In the wake of a chaotic draft day, which saw the Golden State Warriors deal Jordan Poole and draft picks to the Washington Wizards for veteran point guard Chris Paul, Draymond Green’s impending free agency has almost been an afterthought.
However, free agency is only a few days away and recent reports have indicated a competitive market for Green’s services. The Warriors are in “win-now” mode, but one piece of the puzzle remains unsolved.
Unrestricted free agent Draymond Green will reportedly field offers from other teams, and the Golden State Warriors will have to fight to keep him home.
The Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings are two teams that have been linked to the four-time All-Star throughout the off-season, but according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Memphis Grizzlies planned to make a run at Green before their acquisition of Marcus Smart.
“League sources say that the Grizzlies nonetheless had strong interest in Green and were plotting to make some sort of run at him”, Stein wrote.
Earlier in the week, Stein wrote that there was a “strong confidence” around the league that Green and the Warriors will agree on a multiyear extension. However, TNT’s Chris Haynes reported that Green and his agent Rich Paul are open to hearing offers from other teams.
Monday’s new reports fuel further speculation of Green’s potential departure. Per Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Portland Trail Blazers are another team to watch in the Draymond Green sweepstakes, as All-Star guard Damian Lillard has a strong interest in joining forces with the former Defensive Player of the Year.
“Here’s one solution that is known to be a dream scenario from Lillard’s vantage point,” Amick wrote. “Re-sign forward Jerami Grant and add four-time All-Star/four-time champion Draymond Green in free agency.”
As Amick noted, it would take “some serious salary cap wizardry” by Blazers GM Joe Cronin to shed the salary required to sign Green to a brand new contract. But if Lillard applies enough pressure, Portland’s front office may feel inclined to overpay in order to lure him away from the Bay.
Although Stephen Curry is still at the peak of his powers and Klay Thompson isn’t forgetting how to shoot anytime soon, the front office understands their championship window is closing. Golden State can ill-afford to lose their defensive anchor with so much on the line, and must do everything in its power to re-sign him when the free agency moratorium begins on June 30th at 6PM ET.