This really wasn’t unexpected. Draymond Green has DECLINED his $27.5M player option from the Golden State Warriors to enter the unrestricted free agent market for the first time in his career.
I don’t think this is really the bombshell contract development that it is appears to be.
After 11 years with the Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green has become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career as he rejected his $27.5M player option to hit the open free agent market. And, even though the loss of Green would be catastrophic to the Warriors championship potential, I don’t think this move is the career-altering decision it is made out to be.
Sorry every single Warriors hater, but the Warriors core isn’t getting broken up quite yet.
Yes, Draymond Green has declined his $27.5M player option that would have seen him paid the 4th highest salary on the Warriors roster…despite arguably being the 2nd most valuable player on the team.
Whether people like it or not, the defensive presence of Draymond Green on the Warriors roster last season was the only reason why they made it into the playoffs, let alone reach the 2nd round, as the rest of the team utterly failed in their defensive duties all year long.
The Warriors finished with the 9th worst defense in the league as they gave up an average of 117.1 PPG, while they had the worst road record of any playoff and Play-In team at 11-30. And these stats happened WITH Draymond Green on the floor.
Now, some people would justifiably argue that Draymond Green’s knockout punch on Jordan Poole, who he would have been trailing in player salary had he accepted the option, in the offseason was the reason why the Warriors couldn’t gel on the road and caused the friction within the locker room, and I would agree with that statement.
But that doesn’t negate the fact that Green not being able to will the Warriors defense on through his presence and commanding on-court voice was a massive reason why the Warriors simply couldn’t keep their opposition from putting the ball in the hoop consistently.
So, despite his age (33) and the baggage that comes with Green nowadays (ex: numerous suspensions, fighting with Poole, etc.), he’s still an integral part of the Warriors roster if they wish to win a 5th and probably final championship. And he knows that perfectly well.
Of course, if some team comes in and offers him $38M+/year on a long-term deal, then I’d expect Green packs up and leaves the Bay Area as he would be foolish not to leave for such a lucrative price.
Though, I expect the Warriors are planning on giving him a $30-$35M contract for the next 2-3 years that will see him become the 3rd highest earner behind Steph Curry and Klay Thompson once again.
End of story, right? Green signs a new contract extension and the Warriors fight for another championship with this core group of players.
Well, it’s not really that simple as if the Warriors do pay Green a $30M+ contract, then they’re going to be taxed up the wazoo for the next few seasons. As of this moment, the Warriors are set to pay $182M to 11 players…and that’s without Green’s now-rejected player option included.
If the Warriors were to pay Green $30M+, then they’d be spending nearly $210M in player salaries and their luxury tax hit is going to be over $80M! That’s a lot of money to be spending on players for any team, including the likes of the Lakers, Clippers, Celtics, Knicks, and the Warriors.
But if any team is willing to pay that kind of money for a chance at a championship, its Joe Lacob, Peter Guber, and their Warriors.
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