Could this be the end of the Warriors' dynasty?
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala have all been together for all four of their rings. Iguodala is close to retirement, and Green may leave in free agency this summer. He has said that he wants to stay, but other factors make that return very tricky.
Here's what is prohibiting another run for that group.
MORE: Full list of players for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams
Draymond Green's contract status, player option
Green had a player option for $27.6 million ahead of the 2023-24 season that he chose to opt out of, per The Athletic's Shams Charania. That made him an unrestricted free agent where he is likely to seek a multi-year deal.
At age 33, this is probably Green's last chance for a big payday. He has made over $130 million in his career. That sounds like a lot but is considerably less than the $185 million for Thompson or $258 million for Curry.
The Warriors' luxury tax bill
Green may still be able to re-sign with the Warriors. His return is complicated by the Warriors' spending in recent years. They have paid some exorbitant luxury tax penalties, in large part because of the repeater tax. (Going into the tax three of the previous four years triggers a multiplier on their tax bill.)
The Warriors will be in the repeater tax again in 2023-24 and are already set to be a tax team even if they don't bring back Green. That means that every dollar they pay Green will be multiplied. Bringing him back will cost them well over $100 million in additional tax payments. Can they stomach another massive bill for an aging core?
What will the Warriors do?
Green could re-sign a completely new deal with the Warriors. But it seems that the Warriors are leaning toward letting him walk if he seeks a bigger deal. They have passed on previous opportunities to extend him in favor of working out extensions for Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins, tipping their hand to where their priorities lay.
Green acknowledged as much in a January interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, telling her that "quite frankly, the writing's on the wall. I understand the business."
“Quite frankly, the writing’s on the wall."
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 14, 2023
Draymond Green on the possibility of not being a Warrior 👀
(via @TaylorRooks) pic.twitter.com/dzIOaq5e2I
Green added that he'd love to be with the Warriors, but he understands the impact of the luxury tax and how difficult that makes it to bring him back.
Potential landing spots for Draymond Green: Kings, Lakers, Thunder and Jazz
If Green does leave the Warriors, then he can sign with any team that has cap space. The problem for Green is that most of those teams — such as the Rockets, Spurs, Pistons, Pacers, Hornets and Magic — are rebuilding and can't really use a player like him.
One interesting option is the Jazz, who are projected to have $41 million in cap space by Spotrac. The Thunder are also projected for $37 million. Both teams could use a starting big man of Green's caliber.
The Kings opened up more than $30 million in cap space with their trades during the draft. They are setting the table to go get a big name. Green has familiarity with coach Mike Brown, who coached Green as an assistant under Steve Kerr.
The Lakers don't really have much cap space to bring in Green. They have their own free agents to sign, including Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura. That projects to already put them into the tax.
But Green does have a good relationship with LeBron James and is represented by Klutch agency, which has a reputation for sending players to the Lakers. It's not the most realistic option, but a sign-and-trade or clearing the books for Green would not be impossible.
