Danny Green explains why he signed with the Lakers, what he thinks his role will be

Once Kawhi Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers had their work cut out for them to rebound and net themselves a respectable summer. Their first step in those efforts was to sign Danny Green to a two-year deal worth $30 million.

Green was asked in an interview with Wosny Lambre of The Athletic about his decision to sign with the Lakers, and it sounds like it was a pretty easy call to make:

What made you want to sign with the Lakers this offseason? What did it come down to for you?

I think the same that it comes down for everyone. Obviously, it’s the best city to thrive in career-wise. Continue to still win, have fun, and live your best type of lifestyle. And also was able to maximize on the contract. Signing with the Los Angeles Lakers covered all the bases for me.

Green, who also hosts a podcast and obviously has interests outside of basketball, benefits greatly from the increased platform the Lakers offer. Combine that with the extra attention created by being a Laker at the same time as LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and in this respect, it’s not all that difficult to see why players would jump at that chance.

There’s also what Davis and James allow him to be able to do on the court, which he sounds pretty excited about:

What do you envision your role being on this veteran-laden team?

They brought me in to do what I’m known for doing. Space the floor and play defense. Be that team guy and along with the guys who have been there help build team chemistry. Javale, Quinn Cook, Bron, Rondo, myself, and even DeMarcus who was in the Finals just last year. Tons of guys with playoff experience so we don’t have to teach too much to the young guys. So I’m just going to be that team guy and bring that experience.

Green is coming off his best shooting season even and should probably get plenty of opportunities to try to follow that up with another couple great years offensively. I’d personally prefer it if the Lakers had him a little more stationary with his shoulders starting out a little more squared to the basket before he catches, but that kind of thing can be figured out as the season rolls along.

The Lakers desperately need Green to hit consistently, though. If Davis wants to continue to play the four as much as he seems to, that leaves one fewer shooter to space the floor, as neither Dwight Howard nor JaVale McGee are very good outside a few feet from the basket.

If Rajon Rondo or Avery Bradley are Green’s backcourt mates, then that leaves him as the only deep threat capable of creating space with his mere presence out on the court. If he regresses too much, the Lakers simply will not have enough room for Davis and James to operate at an optimal level. It’s really that simple.

But Green seems up to the challenge and there will likely be lineups that don’t rely on him solely to space the floor — especially in key moments. Should he live up to expectations and help lift the Lakers back to where the fan base expects the team to be, then his podcast should do quite well.

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