Heading into the NBA offseason, there was a lot of discussion about what the Golden State Warriors were going to do with their roster. They had a lot of decisions to make in the coming months and subsequent offseasons as numerous players were up for extensions.
The first player that was up for one is Draymond Green. Green made it very clear that he was seeking a max contract, but the Warriors were in no rush to work out such a deal with him. Unless they were going to get a steep discount, they do not negotiate early extensions. If Stephen Curry had to wait for his extension, Green would do the same.
However, things changed during the team’s second week of training camp. Green got into an altercation with Jordan Poole, who is also eligible for an extension this offseason, and things got physical. Green struck Poole with a punch, a video of which has since gone viral that was acquired by TMZ.
There is a lot to unpack when it comes to that, but could Green have just made the Warriors’ decision for them? Already hesitant to extend him on a long-term, big-money deal, Golden State now has an excuse to wash their hands of Green and commit money to Poole and Andrew Wiggins next offseason.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Should Green be on the move, where may he end up? While his offensive game has eroded, he remains a stout, versatile defender. According to Stephen A. Smith, if Green has his way, he won’t be moving too far as the Los Angeles Lakers are where Green will land.
“Draymond Green is expecting this to be his last year in Golden State. Now, he wanna be a Laker. He ain’t gonna tell anybody that, but don’t think I don’t know. He’d prefer to be a Laker if he gotta leave Golden State.”
Green has a ton of admiration for LeBron James and being a Klutch client, it would make sense that Green wants to link up with other Klutch players. While that is Green would want to end up according to Smith, it is fair to ask if the feeling would be mutual.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Los Angeles needs to start putting a contingency plan in place for when James decides to move on. Adding an aging Green, who will be 33 when he hits free agency next offseason, may not be the direction they want to go in.
