It’s no secret that this year has been a disappointment for the Golden State Warriors. Just one year after winning a championship, they have found themselves hovering around the .500 mark for the entire season. And to make matters worse, they have some tough decisions to make this offseason.
Draymond Green has a player option for next season. Whether he accepts it or denies it could have a serious effect on the future of the Warriors. And according to sources who spoke with Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports, the Warriors want him to accept it so they can have the flexibility to make the decision on his future with the team themselves.
“The hope is that Draymond just decides to opt into the final year of his deal, and they can proceed from there,” a Western Conference GM told Deveney. “You can trade him at that point, you don’t have to worry about a sign-and-trade and all the restrictions that come with that. You can work with him to find a place he wants to go. Or you can say to him, let’s give it one more run, be a leader, let’s win a championship here, and we’ll pay you.”
Whether or not Green decides to accept his player option could decide whether or not the Warriors can make significant changes to their roster this summer.
“They can’t do anything significant unless it involves moving Draymond,” the source told Deveney. “And there are not many teams that want to sign up for everything that Draymond brings with him, the baggage and all that.”
Steph Curry Discusses Future in NBA
In other news, Steph Curry recently spoke about what it’s been like getting used to playing in the latter stages of his career. According to him, he’s spoken with the likes of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers about his future.
“How I feel right now is not how I thought I’d feel at 35,” Curry told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “That number sounds crazy, but in my head, I feel like I got a lot left. The work I put into this I still enjoy. Who knows how [the future] looks? I talked to Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and other guys who have been on the other side of the halfway point. I know quarterbacking is different, but you can check yourself [mentally] into not fast-forwarding too far. They really did a good job of disciplining themselves for what is happening in real time. They’re 40 feeling like they can still play. I’m trying to stay in that mode. Thirty-five is a big milestone, but the next one is 40. The way I feel right now, who knows?”
‘Important’ Trade Helped Please Warriors Stars
Other sources who spoke with Deveney explained that the Warriors’ trade that shipped out James Wiseman helped ease the frustrations of Curry and Klay Thompson, as they were upset with the direction and performance of the team.
“And getting Payton back was a good move,” a Western Conference executive told Deveney. “The players really liked Gary Payton. The coaches really liked him. No one wanted to see them lose him to Portland and not really even be in the mix on re-signing him. The injury thing really screwed them. But guys like Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson), that was a good signal that they’re trying to win now, that they don’t want to give away this season to develop young guys. That’s important. There’s no question those guys were frustrated with the team and the way they were approaching everything.”
