4 Takeaways from Report That Draymond Green Will Exercise $27.7M Option

It had been widely assumed that Draymond Green would decline his $27.7 million player option to sign a multiyear deal with the Golden State Warriors this offseason.

But ESPN's Anthony Slater set the record straight.

Slater reported that "the current expectation" is Green will exercise the option.

Let's go over what this would mean.

LeBron Pursuit Could Be Too Complicated to Pull Off

Slater reported that the Warriors expect James to return to the Lakers, but if things go sideways, the Warriors would want to offer James the non-taxpayer mid-level exception of $15 million.

Using the NTMLE would hard-cap the Warriors at the first apron of $209 million for all of their salary commitments for the 2026-27 season.

Here is what the roster would look like with Green and James:

Stephen Curry: $62.6 million
Jimmy Butler: $56.8 million
Draymond Green: $27.7 million
LeBron James: $15 million
Moses Moody: $12.5 million
2026 No. 11 pick: $6.1 million
Gui Santos: $4.6 million
Will Richard: $2.2 million

The Warriors would be at about $188 million with just eight players. If Al Horford opts in to his player option, it would be $194 million with nine players. They'd have about $15 million for their last five players, which would make affording Kristaps Porzingis essentially impossible.

Of course the Warriors would rather have James than Porzingis, but it would be a huge blow to their 2026-27 chances if they didn't have the 7'2" center. And it could impact whether James would even choose the Warriors in this hypothetical scenario in which he leaves the Lakers.

Essentially, Green opting in would signal the Warriors aren't getting James. They would have needed Green to take a pay cut this season to help fill out the roster.

Warriors More Likely to Be Over-First-Apron Team

Slater reported that the Warriors are expected to re-sign Porzingis, but Slater didn't specify what his salary range could be. If his salary is in the $15 million range, the Warriors would have trouble using the NTMLE.

They would have access to the taxpayer mid-level exception of $6.1 million, which would hard-cap them at the second apron of $222 million.

Being an over-the-first-apron team has its disadvantages, but not having to worry about staying right under the $209 million first apron would give the Warriors a much more realistic draft avenue.

Warriors Should Pursue Second 2026 1st-Round Pick

Up until Wednesday's report, I had been skeptical about the Warriors going after a second first-round pick. The main reason was opening up room to use the NTMLE seemed impossible with two first-round salaries.

But if Green opts in and Porzingis re-signs, the Warriors might not have access to the NTMLE anyway. So they might as well draft two first-rounders, even if that takes them over the first apron.

To acquire a second first-round pick, the Warriors should look to the Thunder (picks 12 and 17), Hornets (picks 14 and 18) and Hawks (picks 8 and 22) to see if any of them would give up their second first-rounder for a future protected first.

With Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody out for at least half of the 2026-27 season, the Warriors would have playing time available for two draft picks. There's no time like the present to get the youth movement going.

Green's Warriors Career Is in Its Final Year

At 36 years old and coming off his worst season in over a decade, Green probably has two years left in his career at most. But if he exercises the player option, he is accelerating the end of his Warriors tenure.

I get the impression that Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the Warriors front office are ready to move on from Green and employ more five-out lineups to improve the team's offensive efficiency.

Dunleavy and Co. would never admit publicly that they aren't interested in extending Green's Warriors career more than this season, but last season was the first time I could sense that his play wasn't worth having to deal with the outbursts, etc.

Slater mentioned that Green could be traded in the coming months after opting in, and it's true that his salary would connect them to a lot of targets. But I doubt that will happen, as the Warriors would have to give up a ton of draft capital to get anyone of value, and they've shown for more than a decade that they won't do that.

What's more likely is they play this season with Green and let him test free agency next offseason. Whether he signs elsewhere for one more season or retires is anyone's guess.

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