Warriors Pinned Suitors for Former Top-5 Draft Pick in Free Agency

Getty Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James chats with Jeff Green of the Denver Nuggets.

This summer will certainly see the Golden State Warriors look to reshape their roster, following a frustrating second-round exit from this season’s playoffs. Due to new collective bargaining agreement rules, the Dubs won’t have a ton of room to spend this offseason, but there are a few candidates that would be great pickups for cheap.

One of whom is Jeff Green, who is currently working to help the Denver Nuggets fight for an NBA title. In an article published on June 8, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley pinned Green, a former top-5 draft pick, a potential target for Golden State.

“When longtime contenders go bargain hunting, they’ll often search for past-their-prime veterans in the hope those players have more to offer than the market believes,” Buckley wrote. “Jeff Green could be one of those vets.”

The 36-year-old may not have a whole lot to give, besides his veteran leadership. Green has played a role on several great teams throughout his lengthy career and could certainly make an impact for the Warriors.

Buckley mentioned that in order for a move to Golden State to work best, Green’s 3-point shooting would need a bit of a revival.

“If the Warriors can help him get his three-ball back—30.5 percent the past two seasons, 41.2 the campaign prior—they would have a helpful, two-way piece off the bench.”

Green appeared in 56 regular season games for the Nuggets this season, playing about 19.5 minutes each time. He averaged 7.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting 48.8% from the field but just 28.8% from beyond the arc.

For his career, he shoots about 5% better overall at a 33.7%. Expecting him to jump back up to above 40% would be a big ask from the Dubs.

Donte DiVincenzo Predicted to Leave Warriors in Free Agency

Again, the Warriors aren’t going to have a ton of money to spend this summer. As a result of that, it’s looking more and more likely that they will be priced out of bringing back Donte DiVincenzo, whose contract includes a player option.

The Athletic’s John Hollinger recently predicted that the 26-year-old will “seek greener pastures” this summer.

“The lesser version of the Bruce Brown story, DiVincenzo rehabbed his free-agent value as a productive sixth man on a playoff team and now is likely to have offers for the midlevel exception or more awaiting him,” Hollinger wrote. “He assuredly will opt out of his below-market deal and seek greener pastures.”

Rockets, Thunder, & Spurs Labeled Threats to Lure Draymond Green from Warriors

While DiVincenzo’s exit seems inevitable at this point, the future of Draymond Green is much more uncertain. Much like DiVincenzo, Green has a player option this summer. However, what he does with it is more complicated. He’s set to make 27.9 million next year, which likely isn’t a salary he’ll earn elsewhere.

But that doesn’t mean that other franchises wouldn’t be interested in his services.

The Athletic’s Danny Leroux published an article on June 1, listing off the top free agents this summer. Leroux included the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs in a group of teams that may have interest in signing Green.

“Teams looking for an identity on [the defensive] end could not dream of doing better, and even though Green may not have the full burst of his 20s, his intelligence, mobility and length should age reasonably well,” he wrote. “Think about how he would change the trajectory of a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets or even the San Antonio Spurs alongside Victor Wembanyama for a few seasons. It could be absolutely astonishing.”