Although he’s in the middle of defending the team’s fourth NBA title in eight seasons, Draymond Green seems to sense what is ultimately inevitable.
In an interview this week with Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, Green was asked if it was hard for him to imagine the possibility of longer being on the Golden State Warriors. Green’s response was a telling one.
“No, [it’s not hard],” he replied. “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 setting yourself up for failure,” the former Defensive Player of the Year added. “You’re setting yourself up for heartbreak. You’re setting yourself up for disappointment. As opposed to saying, ‘No, let me learn this business.’ If you don’t get to know the business, then you can be blindsided.”
Green, who is posting 7.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game this season, will be a free agent in the summer. Although he has been a career Warriors linchpin who has been central to the team’s identity on both ends of the floor over the years, Green will be turning 33 in a couple of months. He is reportedly trying to get a big payday (perhaps the last one of his NBA career), but the Warriors’ payroll is already as crowded as Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
They currently own the biggest luxury-tax bill in basketball and recently shelled out sizable extensions to Andrew Wiggins (four years, $109 million) and Jordan Poole (four years, $123 million). That is not even factoring in Stephen Curry’s supermax deal, Klay Thompson’s need for a new contract after 2023-24 and young players like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody who will also have to be extended down the line.
The four-time All-Star Green is under no delusions that the Warriors will be able to fit him into those future plans as well. But fortunately for Green, he may conceivably have a bag awaiting him this summer from a fitting team.
