Will Draymond Green still be a Warrior in a couple of seasons? Should Golden State think about trading him now or this summer?
There is plenty of chatter around the league about those possibilities, especially after Jordan Poole got paid last summer and so did Andrew Wiggins, while Green did not — and he punched Poole.
Green has heard all the speculation, he gets the business, and when asked by Taylor Rooks if it was hard to think he might not be a Warrior someday, he sounded almost resigned to the idea.
“No. Quite frankly, the writing is on the wall. I understand the business. We tend to get into this mindset of someone owes us something because of what we’ve accomplished. You’d be an idiot to walk around feeling that way. I feel like you’re just setting yourself up for failure. You’re setting yourself up for heartbreak. You’re setting yourself up for disappointment. As opposed to saying, ‘No, let me learn this business.’”
The Warriors are not trading Green at the February deadline, this is a team more likely to add in the short term and chase another ring in a wide-open West. This summer, Green has a decision about his $27.6 million player option for next season, he could become a free agent come July.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are on max extensions, Poole’s and Wiggins’ new deals are kicking in, and the Warriors’ salary and luxury tax bill next season is expected to eclipse $450 million — and that is without Green, either opting in or getting a new contract with the team. Even for Warriors ownership and the cash cow that is the new Chase Center, things are getting expensive and some cuts may need to be made.
Curry and Thompson aren’t going anywhere, which is why Green looks to be the guy without a chair when the music stops. At least a chair in Golden State. Which could lead to trade talk over the summer.
But for now, that’s just a cloud on the horizon. Green and the Warriors are focused on this season and another ring. They will pay the bill later.
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Draymond Green on future with Warriors: ‘The writing is on the wall’ originally appeared on NBCSports.com