Draymond Green and LeBron James recently went on a golf trip to Puerto Rico, and while they were together, Green pitched James on joining the Golden State Warriors. <\/p>\n
“I’d be crazy if we’re together for x amount of days and at no point am I like, ‘Yo, we need to chop it up. What the hell going on? What we doing?’ Green said. “Of course I did that and of course the pitch was crazy. … With the things I shared in it, it’s definitely gonna make the brain work a little bit.”<\/p>\n
James and Green remain free agents, though it’s widely expected that Green will re-sign with the Warriors. <\/p>\n
Green had a $27.7 million player option that he declined, which had many speculating that James was coming to the Bay. The fact that Green pitched him confirms that Green doesn’t know where he’s going. <\/p>\n
James has seemingly kept all of his free-agent suitors in the dark, though it’s widely expected that he will sign with the Cavaliers, Heat, 76ers or Warriors. <\/p>\n
What ‘Crazy’ Could Mean Is Up for Debate<\/p>\n
It’s interesting that Green used the word “crazy” to describe his pitch, implying that the Warriors could provide James things he wouldn’t expect. <\/p>\n
Does Green think the Warriors would make a big trade if James joins? Perhaps. <\/p>\n
Or maybe this is more of an off-court pitch about the type of connections James can make while in the Bay. <\/p>\n
The parts of the pitch that would be obvious are a) proximity to his Los Angeles home and b) playing alongside Stephen Curry and under Steve Kerr, who has a built a player-friendly culture that could be attractive to the 41-year-old four-time MVP. <\/p>\n
How the Money Could Work for with James and Green Aboard<\/p>\n
If the Warriors find out that James wants to come, they would likely make three moves in quick succession. <\/p>\n
First, they’d trade Moses Moody into a rebuilding team’s trade exception. This would give them $13 million more cap room to afford the contracts of both James and Green. They have likely lined this trade up already, and it’s curious that they are leaving Moody in the dark<\/a> about trade rumors. <\/p>\n Then they’d give Green a two-year contract worth approximately $36 million. <\/p>\n Lastly, they’d give James the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $15 million. <\/p>\n With these three moves, they’d remain just under the $209 million first apron, and they’d be hard-capped there by using the NTMLE. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
Add us as a preferred source on Google