Draymond Green says Knicks will be 'tough,' but won't make the Finals

After trading for Mikal Bridges and re-signing OG Anunoby, the New York Knicks have already had a productive offseason that they hope vaunts them into championship contender status.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green isn't so sure, however.

On his podcast, "The Draymond Green Show," Green praised the Knicks' offseason moves and said they'll be a "tough" regular season opponent, but he doesn't see them as contenders.

"I'll tell you right now, I don't wanna see that team in the regular season, because they are going to be playing harder than nobody's tomorrow," Green said. "I kid you not, defensively — by the way, defensively, that team is going to be tough. Like, tough, tough. And playing against a team like that in the regular season when you really don't got time to prepare and then you go up against that defense — man, that's going to be hard. Would not shock me if they get a No. 1 seed, No. 2 seed. Would not shock me at all."

Green added: "I think that team is going to be tough because they're going to defend. We know [Tom Thibodeau] teams are going to defend," Green said. "They've got offensive weapons. But I don't ultimately think that team gets over the hump."

Some in the NBA world have viewed the Knicks as potential contenders next year. The Knicks got to Game 7 of the second round while missing several injured rotation players; had they been healthy, they might have gotten to the conference finals and given the Boston Celtics a competitive series. With Bridges now in the fold, while bringing back Anunoby, a healthy Julius Randle, and perhaps Mitchell Robinson — Isaiah Hartenstein's free agency is still to be determined — the Knicks could be one of the best teams in the East.

Green, however, doesn't think the Knicks have enough to beat the Celtics.

"It's no indictment on any of [the Knicks players], I just don't think that group is good enough to beat Boston," Green said. "Ultimately, you're building a team that you hope can beat Boston."

Green said he doesn't see the Knicks making the Finals in the next three years. He predicted that the Knicks would fall short in the next two or three years and eventually have to sell off pieces to get back the draft picks they traded for Bridges to begin a rebuild. Green acknowledged that that is the reality of the NBA, calling teams impatient.

The Knicks must finish building their roster and see how all of the pieces fit before they can set their eyes on a championship.

One thing is clear, though: the NBA no longer sees the Knicks as a plucky, feel-good underdog — there will be real expectations attached to the group.