Draymond Green Will Have to Make 2 Sacrifices for Warriors to Land LeBron

The Warriors will need Green's compliance to land James

LeBron James and Draymond Green | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

For the Golden State Warriors to land LeBron James this offseason, they will need Draymond Green to make two significant sacrifices.

They have to do with money and role/playing time.

My guess is Green will be willing to make those sacrifices to bring aboard one of the greatest players of all time who also happens to be a close friend.

Let's go over exactly what those sacrifices are.

Green Will Need to Take a Pay Cut

Green has already hinted at being willing to decline his $27.7 million player option to sign a multiyear deal with a lower 2026-27 salary, but to do so, he might need to be sold on the idea that it would significantly help the team's roster.

James would significantly help the team's roster.

The question is how much would Green have to sacrifice, and that depends on numerous factors, such as if the Warriors keep the 11th pick, if Al Horford opts in, and if Kristaps Porzingis re-signs early in free agency and for how much.

I showed here how the Warriors could afford James for the $15 non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Green's top-end salary could be two years and $42 million if Porzingis signs a very team-friendly deal, and his low-end salary could be two years and $36 million if Porzingis signs for more.

In any event, there's almost no way that the Warriors can give James the full NTMLE and have Green exercise his player option. That means Green will have to be front and center in the Warriors' pursuit of James, which is how it was probably going to be anyway even if Green was signed through next season with no option his contract.

Green Will Need Be on Board with Changing His Offensive Role and Likely Playing Less

It's likely that James will talk with Green about what his arrival would mean for Green's role, and whether Green is OK with that.

Green would certainly have the ball in his hands less on offense. He'd have to work even more on play finishing and perimeter shooting because James would take a huge portion of the team's playmaking load.

And when Jimmy Butler returns from his knee injury, Green would be even less ball-dominant.

I'd guess that the Warriors would have Green come off the bench, as a James, Butler and Green starting lineup would have too much playmaking and not even three-point shooting.

This isn't to say that Green would never have the ball. His two-man actions with Stephen Curry have been lethal for over a decade. Those won't go away.

But it's also fair to say that two-man actions with James and Curry would be more lethal, so even Green's pick-and-roll frequency with Curry would go down.

My guess is Green would be on board with all of this and still push for James to come to the Warriors, but there's no doubt it would be a sacrifice.

How Green adjusts to a reduced role is anyone's guess, but it would arguably be for the best.

At 36 years old, Green shouldn't be having to play 35-plus minutes like he did in both play-in games.

He'd likely be more effective keeping his minutes in the 20s and having less offensive responsibility. That way, he could put more energy into being a dominant defensive force and sustaining it through a playoff run.