The Warriors are poised to run another championship in the upcoming 2022-23 NBA season. But what will happen next summer remains a big mystery.
Among those looming question marks is Draymond Green’s contract. Green will be paid $25.8 million this season, and he has his options as a player worth $27.6 million in his 2023-24 NBA campaign. If Green opts out of that final year, he will be an unrestricted free agent when free agency begins next July.
In the latest episode of “The Hoop Collective,” NBA insider Brian Windhorst predicted how the Warriors forward will approach the final year of his contract.
“But do you think Draymond is opting out of that money?” Windhorst asked co-hosts Tim McMahon and Tim Bontemps for player options.
“I wouldn’t rule it out,” McMahon replied, and Bontemps agreed.
“He certainly intends to,” said Windhorst.
late July, Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II The Athletic reports that Green believes he deserves a contract extension of up to four years. However, the Warriors reportedly don’t plan to offer Green that deal, which is worth $164.2 million over five years, if signed before the 2022-23 season.
To gain leverage in seeking new contracts, Green could opt out of player options or threaten to do so. In its report for The Athletic, Green already said he was “ready to explore his outside options to get the kind of deal he wants.”
The Warriors also have big decisions to make surrounding Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins entering the final season of their contracts. If Golden State doesn’t provide Poole with an extension on his rookie scale by Oct. 17, the young guard will become a restricted free agent after the season ends. A key part of the Warriors’ championship run, Wiggins is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
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But for now, Golden State can pocket the stress of the contract and focus on the present: chasing another championship with a core of Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson intact.
