In this episode of The Draymond Green Show, recorded from a golf course in Cabo, Draymond Green discusses several basketball‑related topics. He begins by recounting how his tweet about Paolo Banchero may have coincided with the Orlando Magic’s decision to draft the rookie, and he argues that Banchero is "special" because of his impact on the court that goes beyond scoring—his defensive intensity, play‑making, and ability to elevate his teammates in Summer League. Green emphasizes that the Magic need to recognize and be ready for such a winner. He then shifts to Summer League, sharing personal memories of never losing a game, advocating for championship rings for Summer League winners, and urging current prospects to treat the league as a critical platform for earning contracts, citing examples like Ian Clark, Kent Bazemore, and Justin Holiday. Next, Green comments on rumors that DeAndre Ayton may be involved in a sign‑and‑trade to the Indiana Pacers, noting the move’s potential benefits for both player and team. Finally, he raises concerns about the ongoing advocacy for Brittney Griner’s release, questioning the effectiveness of current awareness campaigns and calling for clearer guidance on how athletes can best contribute to her return. The episode ends with a brief sign‑off.
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What's up everybody? It's Draymond Green. Make sure you subscribe to The Volume's YouTube channel below so you don't miss any more of this great content going forward. Couple nights before the draft, maybe even the night before the draft, I tweeted about Paolo Banchero. And like I told y'all, I think the Orlando Magic was watching my Twitter and then they all of a sudden was picking Paolo Banchero. Like, listen, I play in the NBA. No news, not like news gets out, like out of an organization, there's news coming out. Like nobody had an idea they were taking Paolo. And then I tweeted and all of a sudden they took Paolo. So I'm not saying Orlando Magic is watching my Twitter. All I'm saying is the Orlando Magic may be watching my Twitter because then I tweeted, about Paulo in Summer League. And I was talking about Paulo not playing. And I'm not saying the Orlando Magic is watching my Twitter, but the next game, Paulo wasn't playing. So I'm just saying, the Orlando Magic could possibly be watching my Twitter. Needless to say— And saying all of that, Paulo Banqueiro, I think, is one of them ones. And the reason I think Paulo is one of them guys is because of the things that he did on the basketball court that were not scoring. You get out here in summer league, guys score the basketball. It's gonna happen. It is what it is. You're gonna get every opportunity because if you got drafted, especially first round pick, they're featuring you and trying to make you score 'cause they wanna look good for drafting you. Paulo game was a little bit different. Yes, he did all the things with the basketball. Yes, he made the plays. But the plays that he made that did not involve him having the basketball is why I think Paulo is gonna be one of them guys. Him getting on teammates coming in as a rookie. The winning plays that he was making down the stretch. When's the last time we've seen the Orlando Magic competing to win games like they were competing to win games when Paulo was out there on that court in those first two Summer League games? It's been a while. I feel like, I always speak about people not ever blaming an organization and they always say, "Oh, it's the player fault." And the reality is you see some of these players leave these, some organizations, and they're successful. And I said that to say, I hope that organization is ready for that player. Because that player is a winner. That player, he cares. Mm-hmm. I mean, he was out there playing them summer league games like he was playing the NBA Finals with that type of intensity. That is a winner right before your eyes. And I hope that that organization is ready for that player. I don't think that organization has seen that player in a long time. I think they're looking dead at him now. And, you know, the reality is if it doesn't work, Everyone's gonna say, "Paulo, he failed. He wasn't this, he wasn't that." And I'm not saying if it doesn't— it's not Paulo's fault. I'm just saying it's never told the opposite way. And so I'm going to say before we even get to that point, I hope that organization is ready for that guy, cuz that kid is special. I said it when he was at Duke. I saw it, I watched it. That kid is— and by the way, I watched him play one time at Duke. That kid is special. He has that it, like he want it. And you just don't see that much in the NBA anymore, especially with these young guys coming up. So I'm looking forward to watching his career grow and blossom. I was actually happy to see him get shut down in the Summer League. Yeah. I thought enough had been seen and we all knew, like we know, we saw what we needed to see. Paulo got it. And I'm looking forward to watching. Before we get outta here, a couple more topics. One thing I wanna discuss is, and I went into it a little bit, is Summer League. And you know, the memories I had. Number one, I never lost a game at Summer League. I played for 2 full years of Summer League. Speaking of this, the NBA is now giving these guys rings for winning Summer League. Mr. Silver, my good