Much to the chagrin of Dub Nation, the Golden State Warriors have lost a number of key players from their championship roster this summer. Since free agency tipped off on June 30, Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr, Nemanja Bjelica, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damion Lee have all found new deals elsewhere.
Fortunately, the club’s core pieces remain firmly in place for what promises to be an exciting title defense in 2022-23.
It won’t be long, though, before Golden State has to make some tough calls about how things will proceed in the coming years. Already, the Warriors have decisions to make regarding contract extensions for All-Star wing Andrew Wiggins and up-and-comer Jordan Poole.
But they’re not the only ones looking to get paid large sums in the not-so-distant future.
Green Wants Another Bag
The Warriors’ dual-timeline strategy clearly paid dividends during the 2021-22 campaign. However, as the regular season gave way to the playoffs and a run to the NBA Finals, head coach Steve Kerr increasingly leaned on the old dogs to keep the train headed in the right direction.
So, even as Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman begin taking on larger roles for the Dubs, it’s probably safe to assume that the Steph-Klay-Dray contingent will continue to be the tip of the spear.
As such, it’s only a matter of time before Joe Lacob and Co. will have to find more money for them in addition to Wiggins, Poole and the other youngsters. To that end, Draymond Green may pose the biggest conundrum.
Because despite coming off an injury-plagued year as a 32-year-old, Green is looking for some serious scratch on a multiyear deal, The Athletic‘s Anthony Slater reports.
“Green, according to sources, wants and believes he deserves a maximum contract extension from the Warriors. Aug. 3 is when he is eligible to sign a four-year deal,” Slater wrote on July 27. “That is his desired length.”
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The Dilemma
In terms of sheer on-court impact, giving Green another max deal actually makes sense. Among players still on the roster, the big man’s net rating of 7.2 last season was second teamwide, trailing only that of Stephen Curry. And, in addition to his continued versatility on defense, Green still plays a key role as an offensive facilitator, too.
In 28.9 minutes per game last season, Green logged an impressive line of 7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 blocks. He also topped 50% from the field for the first time in his decade-long career.
However, extending him at the max — a deal that would involve opting out of the final year of his currnet contract in 2023-24 — would put Green at age 37 in the final year of the extension. Meanwhile, his average salary on the four-year, $138-plus million deal would put him at an average annual salary of nearly $35 million.
For a club that’s already looking at paying out more than half-billion in ’23-24 (assuming Wiggins and Poole are extended) between player salaries and repeater tax penalties, doling out that kind of deal for Green may be a bitter pill to swallow.
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Aging Warriors Star Eyes Shockingly Massive Payday: Insider