Warriors have ‘strong confidence’ Draymond Green will re-sign, after bitter rivals the Grizzlies ‘had genuine interest in the veteran before trading for Marcus Smart’
- Green is expected to command at least $100 million in a multi-year contract
- Warriors’ GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. also stated that he would like to keep Green
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After recently declining the $27.6 million option for the final year of his contract in Golden State, the Warriors are said to believe Draymond Green will stay with the team on a new deal, according to Marc Stein.
‘I continue to hear nothing but strong confidence emanating from the Bay Area that an agreement on a multi-year deal for Green to stay right where he’s always been is forthcoming. (A three-year deal, league sources say, is a popular current projection for the 33-year-old.)’ Stein wrote.
Interestingly, their rivals, the Memphis Grizzlies, are also reported to have had a high level of interest in Green preluding their recent trade for former Boston Celtics point guard Marcus Smart.
‘I’m told that the Grizzlies’ pre-Smart interest in Green was genuine,’ Stein wrote.
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‘And it’s fascinating to simply consider the idea of Green engaging Memphis in free agency conversations after the teams’ past battles.’
The Golden State Warriors are said to have ‘strong confidence’ in re-signing Draymond Green
Green is expected to command at least $100 million in a multi-year deal for his next contract
The Memphis Grizzlies were said to have interest in Green before trading for Marcus Smart
Green recently stated on Instagram that he was ‘easily worth another $100 million’ in reference to Stephan A. Smith speculating that it would take ‘$100-$120 million’ in order for a team to sign Green.
Newly promoted Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. also recently stated that he would like to keep Green on the team.
Last season Green averaged 8.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 73 games and 9.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.8 assists through 11 playoff appearances.
Despite the fact his statistics may not jump off the page and impress in the same fashion as many of league’s other superstars, his leadership and ability to impact the game in other ways have become calling cards of the 33-year-old veteran.
Those same attributes are likely what made him a appealing option to the Grizzlies as well despite the bad blood between the two franchises over the course of the last several years.
Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. also recently stated that he would like to keep Green in town
During the second-round series between Memphis and Golden State in 2022, the Warriors guard suffered a broken elbow after a hard foul by Memphis swingman Dillon Brooks, which prompted Warriors coach Steve Kerr to say Brooks ‘broke the code.’
‘I don’t like Draymond at all,’ Brooks told ESPN’s Tim Keown in March. ‘I just don’t like Golden State. I don’t like anything to do with them. Draymond talks a lot. Gets away with a lot, too.
‘His game is cool — with Golden State — but if you put him anywhere else, you’re not going to know who Draymond is. He plays with heart, plays hard, knows the ins and outs of their defense. I guess that’s why they like him over there.’
Long before their reported interest in Green however, it was reported that the Grizzlies did not intend for Brooks to return to the team ‘under any circumstances,’ which led to some analysts and fans to brand the way Memphis handled Brooks expiring contract as ‘very disturbing.’
‘If they didn’t want to sign him, so what? Don’t sign him! But you don’t have to put it out there like that like he committed a damn crime or some off-court distractions, because he was none of that,’ Perkins said.
