LeBron James got away from the Golden State Warriors this offseason, so now their next order of business is apparently Draymond Green.
The Warriors are expected to sign their longtime star forward Green to a new contract, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported on Saturday. Vardon notes that Golden Star will likely re-sign Green to a deal worth nearly $28 million.
Interestingly enough, that would be virtually identical to the player option that Green turned down earlier this summer. Green opted out of his $27.7 million contract for next season in order to give the Warriors maximum financial flexibility.
However, Golden State was looking to use that flexibility in order to sign the former NBA MVP James. With James opting instead to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Warriors may now simply look to make Green whole again.
Now 36 years old, Green is a lifelong Warrior who has been a centerpiece of four NBA championship teams and has also earned nine All-Defensive selections, four All-Star appearances, two All-NBA nods, and a Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2017. But Green’s skills now appear to be in rapid decline, and he averaged just 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game on ugly 42/33/70 shooting splits last season.
Thus, there is a strong case to be made that Green’s true market value is nowhere near $28 million right now, especially given his continued history of dirty plays on the court. But with the Warriors not expected to contend next season, there are worse outcomes than extending Green on a new one-year deal to line him up with longtime co-star Steph Curry, whose contract expires in 2027.
