Draymond Green went into this season with something of a contract-year mindset.
Though he holds a $27.6 player option for 2023-24, he can opt-out in an effort to secure a multiyear deal with the Warriors or any other team of his choosing this summer.
NBA front office expert Keith Smith of Spotrac joined 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” Monday to give his guess as to what Draymond will do this offseason.
“I think he’s gonna opt out for sure,” Smith told hosts Matt Steinmetz and John Dickinson, filling in for Daryle ‘The Guru’ Johnson. “I don’t know that he leaves, though. I think this might be one where he opts out and all sides kinda realize, ‘Hey, we’re better together than we would be apart.’ And then come together on some kinda of more reasonable contract that keeps him on Golden State for probably the rest of his career.”
The $27.6 million option is probably higher than any contract Green could secure on the open market, but Smith said Green is likely thinking about his long-term future rather than just next season.
Green is 33 now and went through a scary episode with his back last season that caused him to miss two months, but remains the mastermind of the defense and chief facilitator on offense. Draymond can still push it in transition and is a unique fit with Steve Kerr’s system, with his screen-setting and telepathy with The Splash Brothers. He's averaging 8.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.
Smith offered his best prediction for the deal that Draymond might negotiate with the Warriors.
“I think we’re probably talking about that three (years) and $60-ish (million) range,” Smith said. “Something like that. Because what that would do, that allows him to add more guaranteed money than he’d make, obviously at a lower number, which helps the team out and reduces that luxury tax payment. But he’ll add more money long-term. Because for Draymond Green now, it’s starting to turn into, a lot more about years than it is about dollars at this point in his career. I think it’ll be, ‘Let’s stretch this out for the next three years and lock up my remaining productive years in my career and we’ll go forward. And just try to keep this moving like we always have.’”
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