Getty Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
Heading into the season, most of the talk surrounding the Golden State Warriors has nothing to do with their recent championship victory. Instead, most people are focused on their impending contract situations, as multiple players will be in need of extensions very soon.
Andrew Wiggins is entering the final year of his deal, Jordan Poole needs an extension by October 17 or else he will enter restricted free agency next summer, and Draymond Green will be on the final guaranteed year of his contract, as he has a player option for the following season.
Most believe that Green will be safe due to his long tenure in Golden State, but in reality, there’s a chance that he could leave. According to a Western Conference executive who spoke to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, a few teams could draw him away from Golden State. The Detroit Pistons are one, as previously mentioned in rumors, the Los Angeles Lakers are another due to his relationship with LeBron James, but the third is a bit more intriguing – the Dallas Mavericks.
“If he gets a big offer from Detroit as one example or maybe Dallas or the Lakers, somewhere he would like to play? He is not going to be shy about leaving. He understands this business,” the executive told Deveney.
Dallas won’t have a ton of cap space open next summer, but if they move off of Tim Hardaway Jr.’s or Davis Bertans’ contract, they could open up money very quickly. That would give them the space to sign Green.
The executive also told Deveney that playing with Luka Doncic could be a very enticing proposition for Green.
Exec: Green ‘Would Love’ to Play With Doncic
Obviously, Green is currently playing with one of the greatest superstars of all time in Stephen Curry, but if he were to leave the Warriors, playing with another star like Doncic would be ideal. The executive noted this as the reason he could want to play in Dallas, as well as some other reasons for his potential interest in Los Angeles and Detroit.
“He has always thought about playing for Detroit, helping his hometown of Flint at the same time. He would love to play with a superstar like Luka where he has to just play off him,” said the executive. “And he is Klutch. you know he loves being on the barbershop show with LeBron. He wants to have an entertainment career when he is done playing. You don’t need to be in L.A. for that, but it helps.“
As for Green’s likelihood to leave, the executive said that while he doesn’t want to, he’d be willing to.
‘There is a Sense’ Green Would Leave Warriors
Green has spent his entire career with the Warriors, and his relationships with Curry and Klay Thompson will never be broken. However, he understands that the NBA is a business, and if it came to it, there is a sense that he would be willing to leave.
“He does not want to, but if you ask around, I think there is a sense that he would,” the executive explained. “There is a limit on how much they’re going to spend to keep this thing together and because they have young guys are just about every position, they’re approaching it like there’s no one outside of Steph that they have to keep. Look, it would suck for them if Draymond left, it would suck to call up Steph and have to tell him, but Draymond has made it clear he is about player power.”
It’s looking more and more like Green will decline his player option and look for a new deal after this season. The question is, will that new contract be with the Warriors?
