Getty Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.
This season has been a shaky one for the Golden State Warriors. At 3-4, there are some clear on-court issues — including excessive fouls and lack of playing time for young players — to be worked out.
Off-the-court relations don’t appear to be completely smooth, either. And one Western Conference executive said he thinks Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are “on board” with moving on from Draymond Green, who punched the recently extended Jordan Poole on October 7.
“If Draymond had been a good soldier all the way, maybe they plan to work it out with him. But everything that happened gave them the opening to move on from him, and the other guys are going to be OK with it,” the executive told Heavy Sports NBA insider Sean Deveney. “Individually, I am not sure anyone would say Steph or Klay is fed up or anything, but the organization is more in a position to move on from him, and you have to think that would not be the case if they did not think Steph and Klay were on board.”
Curry, Thompson and Green have been teammates since the 2012-13 season, but with Golden State moving in a younger direction, tough decisions will have to be made about the roster. Only Green is not locked in long-term.
Warriors Are ‘Not All In’ on Green
In October 15, Golden State handed out extensions to Poole (four years, $140 million) and Andrew Wiggins (four years, $109 million). And with Curry signed through 2026 and Thompson signed through 2024, that leaves Green without a commitment from the Warriors. According to sources who spoke to Deveney of Heavy Sports, the Warriors are “not all in” on a future with Green past his current contract, which would expire after this season unless Green picks up his option at $27.6 million.
“Yeah, there has never been a sense that they were ready to move on from Draymond, but that has changed in the last couple of months,” the Western Conference executive told Deveney. “They gave out the extensions [to Poole and Wiggins], and that was a pretty clear sign like, OK, we’re not all in on Draymond from here out.”
So far this season, Green, 32, has averaged 9.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists on 59.2% shooting from the field, numbers that don’t stray too far from his career averages. Only his 25.0% shooting from 3-point range is well below his career 31.5% mark. He’s played 28.5 minutes per game, which ranks fourth on the team behind Stephen Curry, Wiggins and Poole.
Green Heavily Linked to West Rival
As the Green drama continues to unfold in Golden State, one team has come up time and time again as a possible next stop in his career — the Los Angeles Lakers. The Western Conference told Deveney that Green’s relationship with LeBron James could lead to a potential move in the future. However, it wouldn’t be via trade.
“They like Draymond. LeBron wants Draymond. Draymond has been following LeBron around like a puppy dog these last couple of years,” the executive said. “But I can’t see them giving up those two picks for him, not at his age and not with him being a free agent next summer anyway.”
