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Draymond Green is back with the Golden State Warriors but his long-term future with the franchise is still very much a question after his altercation with teammate Jordan Poole.
Green’s situation with the Warriors is complicated and became even more convoluted after he struck Poole during practice earlier this month.
He is still a defensive force but is 32 years old, but he’s an offensive liability and looking for a max extension, which might be more than what the Warriors — or anyone else for that matter — are willing to fork up. Green has a player option worth $27.5 million after this season and can enter free agency in the summer if he chooses to.
The polarizing forward has been open that he does not believe a contract extension will come any time soon, which he reiterated while speaking to reporters following his return to the Warriors camp on Thursday.
“My general view of the year is I’m here this year trying to win a championship. I have a contract that ranges through next year. If I so choose to pick up that option, that is my view of how it will be here,” Green said. “We all have a goal to win a championship and that is that. As far as what I think of a contract or an extension, we started camp and I spoke on that at the very beginning, I said ‘I don’t think we’re doing an extension.’ Quite frankly, that doesn’t mean I won’t be back here, I just don’t think we’re doing an extension this year.”
Green Warns of Effects of Lingering Contract Talks
Playing with an uncertain future is never easy and can cause some unwanted drama, which Green understands and hopes to avoid. He cited his good friend LeBron James and long-time teammate Stephen Curry as players who have been able to deal with it well.
“If you’re going to let a contract situation linger, then you better be damn sure that you’re willing to handle all the effects of a contract lingering, that it can have on a team,” Green said. “Everybody don’t do that. We’ve seen LeBron James have contract situations, we’ve seen Stephen Curry have contract situations. They handle it the way it’s supposed to be handled. Can’t say that for everyone.”
The Warriors are expected to sign Poole to a lucrative extension in the coming days, with the deadline for a deal being October 17. That will likely add another interesting wrinkle to what has already become a tense situation between Poole and Green.
Green Unsure of Relationship With Poole
Green has been an emotional leader for the Warriors, often tightroping the line of what is acceptable behavior. Head coach Steve Kerr was very clear that while Green wasn’t suspended, his actions have had a significant impact on the locker room that will take some time to repair.
“He broke our trust with this incident but I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt because I think he’s earned that, and I think our team feels the same way,” Kerr said on October 12. “There is no way around it: [Our] culture has been damaged by this incident.”
Green’s work on reparing relationships starts with Poole, who has been quiet about the incident since it went down. He understands it won’t be easy but believes both are moving forward with the common goal of winning games and repeating at champs.
“As far as us moving forward, Jordan’s a professional, I’m a professional. We have a job to do,” Green said. “We both have experienced a lot of winning over the course of our lives and we know what that takes. So we’re going to just that, what it takes to win.”
The Warriors open the season on October 18 against the Los Angeles Lakers.