Warriors' Updated Roster, Salary Cap After Draymond Green Signs New Contact in Free Agency

Veteran forward Draymond Green is staying home for at least one more year.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, Green is re-signing with the Golden State Warriors on a one-year, $27.7 million contract. He's spent his entire career with the Warriors, and the 2026-27 season will be his 15th in the NBA.

ESPN's Bobby Marks provided a roster breakdown and updated salary for Golden State, noting that the team has three open spots and is $8.3 million below the second tax threshold.

Charania noted that Green's one-year deal is the same one he opted out of to give the Warriors flexibility to pursue LeBron James, who ultimately signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron explained that Green will have veto rights over any trade during the 2026-27 season. The Warriors will use the $6.1 million taxpayer mid-level to re-sign veteran guard De'Anthony Melton.

Green's opt-out was a strategic move to allow Golden State to clear space to pursue James and other splashy additions, but the team has yet to sign a single new free agent. Green explained on Tuesday's episode of his podcast that he felt the historic rivalry between James and the Warriors put them out of the running to sign the 41-year-old.

"You look at Golden State, and I ultimately don't think Bron was ever able to get over the history, and I understand it, I get it. What we all ultimately always knew was like, that's the hurdle to get over," Green said. "… He's gonna get crushed if he comes to the Warriors, 'Ahh man, you went to team up with Steph, you had to go to them,' and ultimately I think that weighed in on the decision a lot. That played a big role in the Warriors not landing LeBron."

Now, it will be up to Green and longtime running mate Stephen Curry to try to lead the Warriors back to title contention. This could be Golden State's last run with its iconic core together, as Gozlan pointed out that Curry, Green, Jimmy Butler and Brandon Podziemski are all on expiring deals. The Warriors are currently set up to have the most cap space in the 2027 offseason, with roughly $50 million in guaranteed salaries on the books.