The Warriors enter the offseason full of big decisions, with the future of four-time NBA champion Draymond Green being one of the most important.
Green, 33, has a $27.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season and could choose to opt out of his Warriors contract and enter free agency this summer. Andscape’s Marc Spears reported on ESPN’s “NBA Today” on Friday that Golden State is preparing for this exact scenario.
“The Warriors expect Draymond Green to retire from the final year of his $26 million contract, I’m told,” Spears said. “But Joe Lacob, [Mike] Dunleavy, the Warriors are going to do everything in their power, if he does as expected, to bring him back.”
Green’s defensive commitment and leadership qualities have played a pivotal role in Golden State’s four titles. While Green has said he would like to be back with the Warriors alongside longtime teammates Steph Curry and Klay Thompson next season, that will ultimately be one of the first tasks new general manager Mike Dunleavy faces. Jr. will be confronted.
And that’s just one thing Dunleavy Jr., who the Warriors announced as a replacement for Bob Myers on Friday, will be on his long to-do list, as Spears pointed out.
“Golden State is also getting calls [Jonathan] Kuminga, they’re getting calls from Jordan Poole,” Spears added. “They have the 19th pick in next week’s draft. So Mike Dunleavy Jr. doesn’t have training wheels for this job.”
Immediately following Golden State’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals last month, The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater reported, citing sources, that the Warriors planned to discuss of a multi-year contract with Green this offseason.
“The Warriors intend to discuss a new multi-year contract with Green, either via an opt-in and extension or via an all-new deal after an opt-out, informed sources told The Athletic at this time. topic,” Charania and Slater wrote. “Green has leverage: he should have multiple teams in playoff contention if he enters the open market,” sources added.
“But Green and the Warriors both seem determined to discuss an extension of their partnership, if the price is right. He just completed his 11th season with the franchise.”
Green has made it clear where he wants to be next season, and it looks like the Warriors want the same.
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