Warriors Rumors: Draymond Green Likely to Opt Out of Contract; GSW Hope to Retain PF

Warriors veteran Draymond Green is expected to opt out of his $27.6 million player option for 2023-24 to become a free agent this summer, but Golden State is going to do everything it can to retain his services, according to ESPN's Marc J. Spears.

Spears said Friday on NBA Today:

"The Warriors expect Draymond Green to opt out of the final year of his $26 million contract, I'm being told. But Joe Lacob, [Mike] Dunleavy, the Warriors are going to do everything in their power, if he does as expected, to bring him back.

"Golden State is also getting calls on [Jonathan] Kuminga, they're getting calls on Jordan Poole. They have the 19th pick in next week's draft. So Mike Dunleavy Jr. isn't getting no training wheels going into this job."

Green has also been vocal about wanting to remain with the Warriors. After the team was eliminated from the 2023 playoffs last month he told reporters he wanted to spend his entire career in Golden State.

Green said:

"We'll see what happens as far as my contract goes. Obviously I have an opt-out. Everybody knows about that. I know about that, I'm aware of that. But as I've told you guys for years, I want to be a Warrior for the rest of my life. I wanna ride out with the same dudes I rode in with. And I think we've put the work in to make that happen and here we are with our worst season as a whole since 2014 and yet, we had a chance to make another run. It's never as bad as it seems, it's never as good as it seems…"

The Warriors selected Green in the second round of the 2012 draft out of Michigan State.

The 33-year-old has spent his entire 11-year career in Golden State, helping the franchise capture six Western Conference championships and four NBA titles. He has been a vocal leader in the locker room and an impact player on the court.

During the 2022-23 season, Green averaged 8.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 73 games while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor and 30.5 percent from deep. He helped the Warriors finish sixth in the Western Conference with a 44-38 record before the franchise fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.

If the Warriors don't re-sign Green this summer, Kuminga would be the next man up, and that's not ideal as the franchise aims to win another title with its core of Green, Curry and Klay Thompson intact.

However, Thompson is entering the final year of his contract in 2023-24 and will need a new extension if the Warriors hope to continue running it back for the next several seasons. Curry is locked up through 2025-25.

Dunleavy, who replaced Bob Myers as general manager, will certainly have his work cut out for him this summer.