Draymond Green exercised the opt-out clause in his contract with the Golden State Warriors, making him one of the top NBA free agents this summer. As teams look ahead to free agency, Green’s market is quickly taking shape.
Green, entering his age-33 season, is still favored to re-sign with Golden State. However, the veteran power forward and four-time NBA champion is already expected to receive overwhelming interest from contenders around the league.
- Draymond Green stats (2022-’23): 8.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 6.8 APG, .098 WS/48, 112 Def Rating
Related: Ideal landing spots for Draymond Green in free agency
One NBA general manager told Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, that a lot of championship contenders are expected to have interest in Green. While landing him will be difficult, general managers view him as a player who can “put them over the top” next season.
“There’s a lot of teams that think Draymond would put them over the top. The problem is those teams don’t have the room to just sign him as a free agent. That means there’d have to be a sign-and-trade, and unless Golden State would be getting something amazing in return, do they really want to let him go somewhere else?”
Anonymous NBA general manager on the market for Draymond Green and the complications of signing him for some teams
Green will have plenty of suitors calling him in the days leading up to free agency. The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams already connected to Green, who is primarily focused on signing with a club that would help him win a fifth championship.
- Draymond Green career earnings: $155.56 million
By opting out of the final year of his contract, Green secured the opportunity to earn far more in the coming years than he would’ve received had he finished the remainder of his contract in Golden State.
However, as the general manager noted, the teams with the most interest in signing Green will have the most difficult odds of actually landing him financially. As a result, the most viable path to a deal might have to be a sign-and-trade with the Warriors.
While Green will consider his options and hear pitches from other NBA players, the expectation remains that he’ll return to Golden State on a multi-year deal. At that point, the Warriors will attempt to run it back one last time with the core that already won them four titles.