Draymond Green came closer to leaving Golden State than most fans realized.
The Warriors forward said he was ready to head to Memphis in the summer of 2023 and asked Golden State to help make a sign-and-trade happen. Instead, the Warriors pushed the talks with the Grizzlies far enough that the deal fell apart, and Green stayed put.
“In negotiations, you wanna have another team, you have to sometimes make it real to the team that, ‘Hey, you got something else.’ I called the Warriors and said, ‘Yo, I’m gonna go to the Grizzlies, can y’all do all y’all can do to work that sign-and-trade and make it work for me?’
and, to the Warriors’ credit, they then went into negotiations with the Grizzlies,” said Green. “I will say, they moved the goalposts on the Grizzlies a bit, but once they moved the goalposts, it was also clear to me, like, ‘They really want me here,’ and at that rate it’s like ‘Let’s go, let’s get this done.”
That near-exit is now part of a bigger offseason picture for Golden State, a team that went 37-45 last season and came up empty while chasing outside help. The Warriors did not want to run it back, but keeping their core intact has mattered more than landing a splashy addition.
Green, now in his 14th year, has spent his entire career in San Francisco and has won four championships there. His numbers - 8.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game on 44.7% shooting - only tell part of the story. He has been the defensive anchor for the Warriors, a role that doesn’t always show up cleanly in the box score.
His place with the franchise has been under strain before, and this summer brought another round of uncertainty. Golden State was viewed as a non-contender in the West, and Green’s return was far from a sure thing. Memphis, meanwhile, was willing to pay more at the time as it chased playoff hopes, giving Green a real alternative before the Warriors stepped in.
The outcome ended up keeping Green in Golden State on a one-year, $27.7 million deal this summer. He is on an expiring contract now, so the long-term picture still isn’t settled, but the message from the Warriors was clear: they were not eager to let him walk.
With Stephen Curry now 38, Golden State can’t keep bleeding important rotation pieces and expect the same level of stability. For now, though, the franchise has made its position known by paying one of its most accomplished players, and that could still leave room for one more run.
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