Coming off a title run with the most expensive team payroll in NBA history, the Golden State Warriors will have to get creative to keep their championship core together for the future.
Adding to their already complicated and expensive price tag, the Warriors have several potential contract extensions looming, including for their four-time All-Star defensive captain.
While he has one season and a player option for 2023-24 left on his current deal, Draymond Green is eligible for a max-contract extension on Aug. 3 that would tie him to the Bay Area for the next five seasons.
According to Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, Green believes he deserves the contract extension with the Warriors that would be worth $164.2 million.
Via The Athletic:
Green, according to sources, wants and believes he deserves a maximum contract extension from the Warriors. Aug. 3 is when he is eligible to sign a four-year deal. That is his desired length.
If the Warriors decide not to extend Green, he could seek options outside of Golden State to land the contract he believes he deserves, per Slater and Thompson II.
Via The Athletic:
While his desire is to remain with the Warriors, Green is said to be willing to explore his outside options to get the kind of contract he wants. That’s a risk Warriors’ management appears willing to take. Green playing this season with a chip on his shoulder, motivated by proving to the league he deserves a max contract, could have a positive on-court impact.
On the way to an appearance in the All-Star game during Golden State’s 2022 championship run, Green averaged 7.5 points on 52.5% shooting from the floor with 7.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 28.9 minutes per contest over 46 games.
Since being selected in the 2012 draft out of Michigan State, Green has been a stalwart in Golden State’s rise to multiple trips to the NBA Finals and four championships. Along with four titles and four All-Stars, Green has earned two All-NBA team spots, seven NBA All-defensive team appearances and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017.
While Green’s extension talks will likely brew throughout the remainder of his current contract, the Warriors will have some tough financial decisions surrounding their unquestioned leader.
This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
