"This is Draymond basically saying 'Why not me? You took care of Klay, you took care of Steph"' - NBA analyst says Draymond Green wants to get paid
Draymond Green is reportedly looking for a max contract extension with the Golden State Warriors. He is eligible for an extension on August 3 and hopes to earn big money.
The Warriors are in a problematic situation as they are already among the highest-paying teams in the league and cannot really afford to further inflate their wage bill.
NBA analyst Keith Smith believes Green wants the same treatment that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson received when they were free agents.
"I think this is Draymond basically kind of saying, 'Hey, I'm extension eligible... take care of me. Why not me? You took care of Steph, you took care of Klay when they were free agents,'" Smith said.
The Warriors are fresh off a run to the NBA championship, their fourth in the last eight years. However, they will have to figure out contract situations of several players and convince a few to take pay cuts if they want to remain competitive.
According to Smith, the Warriors will be in a rough spot if they decide to keep both Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole.
"If they were to max out Wiggins and then give Poole anything close to the max, they'd be over half a billion dollars into salary, plus taxes, plus penalties," the NBA analyst revealed.
"I think we're seeing some things start to come to a head a little bit for the Warriors," Keith Smith said. "We saw that with losing Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II in free agency," Smith said. "Joe Lacob has already come out and said, 'Yeah, I don't know if we can keep both Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole.'"
Shoud Draymond Green get a max contract extension?
The four-time All-Star has two years left on his contract with the Warriors and will be paid $25.8 million next season. However, he has a player option for the 2023-24 season, allowing him to terminate his contract and become a free agent early.
Draymond Green is eligible for a four-year extension that would net him $138.4 million. The contract would extend Green's time with the Warriors and he'd be paid around $33 million per season.
Green will be 37 in the final season of his contract, so he would most likely finish his career with the Warriors. However, he may not be worth that much money.
Draymond Green wants a max extension that would pay him $164M over the next 5 years.
He is reportedly willing to explore his options outside of Golden State to get the contract he wants. https://t.co/LhaeuWtirS