Three-time NBA champion Danny Green was keen to get some playing time when he signed with Cleveland last season but he only ended up playing 15 total games.
The 14-season veteran was bought out by Houston after getting traded there from Memphis, then chose to sign with the Cavs as it seemed like a good opportunity.
It was also a great full circle moment to go back to the team that drafted him and Green said, “it meant a lot”.
However, he has recently spoken out about the strange season that he had in Cleveland and by the sounds of it, didn’t enjoy his time.
“It was just tough being in that position, that situation,” Green said on The Hoop Chat with Emily Austin. “There was a lot of weird air of not knowing what was going on, what was happening, what my role was going to be, or what it was. There was talks differently before I got there than when I got there. Ultimately in the time I thought I was going to get my opportunity to actually play throughout the regular season, I caught COVID.
Austin followed Green’s answer up by asking if COVID was the reason he didn’t get much playing time?
To which Green answered, “Not really. Decisions that were not made by me is why I was not able to play or show that I was healthy.”
“I played at the end of the season, and the playoffs came, and he [Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff] wanted to stick with his guys. So he stuck with his guys, but that left me in this weird space of people not knowing if I was healthy or not.”
The 36-year-old doesn’t appear to be heading back to Cleveland and is searching for a new team as a free agent.
Currently, he is yet to be signed by any franchise but he definitely doesn’t want to ride off into the sunset just yet.
“When you’re the old guy coming off injury, the phone doesn’t ring as much,” Green explained. “So I have to get back and prove that I’m healthy. Just waiting to see where the trades land.
“Maybe some people think I’m done playing. I’m not done. I’m not done playing. I’m not going to fully transfer over to the media side for another couple of years. I wanna play as long as I can, cause I don’ want to regret saying, you know, I had a good two-three years where I could have hooped. It doesn’t matter where Im at, I just wanna hoop. Its not about the money for me at this point.”
