Draymond Green Could Be In Trade Block After Signing New Deal With Warriors

The Golden State Warriors retained one of their core players as they re-signed Draymond Green this offseason after he initially declined his player option to give way to a free agency bid that never panned out. That free agent was LeBron James, a longtime rival of the Warriors who signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in a discounted deal. 

Green signed a one-year, $27.7 million contract, the same amount he initially declined last month to give the Warriors financial flexibility to sign James in free agency. 

Green’s deal has been revealed to not possess a no-trade clause, according to Warriors insider Anthony Slater. This is crucial, per Slater, because it gives the Warriors a chance to get a superstar to pair up with Curry via trade, which could include Green during the regular season. 

“I think, you know, bringing Draymond back on the one-year deal that they prioritized. It’s about the partnership between Draymond and trust in management,” Slater said in NBA Today. “But also management’s desire to keep that flexibility. He could have gotten a no-trade clause, right? He was eligible, I should say. The Warriors did not give him that.”

“So they want the ability to make moves in the season, or make moves, you know, in free agency, potentially next year.”

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Draymond Green Could Be A Trade Piece For The Warriors

The Warriors failed to bring Steph Curry a co-star this offseason after going after Giannis Antetokounmpo, who eventually went to the Miami Heat, and Jaylen Brown, who was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers to team up with LeBron. 

Keeping Green as a trade piece could allow the Warriors to match salaries in a potential deal during the season. 

Just like Curry, Green has been a staple in Golden State, playing his entire career so far with the Warriors. Trading him could be what it takes for the Warriors to improve their roster and give Curry another real chance at an NBA title in the final years of his career. 

Right now, the Warriors have an aging supporting cast around Curry, who is 38 years old. Green is 36 years old, while center Al Horford is 40. Kristaps Porzingis is 30 years old, but his health has been suspect.

Jimmy Butler is 36 years old, but he is still recovering from a torn ACL. He is expected to return in 2027. 

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Draymond Green Expresses How Much He Loves The Warriors

Draymond Green is a loyal soldier for the Golden State Warriors. 

“I’ve been there 12 years. People forget the Warriors were the laughingstock of the NBA when I arrived,” Green said on The Big podcast with Shaquille O’Neal. “They won 23 games the year before. When I got drafted, Marshawn Lynch laughed at me. He said, ‘You got drafted to the Warriors? Y’all suck.’”

Green added that he has no reason to leave something he built in Golden State.

“We built this thing from the ground. That’s our baby,” he said. “The Warriors were nothing. To see that growth and take part in it isn’t something you just walk away from. They would have to not want me anymore. I will always do right by that organization. I’ve never been treated badly.” 

“If I had to stay in Golden State another five years and we didn’t make the playoffs once, I’d be totally fine with that. I’d rather struggle with the same guys I succeeded with.” “We succeeded together. I’d rather struggle together. As long as they have me, I have no reason to ever want to leave.”

For now, Green has no control over his future. He can only wait and see how the organization would value him from here on. 

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