Draymond Green knows when to call time on his decorated career, and it’s not anytime soon.
The forward was selected with the 35th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors and has risen to the ranks over the years. The four-time NBA champion has been a vital cog in the team’s setup alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
While he may have had a roller-coaster of a season, there is no denying that he is an integral part of the Warriors and their defensive stalwart. This season sees him average 7.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists, but it’s always been more than the numbers with Green.
Speaking on the “Know Mercy with Stephen A. Smith” podcast, the veteran shed light on his future in the NBA, and by the looks of it, he’s made up his mind on how long he intends to keep playing.
(Starts from 16:17)
“I’m 32 years old, if I’m being honest, I don’t want to play basketball until I’m 40. I really only want to play basketball for another four years after this. I’ve always said my magic number is 15 (years), once I get to 15, that’s it. I’m cool, go on and enjoy my life, leave it to the young guys to take it from there.”
Green is in his 11th year, and his long-term future with the Warriors is one of the topics of discussions that does rounds to date. He has a player option on his deal for next season, which means if he chooses to, Green could actually walk away from the team. He also added that he knew the treatment his body could take in the years to come.
“I feel like over the last year or so – not even with the Jordan Poole (incident) – it’s become more and more evident to me that 15 is the right number,” Green said. “Reason being, I talk so much s–t to so many guys on the basketball court that I can’t be one of the guys lagging around in my career. At the end of my career lagging like ‘Yo, I’m just out here collecting checks.’ I can’t be that guy, because everything that I dished out is going to come right back.
“And so I don’t want to be one of those guys that’s just still around. And I know for sure I’ve got four great years left in my body. I know that for certain, I know how I feel. I’ve got four great years left, and for me, I’ve always been very good at if I set this goal, I’m going to do everything that I have to do that I know I can do to get to that goal. So for me, setting that end date is beautiful because I’m like OK, I’ve got four more summers of working like this, and once I get to 15 that’s it.
Green’s retirement or even a potential move away from Golden State will mark the end of an era for the side.
Draymond Green Gets Candid On The Warriors Title Aspirations This Year
The Warriors entered the NBA 2022-23 season as favorites to defend the title, but it has been a topsy-turvy run so far.
They are 22-22 in the West and placed sixth. While they have a good chunk of games to make the playoff push, they haven’t been the clinical side they were last season. Green, speaking on the same podcast, reposed faith in the team and believed the outfit could win a back-to-back.
“Very confident. We’re very confident because ultimately we know what it takes,” Green told Stephen A. Smith on Know Mercy. “All those teams that you just mentioned —Memphis, Dallas, New Orleans, Denver, Sacramento — they’re having incredible seasons. You gotta tip your hat to those guys. Joker’s playing at the MVP level we’ve come accustomed to, Ja as you say is ‘box office,’ Luka the same thing. Zion, CJ and those guys. You gotta pay attention to those guys and understand what they’ve got goin, but I think for us personally, we know that it’s more about us than it is about them.”
Green and Golden State may sound confident in their abilities, but they have some serious competition headed their way. Only time will tell if the forward can indeed add another title with the Warriors on his already-impressive CV.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
