Draymond Green is declining his $27.5 million contract option for 2023-24 season, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. The move allows Green and the Warriors to discuss a new deal, sign-and-trade scenarios and even free agency.
“We will continue to talk to Golden State and explore all options,” Green’s agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN.
Green’s future with the team that drafted him in 2012 has been a major storyline for nearly a year now, but the 33-year-old has maintained that he never wants to play for another franchise for the rest of his career. He restated that conviction after his team’s playoff exit in May.
“I’ve told you guys for years, I want to be a Warrior for the rest of my life. I wanna ride out with the same dudes I rode in with,” Green said after the Warriors’ Game 6 loss to the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. “And I think we’ve put the work in to make that happen, and here we are with our worst season as a whole since 2014, and yet, we had a chance to make another run. It’s never as bad as it seems. It’s never as good as it seems.”
Kerr also emphatically made it clear that Golden State absolutely needs to retain their defensive anchor.
“If Draymond’s not back, we’re not a championship contender,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said on May 13. “We know that. He’s that important to winning, to who we are. I absolutely want him back.”
Green is a four-time NBA champion, a four-time All-Star, an eight-time all-defensive selection and a former Defensive Player of the Year. He’s unquestionably the Warriors’ best defender and a crucial piece of their dynasty.
It would be difficult to imagine Green playing for another team, but anything is possible now that the first domino has fallen.
