Draymond Green is the motor that runs the Golden State Warriors 

 

With a lull in the NBA trade front, the new buzz swirling around among pundits is the upcoming extension for Draymond Green. He has expressed a desire for the Golden State Warriors to sign him to a max extension valued at 164 million for the next five seasons. He would have to turn down his future player option, but this would allow him to re-sign at 120 percent of the current salary.

Steph Curry has reportedly stated he has conveyed to the Warriors front office that he views Klay Thompson, Green, and himself as a vital core moving forward. Bear in mind that the Warriors also desire to retain the young core of Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and James Wiseman as the future unfolds. 

The underlying issue is the mammoth salary and luxury tax payments that would be incurred if the Warriors moved forward with Green’s extension. The precedent has already been set with owner Joe Lacob incurring the largest league-high payroll this past season. However, the question for Lacob is if he is willing to keep the core intact.

I’ve already scanned the headlines popping up regarding Green’s request. I’m surprised to see the tides favoring not resigning Green to the extension. I would contend that the Warriors should absolutely spend whatever necessary to keep the core intact while retaining most of their young prospects.

The trio of Curry, Thompson, and Green have been the driving force for the Warriors’ championship pedigree. Because of the recent injuries these previous couple of years, they were able to draft high picks in Wiseman, Kuminga, and Moody in the lottery. They also struck gold with the 28th pick of Poole in 2019. This leaves the Warriors with the unique situation of having the best of both worlds. 

Green has the respect of his peers as his unique set of skills contributes toward many of the intangibles. However, that doesn’t always show up on the stat sheets.  As long as Steph and Klay are on the court, they are undoubtedly a better team with Green wreaking havoc on the defensive end. His offensive IQ is also something that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. 

The dynasty of the Warriors’ run deserves the chance to continue their annual goal for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. In an age when player movement is the norm, it would be nice to see team owners and organizations being faithful to their players. Some balk at the high price of winning, but the pockets of these owners run deep. 

The Last Dance documentary reminded us a couple of years ago of the shame of not giving Jordan and company the chance to retain their dynasty. Here’s hoping the Warriors do the right thing in extending Green’s well-deserved contract extension.