The Golden State Warriors are going through some preseason turmoil right now with a reported fight between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole. Allegedly, Poole has changed his attitude around his teammates, anticipating a big payday coming his way from the Golden State Warriors. While Andre Iguodala has denied that Poole has had an attitude change, something must have gone down to provoke Draymond into throwing a punch.
This situation may impact Draymond’s contract extension with the Warriors. The power forward has a player option on his contract this season and has declared his intentions of signing a max contract with the Warriors.
Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe contemplated what the future holds for Draymond, also outlining a few possible fits for him.
So @zachlowe_nba and I discussed Draymond and the Warriors yesterday and… ummm… pic.twitter.com/SiHoYLmPFi
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) October 6, 2022
Bill Simmons: “You’re in a situation where he’s got one more big contract in him and I just don’t know how it will play out.”
Zach Lowe: “Draymond may have value to an up-and-coming team as a culture guy, mentor, team defense first, playmaker. It’s funny because years ago when Draymond started to become a star, there was all this debate about whether he is an actual star. Whether he could be that guy outside of this ecosystem that has the two greatest shooters in basketball. People used to specifically say ‘put him on the Pistons, and he’s dribble hand-offing to not Steph and not Klay, what does he look like then? I am a huge Draymond fan and I’d be fascinated to see how that would look. We’re talking about a Draymond Green that is too old now or would be too old to really make it sink. My response was always ‘hell yeah he’d make it work’. It wouldn’t be easy, but if you put him in Portland next to peak Dame, I think his skills absolutely translate to lesser players and elevate those players. It’d be fascinating to see this because he got criticized as a product of the Warriors”
Bill Simmons: For a team like Detroit, even a team like Atlanta, a team that recognizes the stuff he’s good at, he may be worth more money than what Golden State wants to pay him. I just wonder how he’s going to handle it during the year. It’s going to be a respect thing, why wouldn’t it be? He has won 4 titles with them and his attitude will be ‘I am Draymond Green, take care of it. Where is my contract? I won 4 rings for you.’
Where Green ends up next, especially with the lack of an extension coming his way during the season, is going to pique a lot of interest around the league.
The Best Fits For Draymond Green
Lowe and Simmons missed out on a team that would definitely pursue Green if he became available, and that is the Los Angeles Lakers. Draymond has a well-established relationship with LeBron James, and the team could have over $30 million in cap next season after Westbrook’s contract expires.
The Detroit Pistons are still early in their rebuild and might not be ready to fully utilize Draymond’s winning ability. However, he would be a fantastic mentor for the young team, especially a high-IQ guard like Cade Cunningham. Detroit is also Draymond’s home state, so the links are definitely there.
The Atlanta Hawks would be phenomenal if they could add someone like Draymond. The fit with Trae Young could be similar to what Dray has with Curry. His defensive presence in the frontcourt will also boost the team. The possibility of his declining could impact them heavily, so they would have to be cautious.
The Portland Trail Blazers need all the non-Damian Lillard scoring they can get, so Draymond may be an awkward fit on that team. They have Jusuf Nurkic and Jerami Grant but could have a very interesting team if Grant was to move to be a small forward and play with a backcourt of Lillard and Anfernee Simons.
The options are there for Draymond, but the decision will first rest with the Golden State Warriors. If they feel like they can continue being a title team without Draymond, they will be willing to cut him loose and let one of these teams acquire him.
