The Golden State Warriors announced to the NBA world that they were well and truly back during the regular season in 2021-22 and then they went on to reclaim their place on the throne by winning their 4th title in the last 8 seasons. Not many would have seen it coming after they missed the playoffs in 2020 as well as 2021, but within the building they knew they would be back and they sure are.
As the Warriors ramp up their preparations for their title defense, a cloud of uncertainty does hang over their heads, which is contract extensions. Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Jordan Poole could all become free agents next summer, and the team is not in a position to keep all of them.
Warriors GM Bob Myers Says The Team Is Not Thinking Of Offloading Draymond Green
Wiggins and Poole are eligible for extensions this summer, but nothing has been done yet while Green can opt out of his player option next summer to become a free agent. He has expressed a desire to get a max extension and despite him getting up there in age, the Warriors have no intention of parting ways with him. GM Bob Myers was recently asked during an interview regarding Green’s future and it is clear the team wants him around.
via The Athletic:
But when I asked Myers specifically if the team could be thinking that Draymond might have to be offloaded in the future, Myers’ reaction was instant and fairly visceral.
“No, no, I would definitely, unequivocally say (he’s) not a guy we look at and say he’s not going to be around,” Myers said. “Now, at some point, decisions are going to have to be made. But as far as his importance to this organization and what he’s done, we’re going to do everything we can to keep him in the fold.
“We don’t make these decisions definitively, ‘This guy’s going to be here, this guy’s not.’ We don’t do that. Because right now, we’re not making those decisions today. So everything’s on the table. And you really have to, in my position, do your best and you owe it to the fans and the organization, to players that have helped in the way that all of those players have …
“Draymond, certainly it’s obvious to anybody what he’s done for us. I could never sit here and say, ‘Well, he’s not going to be around.’ I can’t even get the words out of my mouth.”
It seems like if it comes down to having to let go of one of the three, Draymond won’t be the odd man out. He gets ridiculed often for not putting up big numbers on the stat sheet, but there is no denying the fact that Green is vital for the Warriors.
He struggled in the postseason at times but had a strong finish and will once again lead the team on defense this upcoming season. Myers also recently spoke about the confidence that Green, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson had after going down 2-1 in the Finals to the Celtics, as one of them said that they can win the next 3 games, which is exactly what they did.
