Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry would welcome back free agent Draymond Green, believes NBA writer Mark Medina.
Golden State Warriors news
The 5x NBA champions just pulled off a blockbuster trade which saw Chris Paul arrive in the Bay Area in exchange for Jordan Poole, who the Warriors had only just signed to a 4-year $140 million extension back in October 2022.
This move was completed in order to try and extend the championship window of the organization’s stars in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and potentially Draymond Green, who is currently a free-agent, but the Warriors are optimistic of his return to the side ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Although he was sad to see his teammate Poole depart, two-time MVP Stephen Curry was full of praise about what he can expect from CP3 next season.
Speaking to The Athletic, Curry said: “Every team that CP has been on gets better… It’s tough to see [Poole] go, but we’re trying to win next year and CP can help us do that.”
Now that the Warriors have acquired the veteran star, their attention turns toward retaining another in Draymond Green.
The 2017 Defensive Player of the Year opted out of his $27.6 million player option to become an unrestricted free-agent, but all signs point towards him remaining with the side, much to the delight of Head Coach Steve Kerr.
Speaking in his season exit interview, Kerr believes that without Green, the Warriors aren’t capable of competing for a championship. He said: “If Draymond is not back, we’re not a championship contender…He’s that important to winning and to who we are.”
What has Mark Medina said about Steph Curry and Draymond Green?
Medina believes that part of the reason why the Warriors traded Jordan Poole away in the first place was to put them in a better financial position to try to retain Draymond Green, something which he believes Steph Curry will very much be in favour of.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “In the Warriors context, they made their most significant move already with trading Jordan Poole to get Chris Paul.”
“Steph’s always going to be a team player – he expressed condolences and support for Jordan Poole being shipped out, but then also expressed support and optimism that Chris Paul helps them win.”
“So far as what he’s looking for, the Warriors’ low hanging fruit is retaining Draymond Green because he’s going to be a free agent after he opted out.
“Part of the Jordan Poole trade to begin with was to reduce costs so that they can resign Draymond. They clearly started prioritizing, let’s go all in with the established veteran players that won us championships in the past than try to develop a young player like Jordan Poole for the future.”
Draymond Green – defensive presence
With scoring the basketball not an issue due to both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson both being on the floor, attention turns towards the defensive end.
Recent reports from Marc J. Spears, via KNBR, stated that CP3 will possibly be a start for the team. A shift would mean that Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green could see themselves in the power forward and center spots, forming a small ball line-up.
According to StatMuse, the 33-year-old who stands at 6’6″ boasts a career average of 103.1. The Golden State Warriors ranked 11th in the NBA in defensive rating respectively during the 2022-23 season.
Despite this, Green ranked second among his teammates for most rebounds during the season with 525, second only to Kevon Looney.
Along with his defensive presence, Green led his team in assists with 500, averaging 6.3 APG during the 2022-23 regular season, therefore showing his value on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.
Due to his play on both ends of the floor being invaluable, it is of utmost priority that the team does absolutely everything to ensure that Green remains a Golden State Warrior alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Without him on the team, the Warriors may never be the same and the dynasty would surely look to be over.