Long before he punched Jordan Poole, fans and analysts speculated whether Draymond Green's time with the Golden State Warriors was up. He wants a contract extension they won't offer him right now, and the altercation only complicates the matter even more.
The Warriors could pay north of $500 million in luxury tax alone if they extend Green, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins. So, as valuable as Green is, they may not be willing to do that.
However, a Western Conference executive told Heavy's Sean Deveney that the Warriors aren't pushing to trade Green right now. Not only he's a tough guy to trade, but also they don't want to upset the Splash Brothers.
NBA Rumors: Warriors Unlikely To Trade Draymond Green Now
(via Heavy)
“'He’s a tough guy to trade because you don’t know what he will be asking for contract-wise, and he has a skill set that fits what they do but not what everyone around the league does,' one Western Conference executive said. 'They’re not out there pushing to move him right now. Never say never, but it would be pretty shocking if they changed course on that.'
It is not easy to trade away a player who is as identifiable with the Warriors as Green has become.
'It would send a tough message to Steph and Klay,' the exec said. 'To an extent, you want to keep those guys happy even if Draymond can be a headache for you, and they would not be happy about trading him.'”
Green Wants To Join The Lakers, Claims Stephen A. Smith
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith believes Green's punch was just a trick to force his way out to the Los Angeles Lakers. He's represented by Rich Paul and a big fan of LeBron James, so it wouldn't be a shocker:
“I can tell you right now, [Andrew] Wiggins and Poole are a priority,” Smith said. “I can tell you right now that 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. But he looking for a payday," Smith explained. "He gonna get $25 million this year. He got a player option for $24 million next year. The Warriors are probably hoping he don’t opt in because they’d have to pay him on top of the cats that they know that they gotta pay in Poole and Wiggins.”
Whatever the case, it seems like Green's glorious tenure in the Bay area will come to an end, whether it is this season or the next. And while he has every right to pursue a different path in his career, that sucker punch was uncalled for and a major disappointment.
