Draymond Green is on a potential expiring contract, so his NBA future beyond this season remains up in the air. However, he made it clear in a conversation with Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he doesn’t take his lengthy tenure with the Warriors for granted and appreciates that he has gotten to play alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson since entering the league.
“It’s incredible when you look at the amount of guys who’ve played for only one team,” Green said. “You can look around the NBA right now. There are five guys that’s been on a team for 11 years-plus. We have three of them. It’s a very rare thing. There’s 470, 480 players in the NBA? There are five guys that’s been with his team for 11 years plus. That’s amazing. So, you don’t just give that away.”
Green went on to say that, while he recognizes the NBA is business, he’d “absolutely” be interested in spending the rest of his career in Golden State. The four-time All-Star, who has a player option for 2023/24, said he’d let agent Rich Paul handle his contract situation, but added that he’d like to play for four or five more seasons before calling it a career.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Having been promoted to president of basketball operations by the Suns, James Jones expects to step away from some of the day-to-day aspects of running the team and delegate more of those tasks as he focuses on bigger-picture goals, per Gerald Bourguet of GoPhnx.com. Jones said this week that there are no plans to hire a general manager to work under him in the front office hierarchy, but he also didn’t rule out that possibility down the road.
- In a separate story for GoPhnx.com, Bourguet examines how offseason signee Damion Lee became such an important part of the Suns‘ second unit. Lee, who is making a career-best 49.4% of his three-point attempts so far this season, is only on a one-year contract, so he’ll return to the open market next summer.
- Speaking to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Kings center Domantas Sabonis said that he and point guard De’Aaron Fox are on the same page on and off the court, with the two stars determined to snap Sacramento’s 16-year playoff drought. “Fox is unselfish, I’m unselfish. I love to play in the pick-and-roll, he loves to play in the pick-and-roll. We want to show people that we can win, and win consistently, apart from everything that goes on in the NBA,” Sabonis said. “I think that’s the most important thing, is to show that we can turn this franchise around.”
- Returning to Sacramento for the first time since being traded from the Kings to the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield got wildly different receptions on Wednesday, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. Haliburton, who was caught off guard and upset when he was traded last season, received a standing ovation; Hield, who made it clear before being traded that he’d welcome a change of scenery, was met with boos. Hield was unfazed by the crowd’s reaction, as Dopirak relays. “I didn’t give a (expletive),” he said. “I go to sleep happy and I make a lot of money.”
So glad to see Draymond not being a drama queen and focusing on playing good basketball. He has been on his best of the best behavior so far this season!
Love seeing Draymond score! So many teams are leaving him open and he’s making them pay
Dray to sign with the pistons for 3/4 years and then maybe have a season or two either back in GSW playing the Iggy role or playing with a mate in LA or something like that.
I agree. That Pistons bag will be too high to turn down.
Draymond is playing as well as he ever has this year, the Warriors are keeping him, maxing him, and winning many more rings.
The goal is to have Steph retire with GSW joining the Lakers and Celtics as the top tier of title-winners. No one is getting traded unless its an absolute must. I think they might have even abandoned getting KD back too, now Wiggins is being as almost as good as his salary, and has a lesser salary that actually does match his output starting next year.
This is NOT a championship team for Golden State. They don’t get out of the 2nd round. Draymond is on the other side of the hill. Father Time is undefeated. Draymond has had a great career. However, any team that gives him a 4 or 5 year deal will end up eating a chunk of that money.
Same thing I heard last year they will not get out of the second round. There is not 1 team in the west that is a sure thing. Its going to come down to which teams are the most healthy in the playoffs.
Lol whatever buddy you were a good king even though you lacked grace at the end.
I go to sleep happy & I make a lot of money. I can’t say the Kings FO has a historic reputation for being diligent, but Hield made a real dipstick comment. It’s the facts, but not exactly a shining moment for the league