By locking up Draymond Green long-term with a new contract extension, the Golden State Warriors made sure to avoid any free agency drama this coming season.
Draymond Green had perhaps the biggest motivation and opportunity to earn himself a top-tier max contract next summer when he was due to hit free agency. Without Klay Thompson for a majority of next season, a roster filled with new faces, and a stigma of being the underdog, Green would have plenty of responsibility on his shoulders in 2019.
After back-to-back seasons which he performed subpar by his own standards, this coming season, a contract year no less, could’ve seen Draymond Green shift into that extra gear earlier in the regular season. Could he become more of an offensive threat? Would we see him revert back to Defensive Player of the Year form?
The stakes and circumstances were lining up for Draymond to chase that big contract. Only instead, Green chose to take the more secure path, although still hauling in a sizable payday. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Green and the Warriors agreed to a four-year, $100M extension.
With free agency looming next summer, three-time All-Star Draymond Green has agreed to a four-year, $100M maximum contract extension with Golden State, agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 3, 2019
The extension secures Draymond Green, the final core player of this franchise, until the summer of 2024. With the added extension, Green’s current deal now spans five-years, $118M.
This move speaks volumes as to the trust and loyalty between both sides. Green could have likely chased the big contract, from either another team or the Warriors themselves, with the eventual belief that Golden State would still offer the max money should it come Green’s way.
Warriors now have their four main cogs locked up through...
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) August 3, 2019
-Steph Curry: Summer 2022
-D'Angelo Russell: Summer 2023
-Draymond Green: Summer 2024
-Klay Thompson: Summer 2024
Yet, what if it didn’t? In an upcoming season of uncertainty for Golden State, what happens if Draymond suffers a serious or long-term injury? Does he still get that max contract from other teams? Do the Warriors still offer that contract themselves?
Also a thought: does Draymond Green’s skillset transition to another team? It’s entirely possible that his play is maximized with the Warriors, in their system, with these surrounding players like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Simply put, the Warriors and Draymond both need and fit perfectly for each other.
This agreement between the two also signals an important objective that all parties likely wanted to achieve this coming season: avoid any unnecessary drama. Despite the plethora of all-star talent and the chemistry of a championship-winning team, we witnessed the free agency frenzy affect the locker room last season.
Injuries, of course, played a role in the Warriors’ loss in the NBA Finals, but the looming free agency chatter made the regular-season feel even longer than it actually is. It successfully distracted this team from focusing on building the chemistry needed for a shot at a three-peat.
This next season, where the front office must use the entirety of the regular season to assess the roster and understand how to build and move forward to stay competitive, distractions simply won’t do.
The extension between Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors shows they both understand this to be true and are making the necessary moves from the start.