Why Draymond Green should not be renewed
The million-dollar renewals of Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins have opened a question mark in the San Francisco Bay Area: When will the Golden State Warriors give Draymond Green a new contract … if they ever plan to do so?
Green has been eligible for a max contract extension since last August with which he could reach four years and $160 million-currently playing the third year of a four-year, $100 million contract, which seems like a bargain at current NBA salaries.
There’s no indication that the Warriors plan to give Green a new contract. Why would they wait so long to renew him if they were convinced he was still with them long-term? The reason: the million-dollar-per-year salaries of Curry ($48 million) and Klay Thompson ($40 million), plus the multiyear renewals of Poole for $140 million and Wiggins for $109 million-. So renewing and raising the salary of the 32-year-old Green, who is paid $25 million a year, won’t help reduce payroll.
But is not renewing him a mistake, and is it disrespectful to a player who has helped the Warriors win four NBA titles?
In the end, the Warriors are the NBA’s most successful dynasty of the century.
Why Draymond Green should be re-signed.
His leadership goes beyond his numbers. Stats in professional sports matter, but Draymond’s leadership goes beyond how many points he scores in a game or how many rebounds he grabs. How do you quantify his shouting on the court, how do you evaluate his leadership of his teammates or his ability to upset opponents and his intelligence to get fans’ attention focused on him when a game looks complicated?
Team of the century. There is no team in the NBA more successful in this century than Draymond Green’s Warriors. Golden State must remember that 40 years passed between the 1975 championship and the 2015 title that ushered in a new era.
It’s the fourth Beatle. The Warriors’ success on the court is essentially due to four people – Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Steve Kerr and Draymond Green. It’s a successful formula.
Not bolstering a direct rival. If the Warriors don’t re-sign Green there will be more than one contending team eager to acquire Green’s energy and experience, especially from the West. Can you imagine Draymond Green and LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers?
Success must be paid for. Stephen Curry has four championship rings, two-time MVP, one-time Finals MVP and eight-time All Star. The Warriors valued his contributions at $216 million for four years in the latest extension he signed in 2021. Draymond Green has four championship rings, is a four-time All-NBA and a Defensive Player of the Year award. How much is that worth?
Who will fill his role? Finding a super player is easier than finding a villain on the court who is also a good player, aggressive on defense, successful and a multi-champion. That’s why the Chicago Bulls of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen held their pride and signed Dennis Rodman, their former Detroit Pistons rival.
Why shouldn’t they renew Draymond Green?
400 million reasons. The Warriors’ payroll could reach $400 million between salaries and salary and tax penalties by 2023. Is it sustainable in the long run?
“What I’m saying is assuming we’d go $400 million to $500 million at this point, it’s not possible,” owner Joe Lacob, a partner in the Warriors, told The Athletic. “We’re not far from that. I’m just saying you can’t expect those kinds of numbers unless we raise ticket prices tremendously for everybody, and I don’t think anybody wants that.”
The Age. The NBA is a multimillion-dollar business where to be successful you have to separate your head from your heart. Green is 32 years old – he will be 33 if he decides to go for the player option, which seems very likely to play in 2023-2024. How many years of elite basketball can he play in the future – one? Two?
Ups and downs in numbers. Age spares no athlete. And Dryamond Green’s numbers show ups and downs this season compared to other years. Through 10 games of the campaign he averages a slight increase in minutes per game (29.8) and points per game (9.1) over previous seasons, but his worst numbers in rebounds (6.1) in the last nine years.
Attrition. The image of Green taking a swing at teammate Jordan Poole during a Warriors practice went viral and left his reputation as a team leader damaged.
Success doesn’t last forever. Just because a team is successful in the past doesn’t mean it will be successful in the future. The Warriors are at risk of renewing Green, plus Curry and Thompson and could soon be a veteran, losing team… and ultra-expensive.
