Its nearly 72 hours since LeBron James' decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency, but the Golden State Warriors are yet to sign veteran forward Draymond Green to a new deal.
The Warriors have had nearly a month to figure out what contract Green would get in the event that James didn't join them, meaning this curious waiting period could be the last hope fans have of the front office actually planning a big move in the background.
Draymond Green contract delay may give Warriors fans one last hope
Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported that Golden State are expected to give Green a new deal starting at $28 million which makes sense given that sits around the player option he initially opted out of. However, in the name of doing a Brian Windhorst impression with two index fingers pointing up, why hasn't this happened yet?
There's a few possible reasons. There could be a chance (albeit small) that Green is actually reconsidering his future and is tempted to head elsewhere, potentially to the 76ers to join James on a cheap contract. This seems high unlikely but should at least be mentioned.
There's another scenario where this is just a timing thing where the Warriors don't want to make it official over the weekend, or that they're haggling over very minor details that won't impact Green's eventual return. It's worth noting that James Harden also hasn't re-signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers yet in the days since the James decision.
The third and most optimistic scenario for fans is that Golden State are still exploring other moves that would be impacted by what Green's contract looks like. This might be more in relation to a trade than free agency given very few (if any) unsigned players are going to command more than seven figures on their next contract.
Over 48 hours since LeBron signed and we still don't have a Draymond contract. Which is more likely? 🤔
— Peter O’Keefe (@POK252) July 26, 2026
- Dray is actually considering leaving 👀
- Warriors are cooking something else and need him to still be patient 🧑🍳
- Front office doesn't work weekends 🤣 pic.twitter.com/zWBxES0dWx
Warriors need blockbuster trade to save offseason
After missing out on James, there's not really a free agency move left that's going to inspire much confidence among Warrior fans entering next season. Former All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Bradley Beal remain available, but they're not doing much for a team that missed the playoffs last season and who still have Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody injured on the sidelines.
If Golden State want to save their offseason and give fans some hope, it will almost certainly have to come through a trade. Trey Murphy III, for example, is a notable enough player who could swing the Warriors' fortunes if they could finally complete a deal for the long-rumored target.
Unfortunately years of inaction means there's not much optimism of anything getting done. Still, this Green delay is interesting and should at least raise some speculation over what might be happening behind the scenes.
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