Jason Burgos
Draymond Green has just one more year left on his Golden State Warriors contract, but the 36-year-old is nowhere close to being done playing. So he may be willing to do the team a big favor if they lock him into a new multi-year deal.
Green will go down as one of the most important players in Warriors history. Over his 14 seasons with the franchise, his defense, toughness, antagonistic tactics, and passion helped bring life to the NBA’s most recent dynasty and turned Golden State into one of the most famous NBA teams in the world.
He is a four-time champion, four-time All-Star, nine-time All-Defensive team honoree, and the 2016-2017 Defensive Player of the Year. He has a resume that will have him in the Hall of Fame one day. However, father time comes for all. In recent years, Green has become less effective and more detrimental as he enters the winter of his NBA career.
It is why he only got a small pay bump when he inked a new four-year deal before the 2023-24 season. Most assumed that if he opts into the final year of the contract this summer, it could be his last in Golden State. However, Green revealed to the San Francisco Standard’s Tim Kawakami this week that he wants to be with the organization for several more seasons to pursue another championship.
Draymond Green’s pay cut could help Warriors make big moves this offseason
Yet, at this point in his career, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. will probably be unwilling to give him another pact for $25 million a season. However, according to Kawakami, Green is aware of that fact and would be open to taking a pay cut if the team acquiesces to his desire for a new multi-year contract.
“[Agent Rich Paul] and I discussed it a couple of months ago briefly,” Draymond told Kawakami about opting out to seek a new multi-year deal. “We haven’t talked much about it because we don’t deal with those things until the offseason.
“But I think in an ideal world, and again, this is me talking without talking to my representation, so Rich will probably kill me. But in an ideal world, I think the best path would be to decline and extend. If I had it my way, that would be the best path forward.”
With rumors swirling about the Warriors either trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo or signing LeBron James in free agency. Slashing a notable amount of money from their salary by re-signing Green for less money annually would make either of those moves much easier to get done.
