The Golden State Warriors have missed out on LeBron James after the four-time MVP confirmed his decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. So, where to next?
The Warriors' first move after James' decision will likely be to re-sign Draymond Green to a contract that will instantly anger fans, with ESPN's Anthony Slater reporting on Wednesday that the veteran forward could be back on a one-year deal at around the same mark as the $27.6 million player option he opted out of ahead of free agency.
Draymond Green re-signing could be a major overpay from Warriors
Green got a lot of credit from fans for his decision to opt out of his player option and give the Warriors the flexibility to pursue James. However, given the 41-year-old has signed a minimum contract with the 76ers, they didn't really need that flexibility anyway.
Green is a franchise legend and will retain that stature, but paying over $20 million for the 36-year-old is going to be a major overpay from a Golden State team who now appear destined to run it back with a roster that just failed to make the playoffs.
That overpay is going to instantly anger fans, especially in the wake of James rejecting the Warriors across a free agency saga where Green, his close friend and fellow Klutch Sports client, was supposed to be the recuruiting tool to get the superstar forward over the line.
It's unfair to blame Green for Golden State not landing James, but it does play into the entire situation. The other frustrating element for fans is that once Green does sign, he won't be trade eligible until mid-season which is in stark contrast to becoming an instant trade candidate had he picked up the $27.6 million option.
Draymond Green re-signing will epitomize Warriors' offseason
It's one thing for Green's potential new deal to be an overpay, but it more notably will epitomize what's likely to be an underwhelming summer that bleeds into a bleak outlook for next season. How can the franchise justify to fans that running it back is a good idea? Perhaps more importantly, how can the front office justify that to Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr?
Perhaps the Warriors should use this opportunity to actually move on from Green and start fresh, but that might even harder to justify particularly to Curry and Kerr. It's almost like a lose-lose situation and a hole Golden State can't easily dig themselves out of when it comes to the perception among fans.
The last hope might be that Green takes a leaf out of James' book and actually signs a cheap contract that not only provides flexibility, but is also far closer to his current on-court value. It's just hard to see the former Defensive Player of the Year doing that now that James has ended up in Philadelphia.
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