The Golden State Warriors want Draymond Green to stay but will he?
After his shock announcement that he wouldn’t be taking his option with the team, Draymond Green is now a major concern for the franchise and rightly so.
While much of the news in recent days has been consumed with who is going where and for what, the reports out of the Bay Area are very much focused on who one team would like to stay. Indeed, the Warriors are now at risk of losing one of the key members of their roster.
The Warriors want Draymond Green to stay
On Monday, reports indicated that the Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green had declined the $27.5 million option on his contract, meaning the power forward is now set for the free agency market this offseason. To be clear, the franchise can in fact still retain Green or as stated by his agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, “explore other options.” Whatever the case, what is now clear is that the Warriors do not want to let the 33-year-old go. To that end, the franchise’s GM, Mike Dunleavy Jr. was clear when he spoke about the situation with the media about the situation, explaining that the hope is to keep Green on the team. “We really want Draymond back,” Dunleavy said before speaking directly to the challenge of negotiating a new deal for Green, saying that the team “feels confident we can navigate it.”
What’s the low down on Draymond Green’s situation
So, here’s the thing: Draymond Green is entering the last year of a four-year, $99.6 million deal that he signed with the team ahead of the 2020-21 regular season. We should also mention that Green has only ever played with the Golden State Warriors since he was drafted by the team in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft. After more than a decade in the Bay Area, it would appear he’s ready to try something new, however, one has to wonder whether that’s the best option in terms of staying with a team that’s a contender. During the last campaign, Green averaged 8.5 points per game to go with 7.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists. Incidentally, Dunleavy also spoke about Jordan Poole. Despite some rumors to the contrary, it appears Poole won’t be going anywhere as Dunleavy stated the franchise fully expects him to see out the four-year, $128 million contract that he is about to enter the first season of.