This NBA offseason promises to be both impactful and eventful for several teams, with the Golden State Warriors near the top of the list.
The future of Draymond Green will be something most Dubs fans watch with curiosity after Green declined his $27.5 million player option for the 2023-24 season, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Green promises to have a great deal of potential suitors, and NBA insider Marc Stein recently reported one of the Warriors’ top rivals, the Memphis Grizzlies, were almost one of them.
Stein: Grizz Had ‘Strong Interest’ in Pursuing Green
Grizzlies had strong interest in Draymond and were planning to pursue him before trading for Marcus Smart, per @TheSteinLine
Could you imagine Draymond in Memphis? 👀
“Even before agreeing to trade for Boston’s Marcus Smart this week, Memphis did not have more than the midlevel exception to offer free agents,” Stein wrote on June 25, adding:
League sources say that the Grizzlies nonetheless had strong interest in Green and were plotting to make some sort of run at him. That’s despite all the trash talk that has bounced back and forth between the two teams since Memphis eliminated Golden State in a one-game showdown in the play-in round in May 2021, followed by the Warriors’ six-game revenge when the teams met in the second round of the 2022 playoffs en route to Golden State’s fourth championship in eight seasons. … An offer stemming from the $12.4 million midlevel exception would certainly not be enough to make a credible play for Green … Still … I’m told that the Grizzlies’ pre-Smart interest in Green was genuine. And it’s fascinating to simply consider the idea of Green engaging Memphis in free agency conversations after the teams’ past battles.
Green averaged 8.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 73 starts this past season (stats via Basketball Reference) which are close to his career averages, as well. He has been a core member of Golden State’s four NBA championships and has become known for his clutch play. Over his career in the playoffs, he has put up even 11.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists
He’ll certainly want to explore his options in free agency, but Stein also reported what Green would most like to do is remain with the Dubs.
Green Wants to Retire With Warriors, According to Stein
Green, 33 has been with the Dubs since 2012 and all signs point to him sticking around and finishing his career with the team that drafted him 35th overall.
“Green badly wants to retire a Warrior,” Stein noted, adding: “I continue to hear nothing but strong confidence emanating from the Bay Area that an agreement on a multi-year deal for Green to stay right where he’s always been is forthcoming.”
Stein isn’t the only one who believes this. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater essentially said the same thing on June 22, via NBA TV:
“I will be stunned if Draymond Green doesn’t return to the Warriors.”
@anthonyVslater on the future of Golden State following the Chris Paul-Jordan Poole trade
There’s also the recent Jordan Poole trade to consider. After Golden State sent the 24-year-old to the Washington Wizards in exchange for veteran guard Chris Paul, it signaled that the Warriors would rather free up salary cap space to pay the likes of Green and fellow veteran Klay Thompson and make the team about winning now, with its core of Steph Curry, Green and Klay still intact and Paul added to the mix.
Stein also noted that the “Warriors sought out the Jordan Poole-to-Washington trade in large part to make sure they shed one significant salary this offseason and ensure that new deals for Green and, later, Klay Thompson are financially feasible,” so look for Green to stick around unless something drastic happens.
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Surprising Team Nearly Made a Play for Warriors’ Draymond Green: Report