The Golden State Warriors entered the offseason with Draymond Green‘s future as their top priority. The All-Star forward entered unrestricted free agency following the Warriors’ second-round loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. However, shortly after the free agency period began, Green signed a four-year deal worth $100 million to remain with Golden State.
Green’s new contract will likely take him to the end of his playing career. During a recent appearance on ‘The Pat Bev Podcast,” Green explained how his decision to remain with the Warriors was based on loyalty to the franchise that drafted him in 2012 and how his agent Rich Paul had also been preaching the value of loyalty.
“He [Rich Paul] made it very clear to me and evident just how important loyalty is, how important the situation that you’re in is, and for me, I’ve been there my entire career,” Green said. “Not to just walk away from that because that dollar amount looks better. That shiny object over there ain’t always what it seems like. The way Rich stayed in the pocket and just, the only thing to him, was my legacy, like yeah we’re going to get you paid, but your legacy is more important than anything.”
By signing his new contract, Green could potentially become one of the few players to spend his entire career with one franchise, which would cement his legacy as a genuine Warriors great.
Draymond Green turned down bigger financial pacakages
Despite how swiftly Green and the Warriors agreed to a new contract, it would appear that the veteran forward was being offered more money by other teams around the NBA.
“He had a certain dollar amount that he wanted to get to, that we wanted to get to, that we had spoken about before it all even began,” Green said. “And I had other opportunities that would have paid me more money. And even when I would talk to him about what the benefit could be in those opportunities, he would go silent. And it was more money! Like substantially more money, I’m talking about [$10 million more] a year more money. And he would just go radio silent.”
When factoring in his new deal, Green will end his career with over $250 million in career earnings from his NBA contracts. With that sort of career income, it makes sense that Green would prioritize his legacy over an additional $20 – $30 million to jump ship to a new team.
The Warriors made it clear that Draymond Green was their priority
During his appearance on Patrick Beverley’s podcast, Green also revealed how the Warriors front office made it abundantly clear that re-signing him was a priority for the franchise.
“I think for a second it seemed like I would have to explore other teams and do the thing. But what I will say is Golden State made it very clear to me that I was a priority and it made it very clear to me that they wanted to do all that they could for me to still be there and be a part of what we’ve built, and that I am a Warrior for the rest of my life. And I think that was one of the biggest things, Joe said to me, this is not some contract. you are our partner for the rest of our life. And that was huge for me.”
With his legacy set to remain intact, and Green knowing that he’s a valued member of the Warriors franchise, there’s no reason to believe he won’t see out the entirety of his new deal with Golden State,
