For each of the Warriors’ four modern-day championships, Draymond Green played a crucial role. As a star defender and vocal leader for the Dubs, his presence was huge for the team and he was considered a core member of the group, like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
But in the years since Draymond’s rise, things have changed in Golden State, and his value to the organization isn’t nearly the same as it used to be. Besides his age and the decline of his game, his recent incident with young stud Jordan Poole has seriously jeopardized his future with the Warriors.
NBA Agent Drops Truth Bomb On The Value Of Draymond Green
In a recent article, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report detailed the thinking of Warriors executives and revealed why the team may ultimately choose Jordan Poole if forced to pick between him or Draymond.
“I don’t think it’d be easy to trade him right now [given the incident]. They’re going to try [to keep both]. Poole is obviously the priority,” one agent said. “Draymond and even Klay [Thompson] were side-eyeing Poole, but that’s not surprising since he’s passed both of them in terms of value on the team.”
The argument that Poole has surpassed both in terms of value could be as simple as a combination of his age and playmaking abilities. The 23-year-old Poole established himself as one of the league’s most creative scorers last season, averaging 18.5 points per game. Both Thompson and Green are 32.
Many executives around the league agreed that the Warriors seem to be committed to the youth movement—which includes Poole—while trying to maintain their championship status quo.
Some execs and agents polled believe that the Warriors will eventually try to replace what Green does defensively over time, given his age
It’s not that the Warriors don’t like Dray. He has been with them from the beginning, and Bob Myers has said on more than one occasion how much he loves and respects the multiple-time All-Star.
But at this stage of his career, Dray might be more trouble than he’s worth. And for a Warriors team still angling to defend their title, distractions are one thing they cannot afford.
We will see soon enough how it all plays out for Draymond and the Warriors, but there is optimism the relationship can be mended.
