Presti). I would have liked to, but I had a feeling it wasn’t the last spot. But I never had that conversation or got to feel it out. It was a feeling but it was never really a discussion, so I didn’t know.”

Green says he was “totally caught off guard” by the Sixers trade, but says he was surprised by the move, in a good way.

He wasn’t able to do anything with his new teammates until the trade was completed, but said he’s been trying to work out on his own, offsite. He was in Philly with his fiance and two dogs and trying to watch from afar and learn as much as possible before coming in and getting his first practice with the squad.

“My first impression was that I like the energy,” Green said after the first session. “Guys are excited to be here, excited to learn from each other and compete against each other. We had a chance to get up and down (today). Obviously you’re trying to get a feel for guys’ personalities first before you try to, not bark orders, but teach them something. You want to see how they operate and how they do things before I say ‘alright let’s do this or let’s do that.’ I think we’re all learning now just from each other, but from the coaching staff. New system, new staff, new everything.”

On the floor, you know what you’re getting with the NBA veteran, which is 40% career three-point shooting and solid perimeter defense. He’s a winner who brings more than a decade of experience and three rings to Philadelphia.

He was a guy that Doc Rivers wanted on his team because of championship pedigree and veteran contribution.

“It’s amazing to be sought after and wanted,” said Green. “I’m happy to be here and glad they wanted me and hope I can live up to expectations. But also the pressure is on them (laughs). I won back to back (titles) and it’s their job to get me there and win another one. If they don’t then they fucked it up (more laughing). I’m just playing. But my job is to come in and help these young guys and even some of the experienced guys, me and Dwight (Howard), to teach them and give them that winning atmosphere and winning culture and build on that. It doesn’t happen overnight; you have to take it day by day.”

Green was a big part of the Raptors squad that took out the Sixers in seven games in the second round of the 2019 playoffs. He had praise for that Sixers team and the way they played.

“A lot of their main pieces are still here, and they were one of the toughest teams,” Green admitted. “I always hated playing in Philly. One of the toughest teams at home, especially with Joel and Ben defensively, how good they were and how much they pushed the pace. And Tobias, how much of a scorer he was. But yeah, it was just a pain in the ass to play (them), especially the fans being on you. But they shot it well at home, they played well at home. Defensively they were a monster and got after you. That series was tough. They played us well, played us to the very end.”

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