Woj believes that Dray will ‘almost assuredly’ opt in
Draymond Green can elect free agency next offseason, or opt into a $27.5 million deal.
It was a pretty busy weekend for the Golden State Warriors, who spent the final days prior to the 2022-23 NBA season finalizing four-year extensions with Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins. Those deals, while very much deserved for both players, have led to a lot of speculation surrounding Draymond Green’s future with the team.
Many believe that the Warriors committing money to Wiggins and Poole means that Green is entering his final season with the Dubs. But not all believe that. On Monday, on the eve of Opening Night, ESPN insider and analyst Adrian Wojnarowski said that he expects Green to opt into the final year of his deal next offseason.
“I know that some want to believe that it’s one or the other, that they wouldn’t necessarily be able to keep all three,” said Woj on ESPN’s new show, NBA Today. “And I don’t think that’s the case. Now, for Draymond Green, with that $27.5 million option next season, almost assuredly he’s going to exercise that. I’m not sure that that money is going to be, in a long-term deal, in his mid-30s, available in the marketplace.”
.@wojespn weighs in on Draymond's future with the Warriors after Poole's and Wiggins' extensions. pic.twitter.com/dWEKsua20C
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 17, 2022
Woj is notoriously not in great favor with Green’s agency, Klutch Sports, so this is probably him donning his analyst cap more than his insider one. But he is privy to a lot of inside information from other front offices, so he’s likely aware of what Green’s market would be should the four-time All-Star elect free agency next summer.
If Green does opt into the final year of his deal, and chase what would hopefully then be a sixth ring, the Warriors essentially have two options. They can trade a player, likely Poole or Wiggins, to get below the $400 million mark that Joe Lacob has said they won’t touch, or they could backtrack on those financial claims, and spend nearly $500 million to keep the dynasty together.
Woj didn’t predict how much the Dubs will spend, saying only that “If the Warriors are winning, and Draymond is still a highly productive player, and wants to be there, I don’t think it means . . . that his days are necessarily numbered.”
As a strong proponent of billionaires not not having self-imposed spending restrictions when purchasing sports teams, I say keep them all.