Draymond Green opted out of his player option to give the Golden State Warriors flexibility this offseason, only to receive it back once the front office missed on LeBron James and failed to do anything of real significance.
It's a path Stephen Curry could also take when the Warriors hit free agency next year, albeit the thought of the franchise superstar entering the offseason as an unrestricted free agent would terrify many fans.
Stephen Curry taking Draymond Green path would terrify Warriors fans
Golden Sate could have $45 million in cap space even if Curry agrees to the two-year, $136.7 million extension he's now eligible to sign. However, that could jump to $100 million if Curry waits and is willing to take significantly less himself, having just seen fellow superstar LeBron James sign a two-year, $7.9 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Hoop Collective, ESPN's Anthony Slater outlined the prospect of Curry giving the Warriors additional flexibility to see what they can do in free agency.
"If you're Steph and you say, 'okay, you know what, I'll give you all a crack at going and trying to find some stuff. But if you don't, at the end of the day, if I come back and say, give me the full max, I get the full max,'" Slater said.
While this is a similar approach to what Green just did this offseason, it's also a very different situation. Green opting out only gave Golden State the potential of possessing the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, and even then they would have likely had to trade Moses Moody as well.
In stark contrast, the Warriors could have $100 million to spend if Curry waits, obviously giving them far greater opportunity to completely revamp their roster and try to build one more contender around their two-time MVP.
Rival teams could try and recruit Stephen Curry
The issue with this approach is that it opens the door for rival teams to at least try and recruit Curry, even if his desire is to remain with and finish his career with Golden State. It also elevates the pressure even further on the team to perform this season, rather than have Curry solidify his future by signing an extension before opening night next month.
If the Warriors don't appear close to championship contention, and Curry isn't confident in their ability to revamp the roster, perhaps he actually turns an eye elsewhere as he searches for an historic fifth title.
It makes sense for Curry to remain unsigned and give the Warriors even more cap space next year, but inviting the threat of his departure will make fans far more anxious than what we saw with Green prior to his re-signing in July.
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