The Golden State Warriors are widely expected to trade Draymond Green before February’s deadline, setting the stage for a rebuild in the summer of 2027.
Per The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson, the Warriors did not add a no-trade clause to Green’s one-year, $27.8M deal with the intention to move him at the deadline.
“It’s probably six months left for the Draymond Green era,” the Warriors insider said on the Plus Minus Podcast, via Blue Man Hoop.
“He’s on a one-year deal, $27.8 million, and doesn’t have a no-trade clause, so that’s a very tradable contract,” Thompson added.
Warriors Prepare for New Era
Thompson notes that Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy all but confirmed a upcoming shift in direction during his recent, controversial news conference. Dunleavy highlighted the coaching staff’s struggles to manage recurring injuries across an aging roster—including Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler—and went so far as to say the franchise would honor a trade request from Curry if he made one.
“It felt like this has been coming for a while, but this, the way [Mike] Dunleavy was talking, and the way they positioned it, this feels like ‘Alright, let’s see where we are in February because if we’re not where we need to be, then we’re just going to start selling pieces off and starting over,'” Thompson said of the Warriors’ plan for 2027.
Another Warriors insider, Mark Willard, recently speculated that Golden State may be open to moving on from not just Draymond Green, but also Stephen Curry. Curry, who turns 39 next March and was limited to 43 games last season due to injury, becomes eligible for a two-year, $136.7 million extension on August 29—a massive commitment Willard suspects the team is hesitant to make.
Draymond Green Invites Trade
Interestingly, Green revealed on his podcast last month that he didn’t seek a no-trade clause as he’d rather not be on a team where he’s not wanted.
“It was reported that I did not receive a no-trade clause,” Green said on his podcast, via via NBC Sports Bay Area. “No, I didn’t. I think it was something that we could have fought over, but it wasn’t worth fighting over.
“I think if the Warriors want to trade me at some point in the season, they want to trade me. I’ve never been a guy who wants to stay somewhere where I’m not wanted.”
Green had made similar comments earlier this year when it was reported that the Warriors offered him to the Milwaukee Bucks in a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“As I’ve always spoke about, I think there is a partnership that this works for us, it works,” Green stressed last week. “If it doesn’t, it doesn’t, you know, and I never want to be that guy anyway. So, to sit and fight over a no-trade clause, I don’t think it was worth it. It’s pointless. So, that wasn’t a thing.”
If the Warriors let Curry, Green and Jimmy Butler III walk next summer, they’re projected to have in excess of $120M in cap space.
Warriors Expected to Trade Key Core Piece Before Deadline: Report