Philadelphia 76ers: Danny Green preaches unity in the face of uncertainty

Danny Green is a lot of things.

He’s a three-time NBA Champion, a member of the 2017 All-Defensive team, and one of the few guards in the last decade to record at least 100 steals and 80 blocks in a single 82-game season.

At 34-years-old, Green is the most tenured player on the Philadelphia 76ers‘ roster both in games played and trips around the sun, and his presence should add some much-needed continuity after a pair of roster-reshaping offseasons following the team’s 2018-19 highwater mark.

So naturally, when Green speaks on the state of the Sixers, you’d be wise to listen. He knows how to compete, how to win, and how to win a championship, which is a lot more than everyone save Doc Rivers can say on the team’s current construction. And in his (re)introductory press conference, DG14 had a prevailing message to his overall dialogue: Unity.

The Philadelphia 76ers might not be as eager to change as fans would like.

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Is Ben Simmons going to be traded by the Philadelphia 76ers this summer? Probably.

Are the Philadelphia 76ers going to let that dark cloud of uncertainty impact their forthcoming season, even if Australia’s favorite player is still under contract when camp arrives?

Not if Danny Green has anything to say about it.

That’s right; when asked about why he decided to return to the City of Brotherly Love for two more seasons, Green was surprisingly candid. He mused about his conversations with Tobias Harris/Joel Embiid, divulged the financial restrictions that limited his free agency option, and, most notably of all, touted a desire to build upon the foundation the team set last season.

Hmm… that doesn’t sound like “because we’re trading for Damian Lillard” to me.

Now granted, how much does Green know about the Sixers’ offseason plans, really? While his assertion that the team wasn’t particularly active in free agency because of their belief in youngsters like Tyrese Maxey, Paul Reed, and Rayjon Tucker may be true, I highly doubt Daryl Morey, Elton Brand, and company sat him down and broke down their entire offseason strategy.

Remember, Green was almost traded back to the Toronto Raptors last season in a deadline-skirting push for Kyle Lowry, so it’s not like he’s untouchable.

Could the Sixers turn right around and ship Simmons to the Golden State in time for the weekend? Most definitely, but it is rather interesting to hear Green speak on running things back when so much of the fanbase has been desperate for a big, roster-reshaping deal that would be anything but.

While neither option is necessarily the right one – even if one feels like it – it’s interesting to see some perspective from the opposite side of the player-fan dynamic.

Next. I am once again asking for De’Aaron Fox. dark

At this point, the Philadelphia 76ers are a mystery. They could look completely different, make minor further moves, or remain remarkably similar by the time they retake the court this fall, and that’s about as exciting as it is infuriating moving forward. Outside of exploring options surrounding their $8.2 million trade exception, there truly isn’t a defined path for the Sixers to follow as the summer turns into the fall, even if Danny Green’s comments would suggest otherwise.