As well as finding a suitable replacement for Bob Myers, and the pending NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, the Golden State Warriors’ current priority surrounds the future of future Hall-of-Famer Draymond Green.
The former Defensive Player of the Year has a $27.6 million player option for next season, but could opt out to become an unrestricted free agent. That could provide a path for Green to leave the Warriors after a decorated 11-year career at the franchise.
Draymond Green remains likely to opt out of his player option and extend at the Golden State Warriors on a multi-year deal.
Warrior fans shouldn’t fret if Green does opt out to become an unrestricted free agent, with the The Athletic’s Senior NBA Columnist John Hollinger projecting that the 33-year-old will sign a new longer-term deal with the franchise.
"Given the Warriors’ horrific luxury-tax situation for 2023-24, one wonders if their best strategy would be for Green to opt out but re-sign for three years (matching his contract length to Steph Curry’s) at a lower annual number — say, three years for $75 million. Is there more money than that out there for him in the open market? I’m skeptical, but it only takes one. Prediction: Opt out and extend”, Hollinger wrote."
A three-year, $75 million contract, as Hollinger projects, would be a win-win outcome for both player and franchise in this scenario. Green will be quite right in wanting to secure more long-term money. Sure, he could opt in and take the risk, but even an All-Star level season in 2023-24 is unlikely to garner much more than $25 million annually.
It’s much more likely that he shows a slight and understandable sign of slowing down, and therefore commands something near or under $20 million, than it is producing a season that all of a sudden catapults him back to a $30+ million player at 34-years-old.
Do the Warriors want to be paying Green $25 million in 2025-26 when he’s 36 years of age? Of course they would prefer it to be slightly less, but that number feels like an effective one where both parties give a bit to reach an agreement.
While the difference between $25 million and $27.6 million (2.6 million) is hardly an exorbitant amount in the world of NBA player salaries, the savings in associated luxury tax would provide significant relief to a Golden State franchise projected for a record-breaking payroll next season.