Four-time NBA champion Draymond Green didn’t meet with superstar point guard Damian Lillard about joining the Portland Trail Blazers and is expected to re-sign with the Golden State Warriors, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Green declined his 2023-24 player option with the Warriors, so he becomes an unrestricted free agent on June 30. Lillard wants the Blazers to re-sign small forward Jerami Grant and sign Green, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, but no one in NBA circles expects Green to leave the Warriors.
The Warriors drafted Green with the 35th overall pick in the 2012 draft out of Michigan State. They have won four championships and played in six NBA Finals in the Green-Stephen Curry-Klay Thompson era.
Even though Bob Myers is no longer in Golden State, new Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. was never going to let Green leave the Dubs.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Draymond Green & Golden State Warriors Updates
The 33-year-old Green averaged 8.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists this past season while shooting 52.7% from the field, 30.5% from beyond the arc and 71.3% from the free-throw line. The one-time Defensive Player of the Year is seeking a contract that lines up with Curry’s in terms of length. Curry can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026, which is why a three-year deal would make sense for Green.
The Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals in six games. Even though Green was spotted in France with Lakers superstar small forward LeBron James last week and the two champions share the same agent (Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group), all signs point toward Green being back with the Dubs next season and continuing his partnership with Curry and Thompson.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Draymond Green & Golden State Warriors Updates
As for Lillard, he hasn’t requested a trade from the Blazers and wants to see what the franchise does in free agency before making a decision about his future.
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