Western Notes: Draymond, Edwards, N. Smith, Kyrie

Draymond Green learned earlier this year that he has a legitimate chance to add his name to a short list of NBA legends with 10 All-Defensive seasons, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who notes that the opportunity has become a major source of motivation for the Warriors forward. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Scottie Pippen, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only players who have accomplished the feat in the league history. Green, who has earned nine All-Defensive nods, needs one more to join them.

“You see a list like that, and that immediately becomes your ‘why,'” Green told Amick. “It’s like, ‘Man, I need to give all that I f—ing can to be on that thing.’ When you look at a list like that and you say, ‘Man, I can be on that list.’ It’s captivating. If I’m honest, it consumes you.

“You’re always looking to add these stamps (of approval). And I think for me personally, that’s one stamp that I would love to add, for no other reason than the little kid from Saginaw being able to one day look at that list and say, ‘Damn, my name is on the list with those guys.’ …So that’s a huge, huge, huge goal of mine.”

Amick’s wide-ranging interview with Green also touched on several other topics, including how much longer the 35-year-old plans to continue playing. According to Green, he thought at one point that he might only have another year or two in him, but he has since reconsidered that position.

“My body feels better and better every year,” he said. “I’ve learned more about my body and what I need to do. I still enjoy competing at the highest level. I still enjoy setting this goal and then going through the process and trying to reach it. So I wouldn’t necessarily say (just one more) year or two, like I would have said a year ago. I don’t really put a number on it, either. Like I’ve always said, the game will tell me when it’s time to go.”

We have more from around the Western Conference:

• Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who has missed the past four games due to a right hamstring strain, has been cleared to resume contact basketball activities, the team announced on Monday in a press release. As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets, it’s a sign that Edwards’ return to action should happen sooner rather than later, barring a setback.
• With LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves all inactive on Monday, the Lakers picked up a 123-115 win over Portland on the second end of a back-to-back. While Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton had big games, Nick Smith Jr.‘s 25-point performance was the biggest surprise of the night, as Kevin Pelton of ESPN writes. Smith, a former first-round pick who joined the Lakers on a two-way deal last month after being waived by Charlotte, was reportedly battling an illness and threw up at halftime, per Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet (Twitter link), but said the game was “probably the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
• After raising eyebrows by hinting in Mexico City that Kyrie Irving has a chance to return from his ACL tear before the calendar turns to 2026, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd walked back those comments to some extent on Monday, tweets Christian Clark of The Athletic. “When I made the statement (in Mexico), it was more or less, ‘We would love to have him back,'” Kidd said. “But he’s doing great mentally and physically. We still don’t have an official schedule for Kai. Once that comes out, then we can start to speculate if he’s going to be back by ’25. We do miss him. But hopefully it is sooner rather than later.”