ESPN's Anthony Slater reiterated on Wednesday that Draymond Green isn't expected to opt out of his $27.7 million player option for next season to become an unrestricted free agent, but that doesn't mean he'll still be on the team's roster in October.
"The expectation is that Green will either opt in -- keeping him as a bulky $27.6 million expiring deal that the Warriors could either hold or move -- or work out a multiyear extension starting at a lower number, signaling a greater likelihood he finishes his career with the Warriors."
If Green opts into his player option, the Warriors could try to use it in a trade for an upgrade, as they explored at the deadline for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Maybe he will be on the table again this summer, but even if he is (and that's what it seems like), the 31-year-old may not want to go to San Francisco. That may not matter, though.
Golden State could explore other options as it tries to do whatever it can to win another title with Steph Curry.
Or, as Slater mentioned, the Warriors could work out an extension with Draymond, which wouldn't guarantee he'd end his career with Golden State, but it'd indicate that.
Draymond Green is expected to opt into his player option
Green told Slater that when he learned he could be involved in a Giannis trade before the deadline, he couldn't believe it at first, but then he remembered that it's a business. He said he understood that it wasn't just for any player, but for Antetokounmpo.
It's hard not to wonder what his reaction will be this summer if he opts in, and Golden State discusses including Draymond in a package for a player who isn't at Giannis' level. Green wouldn't have control, but because of what he's meant to the organization (and that won't change), you don't want to see him leave the Warriors on anything other than good terms.
No one knows what the future will hold. What we do know is that the clock is ticking even faster for Golden State. Given that Jimmy Butler is expected to miss at least the first part of the season recovering from a torn ACL, and that Moses Moody could too with his knee injury, the Warriors will probably try to find Curry some more immediate help.
If the front office feels like there is a way for them to upgrade the roster, even if it means losing Draymond, that's something you have to think they'll do. Then again, there is always the reality where Green could lure LeBron to the Bay, forming a new trio. Truly, there is no telling what will happen.