Draymond Green's free agency pitch to LeBron James seemingly has no bounds, with the Golden State Warriors veteran making another major statement in pursuit of the superstar forward.
Green has proposed that he will vacate his No. 23 jersey and allow James to wear it if he signs with the Warriors, while stating that he'd start wearing number 5 in reference to adding 2 + 3 together.
Draymond Green pitches to LeBron again with proposed number change
This would be an incredible shift given what Green has accomplished for the Warriors in 14 years while wearing the No. 23, and the fact that it won't be too long until it's raised up into the rafters along with the numbers of fellow championship teammates Stephen Curry (30), Klay Thompson (11) and the already retired Andre Igoudala (9).
Green responded to a fan on Threads to announce the proposal, though there is a complication given there have been suggestions that the No. 5 jersey should also be retired in the future to honor the now departed 3x champion Kevon Looney.
Draymond Green says he’d switch his number to 5 if LeBron were to join Warriors and want No. 23 👀 pic.twitter.com/JN2oiXNyJR
— TheWarriorsTalk (@TheWarriorsTalk) July 16, 2026
Let's for a second assume that the Warriors weren't expecting to retire Looney's number, that this was a possibility, and that James does actually sign in the Bay Area. That would mean Green's number would eventually get retired, but that he wouldn't actually be the last one to have worn it.
James has worn No. 23 for the majority of his career, helping to extend the legacy of the number after Michael Jordan. He wore No. 6 while with the Miami Heat and for a couple years with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the number has since been retired league wide in honor of the late Bill Russell.
Draymond Green willing to go to any length to secure LeBron James
What this proves is that Green is willing to sacrifice almost anything in order for Golden State to land James in free agency. That started with opting out of his $27.6 million player option with the thought of taking significantly less if James signs, while he's been the most prominent Warrior person trying to convince the 41-year-old over the past week given their close personal relationship.
This number change is just the latest example and it might not be the last. Should Green and Golden State be successful in their James pursuit, there's an argument to be made that the former Defensive Player of the Year should come off the bench to provide more spacing in the starting lineup.
Would Green be open to that in a way he has these other aspects? Only time will tell but it will undoubtedly be a good problem for Steve Kerr and the Warriors to have.
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