NBA: Draymond Green’s future and Ben Simmons’ return among five stories to watch during the 2022-23 season | NBA News

With the 2022-23 NBA season almost upon us, here are five of the biggest storylines to watch out for.

The new season begins on Tuesday night, with both of last season’s NBA Finals teams in action, live on Sky Sports, as the Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers before the Golden State Warriors begin the defence of their title against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Sky Sports will also offer prime time weekend coverage, with the opening week’s Sunday marquee game seeing the Lakers host the Portland Trail Blazers at 8:30pm.

Will the Warriors trade Green?

About two weeks ago, the Golden State Warriors appeared to be perfectly placed to launch the defence of their NBA title.

With Steph Curry showing no signs of slowing down, Klay Thompson a year further removed from his injury woes, and Jordan Poole leading a group of talented young players whose impact is only likely to grow, the situation looked very rosy for the reigning champions.

That was until reports emerged that the heart and soul of the Warriors locker room, Draymond Green, had struck Poole during a physical altercation in pre-season practice. The story remained somewhat under control initially, but when footage was leaked of the brutal incident, it became the biggest talking point in American sport.

Green, who has won four titles with Golden State since being drafted by the team in 2012, held a press conference during which he apologised to Poole and his team-mates’ family, along with the rest of the Warriors’ players, coaching staff and senior management.

The Warriors announced that Green would be spending some time away from the team but have since confirmed he will return for the start of regular season, with his punishment being in the form of a fine rather than a suspension. That decision means the Warriors don’t have to worry about playing without their defensive lynchpin, but the incident has left Green’s future with the franchise in huge doubt.

The 32-year-old’s current contract has two years remaining, the second of which is a ‘player option’ that he can decide whether to activate. There was already plenty of speculation about whether the Warriors would offer Green an extension, but that situation will now command even more attention.

Before the Poole incident, the team may have had a hard time explaining to its fanbase a decision to move Green on, but now it would be hard to argue that trading the veteran away could make sense on several levels.

While team chemistry is a concern in the wake of the altercation, there is also the reality that Green’s performances have been declining in recent seasons, and a trade for a more affordable option could be to the benefit of the team over the next few seasons.

In the short term it will be worth keeping an eye on the body language between Green, Poole and the rest of the Warriors on the court, while attention should be paid to the Golden State front office right up until February’s trade deadline.

Can Simmons help the Nets contend?

Having been the biggest soap opera in basketball over the last couple of years, the Brooklyn Nets promise to provide plenty of entertainment once more this season.

After sitting out last season with a back injury following his trade to Brooklyn from the Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons has been back on the court during pre-season and is set to make his competitive debut for the Nets, live on Sky Sports, against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night.

The polarizing three-time All Star is a total wildcard for the Nets, but they will need him to rediscover the elite defensive play he has shown in the past if they are to be considered a serious contender for the title.

Simmons is joining forces with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who have both created their fair share of controversy in recent times. Durant handed in a trade request over the summer, but eventually withdrew it with no satisfactory offers materialising. The 33-year-old cited concerns over stability and team culture, but insists he is committed for this season.

Durant’s trade request took the headlines away from Kyrie Irving, whose decision not to be vaccinated against the coronavirus created a lengthy saga that saw him miss much of the season due to restrictions.

With the two having arrived in Brooklyn as a pair, the fact Durant’s trade request came just days after Irving had activated his player option to stay with the Nets was notable, and suggests the relationship between them may not be as strong as it once was.

The Nets have made some interesting off-season additions in Royce O’Neale, TJ Warren and Markieff Morris, but meaningful success will ultimately come down to their stars.

If the Nets’ season does not start well, it would be little surprise to see Durant looking for a way out once more.

Wembanyama to create ‘tankathon’

Despite the fact he won’t be playing in the NBA, 18-year-old Frenchman Victor Wembanyama is still expected to have a huge impact on the season.

The seven-foot, three-inch big man is – and has for a while been considered – a lock for the number one pick in next year’s draft, with his incredible combination of size and skill generating the most excitement around the draft since LeBron James came into the league in 2003.

As a result, the race to the bottom of the NBA is set to be almost as fierce as the race to the top, with the prize of Wembanyama being enough to immediately transform any franchise, and luring several teams into intentionally constructing a weak team for this campaign, otherwise known as ‘tanking’.

Wembanyama is aware of what’s going on, but insists he will attempt to avoid the hype as he spends one more season playing in France, where he will undoubtedly be watched in person by half the scouts in the NBA.

“Of course, the word and the meaning of the word ‘tanking’ is kind of weird,” Wembanyama said. “And, personally, I would never want to lose. It’s a personal thing. But I really try to stay outside of it and don’t care about it.”

The Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder look set to lead the race, but any middling team that makes a bad start is likely to be tempted to put themselves in contention for Wembanyama.

The good news for the tanking teams is that the projected number two pick, Scoot Henderson, is also a hugely promising prospect. While he is not considered a generational talent like Wembanyama, Henderson is an explosive guard who will also represent a valuable prize for any NBA team.

Will the Lakers make a big trade?

The Los Angeles Lakers are not going to be in the race to the bottom, but they, along with several other teams, will be keeping a very close eye on the Wembanyama sweepstakes.

The Lakers still possess one of the best one-two punches in the league in the form of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but beyond that their roster is seriously lacking in talent.

However, they do have two tradeable first-round picks to package with Russell Westbrook’s expiring contract, which should help them provide James and Davis with more support.

Normally, that package of picks and Westbrook might only merit modest returns, but the fact several teams are likely to be looking to weaken themselves in hope of drafting Wembanyama could play right into the Lakers’ hands.

For example, there have been consistent rumours linking the Lakers to a trade with the Indiana Pacers for center Myles Turner and guard Buddy Hield.

While the addition of that duo wouldn’t put the Lakers among the favourites for the title, it would certainly make them a far more competitive outfit.

With that in mind, the Lakers may bide their time to see if any more favourable opportunities emerge between now and February’s trade deadline.

Regardless of who they end up trading for, the Lakers’ success will be largely dependent on the fitness of James and Davis, who have both suffered multiple injuries since combining to win the 2020 title.

If the pair can get healthy for the business end of the season, it takes a brave individual to count out King James.

The return of Zion

One player that can empathise with the process Wembanyama is going through is Zion Williamson, who became a viral sensation due to his freakish athleticism before being picked by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2019 draft.

Injury limited Williamson to just 24 appearances in his debut season, but he would begin to fulfil his potential in his second NBA campaign, averaging 27 points a game as he made 61 appearances in the 2020-21 season.

However, that progress was halted as he missed the entirety of last season with a foot injury, amid some apparent friction between player and team over whether he was healthy enough to return.

Caution won out as Williamson was held out despite performing stunning trademark dunks on camera in practices, but now the 22-year-old is back.

His return is made more interesting by the fact the Pelicans have strengthened in his absence with the addition of CJ McCollum, while Brandon Ingram continued to show he is a capable running mate for Williamson.

The question with Williamson will always be whether he can stay healthy, and there’s already been a worrying moment in pre-season, when he rolled his ankle during Wednesday’s matchup with the Miami Heat.

However, breathe a sigh of relief basketball fans, Williamson insisted that he was “fine”, and was declared day-to-day in terms of availability by head coach Willie Green.

Given how little we have seen of Williamson in the NBA, it’s hard to predict how far the Pelicans could go if he was healthy, but they are undoubtedly a team that rivals won’t be wanting to see come April and May.