Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been sitting in free agency for three weeks, but LeBron James’ decision opens up a path for his future to be confirmed.
Green has been a member of the Warriors since 2012 but has been a free agent since the start of July, waiting for LeBron James’ decision before confirming his future.
With LeBron spurning Draymond’s Warriors to join the 76ers, he can finally move towards finalizing his future with the Warriors after a three-week standoff.
Draymond Green expected to receive the payday he turned down
The Athletic’s Joe Vardon is reporting that the Warriors are expected to re-sign Green in the coming days after James’ decision with a contract worth around $28 million.
“The Warriors are now expected to re-sign Green to roughly the same dollar amount — nearly $28 million — of the player’s option he declined last month.”
Green had a $27.6 million player option on his contract for the 2026-27 season, declining it to become a free agent so the Warriors had additional flexibility in their pursuit of James or any marquee addition.
With the Warriors not making a star trade or landing LeBron, the franchise has no choice but to maintain positive continuity by bringing Green back for the amount he willingly gave up to help the team be more competitive.
The duration of this deal is unclear, but Green likely received a one-year deal with this salary to give him the de facto expiring contract he would’ve had if he hadn’t declined his player option.
The Warriors will need Green to be the anchor of their defense and the primary playmaker on their roster next season, especially with extended absences for Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody.
Green averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists last season.
Losing Green by not honoring his ultimately pointless sacrifice could be disastrous for the franchise, who are now entering the 2026-27 NBA season with a very bleak outlook.
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