Cavs’ Danny Green signing made too much sense

The Cleveland Cavaliers were not a club that made a move at the NBA Trade Deadline last Thursday, despite them being a team that was linked to a number of potential wing trade targets. Cleveland has their key options on offense, though, and the Wine and Gold is getting healthy at the right time, as the All-Star break is now here, and the seasons’ closing stretch is on the horizon.

That said, it was still sensible for the Cavaliers to have added a perimeter shooting boost on the wing, which could make a difference in the rest of the regular season and hopefully, in a lengthy playoff run.

Along those lines, while Cleveland did not make at the deadline, electing to stand pat there, the Cavs eventually came to an agreement with Danny Green.

Green was a player Cleveland reportedly had strong interest in in the event he would become bought out. He was traded by the Memphis Grizzlies to the Houston Rockets at last week’s deadline in a multi-team deal, and he/his representation agreed to a buyout with the Rockets, and shortly thereafter, Green and the Cavs came to terms on an agreement.

The veteran wing had only appeared in three games thus far this season with Memphis because of him having a long road back from an ACL tear back when he was with the Philadelphia 76ers last year. Green has been working his way back, though, and even with it feasibly taking time for him to get acclimated with the Cavaliers, it was virtually a no-risk move to bring Green in for the playoff push, and for added veteran leadership.

The Cavs’ Danny Green signing made too much sense.

Green is a player that should mesh well with these Cavaliers, and players such as Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley can benefit from his presence on the perimeter as a shooter.

Green has long been able to be a valuable role piece in his teams over the years in a variety of situations on contenders as a quality catch-and-shoot target, and despite him not being what he was earlier on in his career, his shooting reputation still should make a difference.

In his career, the 14-year veteran in Green has connected on 39.9 percent of his three-point shot attempts, and in the past five seasons, that clip has still been a robust 40.7 percent. So there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about how he can help Cleveland’s shooting, should he find his rhythm in the closing stretch of the season here.

Green should be able to aid the Cavaliers’ spacing, and while it’ll take some time for him to find his footing, one could foresee him providing an additional movement shooter for Cleveland in stretches, and he’s a capable cutter off-ball to counter shot denials. He could be a meaningful trailing shooter on some occasions in early offense, too.

Defensively, Green is not the player he was back with the San Antonio Spurs earlier on in his career or with say, the Toronto Raptors, as an on-ball perimeter player.

However, he is still a player that’s going to typically be in the right spots to provide help off-ball as a rotator, his shot contests are sound, and Green’s wealth of experience should lead to him aiding Cleveland’s young players. In a postseason-type setting, that insight should come in handy for his Cavaliers teammates and the coaching staff.

Green is a three-time NBA champ with the Spurs, Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers. The 35-year-old might not be what he was five or six years ago, but in time, his shot can still prove meaningful in stretches for the Wine and Gold in the playoffs, and his championship pedigree and additional veteran leadership shouldn’t be discounted.

It was cool to see Green hit his first three-point shot back in his return with the Cavaliers, in Cleveland’s near-comeback effort at the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night as well. Green, who was originally drafted and played in 20 games with the Cavs in 2009-10 season, is now back in Cleveland, and provided he stays healthy, he can still be a solid contributor in hopefully a deep postseason run.

For multiple reasons, this Green signing by the Cavaliers made too much sense.

Welcome back, Danny.