![\"Draymond](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771539071_259_GettyImages-2254119307-e1770775012353.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors on the bench. <\/p>\n
The Golden State Warriors<\/a> may be preparing for life without Draymond Green<\/a>.<\/p>\n Green understands the reality of his situation. After 14 seasons with the organization, the four-time champion is facing an uncertain summer. His $28 million player option for next season looms large.<\/a> And for the first time in his career, he admitted feeling like he could be traded at the deadline.<\/p>\n According to The Athletic\u2019s Nick Friedell,<\/a> Green is more aware of what is happening than most people realize.<\/p>\n What Friedell Reported About Green\u2019s Future GettyDraymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors.<\/p>\n Green knows this could be his final season with the Warriors.<\/p>\n \u201cGreen is a lot more perceptive than the average fan gives him credit for,\u201d Friedell wrote.<\/a> \u201cHe knows there\u2019s a chance this could be his last season with the Warriors, especially after the uncertainty of the trade deadline.\u201d<\/p>\n That acknowledgment matters. Green has been one of the pillars of the Warriors\u2019 dynasty alongside Stephen Curry<\/a> and Klay Thompson<\/a>. He helped the organization win four championships in eight years. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2017. His leadership and basketball IQ have been central to everything Golden State has accomplished.<\/p>\n But the game has changed. Green is 35 years old. His production has declined. And the Warriors are facing difficult financial decisions heading into the offseason.<\/p>\n Friedell noted that Green helped build the standard for the organization alongside Curry and Thompson. \u201cIt\u2019s a standard he\u2019d like to try and live up to as he faces an uncertain summer,\u201d Friedell wrote.<\/a> \u201cWhich includes likely picking up a player option worth almost $28 million.\u201d<\/p>\n That player option is the complicating factor. Green is not the same player he was five years ago. The question is whether the Warriors can justify paying him $28 million for what he provides on the court now.<\/p>\n Why Green\u2019s Future Is Uncertain<\/p>\n Green is averaging 8.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game this season.<\/a><\/p>\n Those numbers represent career lows across the board. His shooting percentage of 41 percent from the field is also down.<\/a> The defensive stats are even more concerning. Green is averaging just 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.<\/a> At his peak, he was a defensive force who could guard multiple positions and disrupt opposing offenses. That version of Green is no longer available every night.<\/p>\n The Warriors considered trading Green at the deadline, according to ESPN\u2019s Anthony Slater.<\/a> That alone tells you where things stand. Golden State has never been willing to move Green before. The fact that they explored it this year shows the organization is at least thinking about what comes next.<\/p>\n Green has struggled to find a consistent groove all season. His minutes have fluctuated. His role has shifted. And with Jimmy Butler<\/a> out for the season and Curry dealing with injuries, the Warriors need Green to be the player he has always been. So far, he has not delivered.<\/p>\n However, Green showed flashes of his old form in a recent loss to the San Antonio Spurs<\/a>. He went toe-to-toe with Victor Wembanyama<\/a> defensively and nearly recorded a triple-double. That performance reminded everyone what Green can still do when locked in. The problem is that those nights are becoming less frequent.<\/p>\n What the Warriors Must Decide<\/p>\n The Warriors face a difficult decision this summer.<\/p>\n If Green picks up his $28 million player option,<\/a> he will be back for at least one more season. Golden State could trade him at that point, but his salary and age make him difficult to move. Most teams are not willing to pay $28 million for a 35-year-old role player, even one with Green\u2019s resume.<\/p>\n The alternative is for the Warriors to negotiate a buyout or ask Green to decline the option and sign a team-friendly deal. Neither scenario is ideal. Green has earned the right to maximize his earnings. The Warriors, meanwhile, need financial flexibility to pursue other options.<\/p>\n The Kuminga trade opened up some possibilities. Golden State sent Jonathan Kuminga<\/a> and Buddy Hield<\/a> to the Atlanta Hawks<\/a> for Kristaps Porzingis<\/a>. Porzingis is on a $30 million expiring contract,<\/a> which gives the Warriors flexibility this summer. But Green\u2019s $28 million player option<\/a> complicates things.<\/p>\n If the Warriors want to pursue a max-level free agent or make another big trade, they may need to move on from Green. That would mark the end of an era. Green has been as important to the Warriors\u2019 success as anyone not named Curry. But the NBA<\/a> is a business, and the Warriors are trying to maximize Curry\u2019s remaining championship windows.<\/p>\n What Comes Next for Green and the Warriors<\/p>\n Green has 27 games left to shape how the organization views his future.<\/p>\n The Warriors sit at 29-26 and are in eighth place in the Western Conference. They need wins to climb out of the play-in tournament picture. Green remains a starter and head coach Steve Kerr<\/a> still trusts him. But his role could shift down the stretch.<\/p>\n Friedell noted that Kerr maintains a strong relationship with Green and that the pair has an open line of communication. One possibility is bringing Green off the bench more as a trial run for what may happen in the future. Green has shown he can still be effective in shorter bursts against the best competition. Playing fewer minutes could extend his career and keep him productive.<\/p>\n The final 27 games will shape how both sides view the future. If Green helps lead the Warriors on a strong playoff push, it strengthens the case for continuity. If his struggles continue, the decision about next steps becomes clearer for Golden State.<\/p>\n Either way, Green knows what is at stake. He is perceptive enough to understand the situation. And he is motivated enough to fight for his place with the organization he helped build into a dynasty.<\/p>\n Final Word for the Warriors<\/p>\n Draymond Green may be facing his final season with the Warriors.<\/p>\n He knows it. The organization knows it. And the uncertainty surrounding the trade deadline only reinforced that reality. Green has a $28 million player option for next season,<\/a> which he will almost certainly pick up. That means the Warriors will have to decide whether to keep him or find a way to move on.<\/p>\n Green helped build the standard for the organization alongside Curry and Klay Thompson. Four championships. A Defensive Player of the Year award. Fourteen seasons of leadership and sacrifice. But the NBA does not reward past accomplishments. It rewards current production.<\/p>\n Green has 27 games to show what version of himself the Warriors can count on moving forward. If he can help the Warriors make a playoff push, the path forward becomes clearer for both sides. If the struggles persist, difficult conversations will follow this summer.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tKeith Watkins<\/a> Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Warriors\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors on the bench. The Golden State Warriors may be preparing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":491038,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-491037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=491037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/491038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=491037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=491037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=491037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Draymond](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2256175901_a0a643-e1769890754459.jpg\")
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