sir, if you could send me my ring, the inaugural— not saying that you have to go back and give everyone a ring that's won a playoffs, but I do think the inaugural tournament, the Summer League tournament champions should get one. That's myself, that's Kent Bazemore, that's Ian Clark. That's Dwyane Jones. That's Gary McGee. Our list goes on and on. But I do think the inaugural champions should receive a ring. And that would be us. So I'm looking forward to getting my ring from the NBA, cuz they definitely owe us those. But honestly, I think that's— I've seen people like making things up. They're like, "Oh, they shouldn't have done that, and they shouldn't." Like, why not? Like, the ring doesn't say NBA champion. It says Summer League champion. Yeah. Like, why wouldn't you want that ring? I've heard some people like, "Oh, I wouldn't want—" Why not? It's a ring. I won that thing that I played in. And why would people even be opposed to them getting rings? Like, you went out there, you won, you accomplished something. What's wrong with getting a ring? Like, they actually went out there and played. So I was excited to see the league do that. It gives guys something else to look for. It's exciting. Yeah. They'll get the ring ceremony. They'll do the whole thing. I think that's dope. And shout out to those guys. I hope everybody in this Summer League understands that from the guys who are playing to the guys who are not, you're being watched. If you aren't playing and you're on the bench, there's someone watching you to see what's your attitude like if things aren't going your way. And so I hope guys are really taking advantage of these opportunities. I watched Ian Clark make a career. Mm-hmm. Out of Summer League. I watched Ken Bazemore make a career out of Summer League. I watched Justin Holliday make a career out of Summer League. And these are guys who play, I mean, won championships in the NBA, got significant contracts in the NBA. Like, I've seen it over and over and over again. And so just hope guys' approach is as such that you wanna be a pro. That may not necessarily mean the NBA. But I hope your approach is such that you look like you're ready to be a pro. Because everybody, and I mean everyone, from the EuroLeague teams to EuroCup teams to EuroChallenge teams to the second league in Germany, everyone is watching NBA Summer League. And it's an incredible opportunity for guys. Hope you're taking advantage of it. I earned my first contract through Summer League. Like, I was a second-round pick. There was no guarantee I was getting the contract. I played a couple summer league games, I got my deal. And so I hope guys are taking it very serious and understanding that this is a moment you may never get back, and it's an incredible platform. Use it to your advantage and make it do what it do. Before we get outta here, DeAndre Ayton, reports are saying he's close to a sign and trade to the Pacers. I think that's a very interesting move. By the Pacers as a team who has not done much in restricted free agency or even going out and get big free agents in general. I think that's a very interesting move. I think it's good for him. They're clearing the cap space. They have to, they can waive one guy to have enough, almost close to his max. And as you know, I'm always rooting for guys to get their money. So definitely keep an eye on that. Wanted to mention it. And last but not least, I wanna continue to speak on Brittney Griner, and not so much speak on it, but I think for me, at this point, I just wonder what's right. Like, 'cause we, you know, everyone's speaking on it. We all are raising awareness. We're wearing the shirts and the this, and like, you've seen WNBA players with like fly outfits supporting BG. Like, what's right and what's wrong? Because I don't feel like we've been getting a ton of answers. And so is us speaking out and raising awareness, is it helping? And not necessarily helping from an American standpoint, but is it helping us from standpoint of how the Russians are viewing it? Because again, ultimately what this is about is this is about getting Brittney home. So I think at least some guidance on, hey, what everyone's doing is great. What you're— It's not great. Like, because ultimately, like I said, everyone who's speaking has the same goal, and that's just to get BG home. And so I would love more answers from those that can provide them and just let us know, like, yeah, we need more of this, or we don't need this, or like, what's going to help? And don't for one second think saying, aw yeah, If everybody stop, it's gonna help just to shut us up because we not shutting up for no reason. It's not happening. We need Brittney home. But in the same token, what, like, if this is all of us trying to get her home and we're all in one accord, then what's the guidance? Where's the guidance? Because the reality is none of us are experienced at all when it comes to dealing with international affairs and relations and— Mm-hmm. Prisoners abroad. Like, none of us are experienced in that. So how about some guidance? That's what I'd ask for. Because again, ultimately, our number one goal, our only goal, is to bring Brittney home. That's it from this episode of The Draymond Green Show, live from the 5th hole at an undisclosed golf course in Cabo. Shout out to the tank top. That's a wrap. Peace. [SPEAKING SPANISH]
