For years, Draymond Green took discounts and pay cuts to try and keep the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty together. But he made it clear last season that he’s looking to get paid now, and that was before even winning his fourth NBA title.
Green has been the vocal leader for Steve Kerr’s team since taking over the starting power forward spot. But his reputation took a massive hit when he sucker-punched Jordan Poole in practice last summer.
Draymond has a player option for next season, and no one knows whether he’ll want to leave or stay. And according to Warriors insider Tim Kawakami, the Warriors might want to keep James Wiseman over him.
NBA Rumors: Warriors Could Choose James Wiseman Over Draymond Green
(Transcript via Tim Kawakami— The Athletic)
“They’ve got Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman, two young players who theoretically could fill some of his minutes in the future.
But no one, two or even three players are ever going to replace even 75 percent of what Draymond has done for this franchise for years. Is that worth a two-year, $50 million extension this July? $60 million? Will Draymond want a new start elsewhere? We’ll see.
(…)
If the Warriors don’t seriously consider a move like this by Feb. 9, it could signal that they’re not sure or not planning for Draymond to be back. That’s why they’d want to hold onto Wiseman.
However this season goes, I don’t think the Warriors will start next season with all three of these players on the roster and payroll — Draymond, Wiseman, Jordan Poole. If you know that, and two of those three are helping you now and one isn’t, maybe you can make an early decision on this one.”
So, the next few weeks might be key to knowing whether the Warriors believe— and want— Draymond to extend his stay in the Bay area. We could be witnessing the end of an era, and we don’t even know it yet.