During their Game 6 loss to the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers season was not the only casualty. Danny Green picked up a nasty knee injury that resulted from an awkward fall from Joel Embiid. Green left the game after just three minutes of play and it was later announced that he had sustained a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee. There was concern that this could be a threat to his career, but just three and a half months since he underwent surgery, Green already finds himself back on the court.
Famed shooting coach Chris Matthews posted a video on Twitter on August 31 of the shooting guard and small forward practicing three-pointers. “The doctor gave us the ok to get that jumper back on auto-pilot. Last two seasons Danny Green shot 40% from 3PT. Feels good to get back in the gym with my guy,” he wrote.
Danny Green’s Time With Sixers
Green was first traded to the Sixers in the deal that sent Al Horford out of town. It was one of Daryl Morey’s first moves upon taking control of the organization. Green was a very impactful role player during the two seasons he spent in Philadelphia. He averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game across his 131 games. The North Carolina product also shot 39.5% from beyond the arc with the Sixers and attempted a career-high 6.3 three-point attempts per game during the 2020-21 season.
In both years with the team, an injury to Green in the playoffs exposed the lack of depth the Sixers had behind him. The veteran proved to be an ideal complement to Embiid due to the spacing he provided. The starting lineup of Green, Seth Curry, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Embiid recorded 13.8 more points than their opponents per 100 possessions in 2020-21 while logging over 655 game minutes together.
The holes in the Sixers roster and the fact that Green would be unable to suit up at the start of this coming season made it clear that moving on was the right decision. During draft night, the Sixers traded Green and the 23rd overall pick to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for De’Anthony Melton. The athletic ability and versatile style of play of Melton are expected to make a massive impact on the Sixers’ bench production in 2022-23.
What’s Next for Green
It is clear that Green is not ready to hang up the sneakers yet and is already back on the court working. The 35-year-old already has an accomplished career with his three championships and vast experience. It is great to see him unwilling to let an injury decide his future as he clearly wants to go out on his own terms.
His focus will be on returning to make an impact on the Memphis Grizzlies this season. The youthful squad took a massive step forward last year to earn the second-best record in the NBA. If he sticks with the team Green will have a chance to provide necessary veteran leadership to Memphis.
As things currently stand he is due $10 million for the upcoming season but that number is non-guaranteed. Due to the salary-matching rules of a trade, Green was guaranteed $6.9 million after being sent to Memphis. The remainder of the deal is still to be determined and the two sides agreed to extend the deadline to decide as he continues to recover. While this decision was initially set to be made before July 1, Green and the Grizzlies have agreed to push it back to January 7 as he is still several months away from being close to suiting up.
If he does stay in Memphis, expect Green to grow into a valuable contributor and a well-needed veteran. He made an incredibly positive impact during his time in Philadelphia beyond what was expected. The veteran also hinted on his podcast, “Inside the Green Room,” that he had discussed a return to Philadelphia with Embiid if his contract gets bought out.
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