Golden State Warriors: Grading The Offseason
Staying Green
Stephen Curry may be Golden State’s MVP, but after a career season, Draymond Green could very well be the most beloved Warrior in the Bay Area. It wasn’t just the fact that he emerged as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and spread the floor as a stretch-4, to become one of the league’s most versatile players, however. The guy is a Warrior icon.
He stares down players for bumping him during postgame interviews. He throws grapes at Seattle Seahawks fans. He tunes out questions about his arrogance with Eminem and Beats headphones, he casually drops triple-doubles in title-clinching games and he gives terrific, sauce-enhanced interviews at the ensuing championship parade.
So was keeping this special restricted free agent around the Warriors’ top priority this summer? I’ll let Draymond take this one:
A year after everyone in the Bay Area decided to go Green, the Dubs’ five-year, $82 million extension for their starting power forward will make sure everyone stays Green for the long-term. And to be honest, he took quite a hometown discount considering Reggie Jackson got five years and $80 million with the Detroit Pistons.
Even better for the Warriors, Green doesn’t have a player option on his fifth season. With the NBA’s salary cap skyrocketing over the next few years, this was a huge W for the Dubs.
Max the Warriors can offer Draymond Green, based on latest cap projections: $93.15M over 5 years.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) July 1, 2015
Green’s ability to defend multiple positions, rebound, block shots, knock down threes and work 4-on-3s as the roll guy out of the pick-and-roll makes him one of Golden State’s most important players. Losing him would have seriously damaged the Dubs’ odds of repeating, but keeping him on a long-term deal ensures this team will be a consistent contender for as long as the current core remains intact.
Grade: A+
Next: Return Of The Blur