Draymond Green's future at the Golden State Warriors is back in the spotlight after the team battled back to beat the Phoenix Suns on Monday night without their veteran forward for most of the second half.
Green remains a potential trade candidate on an expiring $27.5 million contract. The Warriors moving him before the deadline would be a brutal but perhaps necessary decision, and one that could also push Green toward an early retirement.
Warriors could push Draymond Green toward early retirement with mid-season trade
The 36-year-old is so engrained within Golden State that it's hard to evaluate how much value he'd provide other teams, and in what scenarios he could still have an impact -- particularly in the playoffs where he's built his reputation.
A trade could leave Green on a team he desperately doesn't want to be part of, especially if they're young, rebuilding and not in the playoff window. Remember Andre Igoudala's situation with the Memphis Grizzlies back in 2019-20?
In such a situation, Green and his management would likely seek a buyout to try and join a championship contender -- though he'd be unable to join the Warriors straight away. There's no doubt that Green would attract interest from multiple teams, but how many would be willing to throw him a major role that he now has with the Warriors?
Does Green want to finish his career as a bench piece playing limited minutes on another team outside Golden State? That doesn't appear like a hugely appealing scenario, and even more so for someone who can just stroll into a lucrative media career. Perhaps that's the path Green chooses to go down, putting an end to his legendary career sooner than if he were to remain with the Warriors past the deadline.
Draymond Green could still re-join Warriors in free agency
The positive for Green is that he'll become a free agent next year regardless of what happens before the deadline, potentially giving him a chance to re-join Golden State in the summer were they to initially send him elsewhere.
How Green would feel about a trade, and therefore the potential of re-joining the team months later, won't be fully known unless it happens, but the four-time champion did seem understanding of the situation when the Warriors were pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo before last season's deadline.
Green remains in a position where he's playing for his career at the franchise, while still playing an important role on a team that could be better than expected as they ride a five-game winning streak.
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