Warriors Rumors: Draymond Green Receives 2023 Player Option in New Contract

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Draymond Green made a concession agreeing to a contract extension with the Golden State Warriors rather than entering free agency next summer and commanding a $30 million or greater annual salary.

It appears the Warriors also made a concession, giving Green a player option in 2023. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the news, noting he's the first member of the Warriors core to receive an option.

The Warriors and Green agreed to a four-year, $100 million extension through the 2023-24 season over the weekend. The contract is at least a slight financial sacrifice for Green, who could have hit free agency next summer with the potential of finding a max contract with a beginning salary of just under $35 million. Had Green captured a Defensive Player of the Year Award, he could have brought in a supermax contract—though it's unlikely any team would have reached that salary threshold.

At any rate, it's clear Green left tens of millions of dollars on the table in the interest of keeping the Warriors core together for an extended post-Kevin Durant run. His counting stats (7.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists) were down during the regular season, but he came alive during the Warriors' playoff run in the absence of Durant.

If Green is the player this regular season he was during the playoffs, he could have found a team to max him out. 

“I’m confident that I’ll be here for a very long time," Green told reporters before last season. "I’m not looking at this one-sided like, ‘Oh man, I gotta do what’s right for Draymond.’ It’s a partnership and it’s a family and doing the right thing for everyone involved is important.”

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The player option seems to be more of a token than anything. Heading into the 2023-24 season, Green will be a 33-year-old undersized power forward with more than a decade under his NBA belt. Barring some deal where he takes a short-term pay cut for more money in the future, it would be unlikely he turns down nearly $30 million.