NBA: Draymond Green staying with Warriors on a new 4-year deal
Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors yells to the bench during the second quarter of the game against the Sacramento Kings of Round 1 Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs at the Golden 1 Center on April 15, 2023 in Sacramento, California. Loren Elliott/Getty Images/AFP
SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green is sticking around to chase more championships with the Golden State Warriors after agreeing to a new $100 million, four-year contract, a person with direct knowledge of the agreement said.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday as the NBA’s free agency period began because the deal can’t be finalized until the moratorium period ends. The fourth year is at Green’s option.
Article continues after this advertisementGreen had said he wanted to remain with the Warriors for the rest of his career playing alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson — a trio that has captured four titles together starting in 2015.
Green opted out of a $27.6 million contract for 2023-24 to seek a long-term deal.
New Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said at his introductory news conference June 19 that the organization was committed to keeping the fiery forward, who began last season by punching Jordan Poole during a training camp practice before taking a short leave of absence.
Article continues after this advertisementPoole was traded to Washington earlier in this offseason, in a move that brings veteran Chris Paul to the Warriors. Paul is under contract for just this coming season; Poole is entering a four-year deal that’ll pay him an average of more than $30 million annually, so that move was done in large part to give the Warriors future financial flexibility — needed by the rules of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement agreement that goes into effect Saturday.
The Warriors missed out defending their 2022 championship with a loss to LeBron James and the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals after getting by Sacramento in a seven-game first-round series.
Green was suspended for a Game 3 win against the Kings after stepping on the chest of Domantas Sabonis during a Game 2 defeat. The Warriors became the first defending champion to rally from an 0-2 deficit to win a playoff series.
