The Golden State Warriors could be headed toward a major Draymond Green mistake after the latest contract prediction for the former Defensive Player of the Year.
Green could opt out of his $27.6 million player option to re-sign on a multi-year deal, but the Warriors would be ill-advised to offer the sort of two-year, $40 million contract recently suggested by ESPN's front office insider Bobby Marks.
Warriors would be making a mistake with Draymond Green contract
As Marks outlined in his free agency piece on Friday, there's certainly a motivation for Golden State to negotiate a new deal with Green which could then give them more flexibility elsewhere in free agency.
"Two years, $40 million. Green would lower his $27.7 million player option to $19.2 million and, as a trade-off, be given a second year worth $20.8 million. The salary reduction next season would allow Golden State access to all of its $15 million non-tax midlevel exception. The new contract also aligns with the two-year deal of coach Steve Kerr," Marks wrote.
Yet while Green may be a franchise legend, the front office shouldn't be trying to do him a favor because of his stature with the team. They certainly shouldn't be paying too much more than market value which is exactly what Marks' proposed contract would be.
With only the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers projected to have cap space, who else is offering Green more than $15 million per year, let alone the $20 million annually that Marks suggests?
Green can still be a valuable player in the right scenario, but this is someone who is now 36-years-old, has had significant offensive limitations for years, and who just missed the All-Defensive Team for the second time in the past three seasons.
Warriors need to strike a balance with Draymond Green
This version of Green isn't worth more than $15 million on the open market, and some would argue his value really sits well below that. The issue is the Warriors do need to strike a balance where they don't go too far over market value, while also incentivizing Green to actually opt out of his player option to sign a new deal.
That may be why a two-year, $35 million deal still makes some sense. It's not necessarily an egregious over pay like $20 million annually and Golden State get more flexibility, yet Green still gets nearly $8 million more in guaranteed money.
The lack of teams with cap space means the Warriors should enter negotiations with some leverage, especially when they could also hint at trading Green if he simply opts into his current deal.
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