NBA News: Draymond Green agrees to 4-year, $100 million maximum contract extension with the Warriors
Forward Draymond Green has agreed to a four-year, $100 million maximum contract extension with the Warriors, Adrian Wojnarowski from ESPN reports. This makes the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year locked up as a Warrior for at least the next five years.
Green has been known as the defensive anchor and emotional leader of Golden State Warriors, helping the team get to five straight Finals and win the chip three times. Last season, the five-time All-Defensive Team selection averaged 7.4 points, 6.9 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 1.4 steals in the 66 games he played.
This stat line improved in the postseason, as Draymond averaged a near triple-double in the playoffs with 13.3 points, 8.5 assists, 10.1 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 1.5 steals, helping Curry and the team get to the Finals despite KD, Klay, Looney, and Iguodala missing several games because of injuries.
The former DPOY could have waited until next summer to hit free agency and test the market as he is eligible for a supermax come 2020 season. With this new deal, however, Green will be earning $22.2m, $24m, $25.8m, and $27.6m in four years from the 2020-2021 season onwards. This is around $50 million less than what he could have gotten had he chosen to sign a supermax deal with the Golden State Warriors or somewhere else.
This contract extension keeps the core of Curry, Thompson, and Green locked up for at least the next four years, with All-Star D'Angelo Russell coming in as the new addition to the six-time Champions.
Draymond inking this extension also means that the market for free agents after next season will have one less notable player. Possible free agents in 2020 include Montrezl Harrell, Otto Porter Jr., Serge Ibaka, Demar DeRozan, Eric Gordon, Gordon Hayward, Andre Drummond, and Mike Conley, to name a few.