Free agent forward Draymond Green has agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract with a player option in the final season to re-sign with the Golden State Warriors, sources told ESPN’s Andscape on Friday.
Green, 33, has played his entire 11-year career with the Warriors since being drafted with the 35th overall pick in the second round of the 2012 NBA draft. He has won four titles with the Warriors along with teammates Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
A four-time All-Star, Green has been named to eight All-Defensive teams — including a second-team selection last season — and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017.
Green became a free agent after declining a $27.5 million player option for next season.
“I’ve been here 11 years, you don’t just up and change that,” Green told Andscape after the Warriors’ season ended after a 122-101 Game 6 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on May 12. “The guys that I started with are still here. Of course, I’d love to be here, but I do understand that this is a business.'”
The Warriors were confident they’d be able to find a new deal for Green — someone who is crucial for their aspirations to return to being a true championship contender. Keeping him paired with Curry was their No. 1 priority this summer, according to new general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.
“What he means in terms of this organization and this team, winning at the highest level, we feel like we have to have him,” Dunleavy said at his introductory news conference on June 19.
After trying to balance two timelines of “win now” and “invest in the future” for the past several seasons, Golden State is leaning far more toward the present day — trying to get as much out of Curry’s remaining years as possible. Retaining Green is a big part of that, as his new contract now aligns with Curry’s.
The Warriors also traded Jordan Poole and 2022 draft picks Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins to the Washington Wizards to get Chris Paul, a veteran floor general they want to run the second unit. Golden State will look to fill out the rest of its roster with shooting swingmen and frontcourt players on minimum deals, sources told Andscape.
