Draymond Green is officially on a new contract with the Golden State Warriors, but he still might not be safe by any means.
The Warriors could potentially trade their longtime forward Green at the trade deadline, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic reported this week. Thompson notes that Steph Curry will likely not be going anywhere, leaving Golden State to possibly consider moving some of their other complementary pieces to fully begin a new era.
Green, now 36 years old, has been an integral part of the Warriors for over a decade now. He was drafted by the team in 2012 and became a four-time All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year whose defense, playmaking, and impeccable chemistry with Curry made him a linchpin of four different Warriors championship teams.
But Father Time is quickly catching up to Green. He averaged just 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game for Golden State last season and his jump-shooting (42/33/70 shooting splits) showed signs of wear as well.
Earlier this summer, Green opted out of his $27.7 million contract for next season so that the Warriors could have extra flexibility to pursue LeBron James. But with James ultimately choosing the Philadelphia 76ers instead, Golden State opted simply to give Green an identical one-year, $27.7 million contract to make him whole again.
With Green on a new contract, that does technically mean he cannot be traded by the Warriors until Dec. 15. But Green can seemingly sense that the end is near for him in Golden State, and a split might end up coming once he officially becomes trade-eligible.
