On Friday afternoon, one of the first moves made in NBA free agency was the Golden State Warriors agreeing to a four-year deal worth $100 million with veteran forward Draymond Green.
Although there was a lot of speculation about what Green would do this summer, as he was linked to a few teams ahead of free agency, like the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, he chose to stay with the team that drafted him back in 2012.
Despite losing longtime general manager Bob Myers after the season, who decided to walk away from the franchise and hand the job over to Mike Dunleavy Jr., the Warriors have kept their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Green intact.
Free agent Draymond Green and CEO of Klutch Sports Rich Paul have agreed on a four-year, $100 million contract to return to the Golden State Warriors, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The $100M deal contains a player option in Year 4.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2023
Here are some fan reactions to Green’s new deal with the Warriors:
Overpaid
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) June 30, 2023
NOOOOO HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A LAKER 💔💔💔
— LeBron Muse (@BronMuse) June 30, 2023
Warriors are finished
— Cole (@CREAMYCOLE_) June 30, 2023
Team friendly AAV for GSW but solid 4 years for an aging Dray, super fair
— NBA University (@NBA_University) June 30, 2023
It seems as though fans are torn about Green returning to Golden State, or it might simply be hate from other teams, as he is the type of player that opponents hate and teammates love.
Interestingly enough, the Warriors recently made a blockbuster trade ahead of free agency, with the team dealing guard Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards in exchange for veteran point guard Chris Paul.
Green didn’t get along with Poole, with the two stars getting into a fight in practice ahead of the 2022-23 season, which led to speculation about a trade or the team picking between the two.
Clearly, the Warriors valued Green over Poole, which was likely the smart move as it saved the team some cap space moving forward and brought back the team’s undisputed leader on defense and in the locker room.
