3 Ways the Golden State Warriors are benefiting from Draymond Green's suspension

The Golden State Warriors don't want to be playing games without Draymond Green. They don't want the public disgrace of every show on radio, television or YouTube discussing the immaturity of one of their core players. They don't want to have to ask the question of whether or not Green has a future in Golden State.

Yet they have to, with Green suspended indefinitely and unlikely to return anytime soon. They have already played 15 games without him this season, and that number is only going up.

The negatives of this situation are obvious. The Warriors are playing games without their best defensive player, one of the 10 best players in franchise history, a core piece of four title teams. His competitive fire, his playmaking on offense, his unmatched versatility on defense; all of those are crucial to how the Warriors win basketball games.

Yet this situation is not all bad. There are a few silver linings to this situation, ways that the Warriors are making the best of a tough corner they've been pushed into by Green's actions and their own enablement. In the midst of the negatives, there are a few benefits for the Warriors as well.

Benefit No. 3: Saving Money

The Golden State Warriors and their ownership, led by Joe Lacob, deserve credit for the amount of money they have paid to keep the Warriors competitive. The team has waded into the luxury tax again and again, including a staggeringly high bill this year for a team that doesn't look to be a top-tier contender.

The Warriors have made a few small decisions on the margin to save money, such as not signing a 15th player to the roster and waiting two weeks to sign Gui Santos to the 14th spot. They haven't done anything significant to hinder their ability to compete, however; other contenders such as the Boston Celtics (not matching on Grant Williams) and Phoenix Suns (dumping Cameron Payne) have cheaped out.

There will be some salary relief coming the Warriors' way, and they won't have to dump salary to earn it. For each game that Green misses he loses his game salary; that salary correspondingly comes off of the Warriors' books, saving them both that number and the luxury tax penalty that would have been charged for it.

Most fines from the league have a neglible impact on the team salary sheet, but Green's suspension is long enough and the Warriors' tax bill high enough that each game is a good chunk of change saved to the team. They save 50 percent of his fine amount off of the luxury tax, and by the time Green returns that could mean $10 million in savings or more.