After missing out on LeBron James as the four-time MVP headed to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, the future of veteran forward Draymond Green has become the biggest focus surrounding the Golden State Warriors.
Green remains unsigned as an unrestricted free agent, and it's hard to see an outcome that actually benefits the Warriors thanks to a problem created back at the start of free agency that was supposed to benefit them.
Warriors trapped by Draymond Green free agency problem
Rewind to the days leading up to free agency and Green seemingly did the Warriors a favor, opting out of his $27.6 million player option to give the front office flexibility to pursue James. The problem is that they didn't really need any flexibility as James wound up signing the minimum with Philadelphia, something Golden State could have offered anyway even if Green had picked up his player option.
The trap for the Warriors is that they presumably would have promised Green, and his agent Rich Paul, that the player option would be on the table as a new deal in the event that they didn't land James. Now we have reports from Joe Vardon and David Aldridge of The Athletic that Golden State are expected to re-sign Green on a deal at $28 million annually -- essentially the same number as the player option.
Green is a franchise legend, a four-time champion, four-time All-Star, and a former Defensive Player of the Year. However, no one in their right mind thinks he's worth $28 million, and his on-court value based on last season's form might be lucky to reach half that.
But Green could have just picked up the player option and the Warriors would be in the same situation anyway, right? Wrong. Had Green picked up his option, he would have instantly been trade-eligible. Now that's he's going to sign a new contract, he can't be traded until mid-season.
Warriors can't escape from Draymond Green contract problem
Would Golden State have explored a Green trade had he picked up his player option? The fact they at least considered it prior to the mid-season trade deadline suggests it's possible, even if the lack of aggression from the front office would deem it unlikely.
Now the Warriors can't back out from the trap they've fallen into. They could go back to Green (and Paul) and offer somewhere around $15 million or something closer to what he's worth, but that will bring an element of betrayal that would likely make him walk to another team -- potentially the 76ers to join James on the minimum.
As much as paying Green $28 million is far from ideal, the front office doesn't want to have the conversation with Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr about why Green is now playing elsewhere on a cheap contract. How would they justify that one?
So here we are. The Warriors trapped between a rock and a hard place. They'll likely take the path of giving Green $28 million in a gross payroll mismanagement that's only exacerbated by the fact they have nearly $70 million in salary already sidelined to start next season.
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