Insider Says Warriors Should Make Big Change to Draymond Green's Role

Draymond Green has started all 48 games he's played this season. The Athletic's Nick Friedell thinks it's time that the Warriors have him come off the bench.

As a guest on the 95.7 The Game show The Morning Roast, Friedell explained what Green's best role is moving forward.

"Draymond is best suited right now to be in that supersub role playing 18 to 20 minutes and being available defensively for that jolt," Friedell said.

This mostly aligns with an article I wrote six days ago in which I argued that Green should come off the bench.

Since then, the Warriors have played three games. In the two Green missed, they won and scored 128 and 133 points, respectively. In the game he played against the Pelicans, they lost and scored 109 points.

"They're just a better team when Draymond's in these more limited minutes right now," Friedell said. "... [The Pelicans], more than any team I can remember .... they were giving him like 10 feet. They were just saying, 'Shoot it. Drive. Do whatever you want.'"

Green Heading Toward Fascinating Offseason

Green has a player option for $27.7 million next season. The Warriors would likely love to have him decline that option and sign a two-year deal worth more total money but less annually. Something like a two-year, $36 million deal might work.

Green doesn't have to do that. The ball is in his court.

But if he opts in, that would make him much more likely to be traded in the offseason.

Green won't be coveted as a declining 36-year-old, but the Warriors could attach first-round draft capital to him to get a decent return to help Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler.

If he declines the option and signs a new deal, there would be a trade restriction that would make him unmovable until around next year's trade deadline.

Season-Long Numbers Suggest Curry Is Better with Green

Stephen Curry's season-long net rating is plus-2.5, per Cleaning the Glass.

With Green on the court with him, that numbers jumps to plus-5.8. With Green off the court and Curry on, that number falls to minus-4.1.

But even the Curry-Green numbers have fallen off since December.

From the beginning of the season to the end of November, Curry-Green lineups were plus-107, per NBA.com.

Since then, the Curry-Green lineups are minus-12. Overall, Curry is plus-34 in that stretch, so he has been better off without Green, but not by some enormous number.

Steve Kerr has made some comments recently about Green being a better fit with this roster when Curry is out there. That seems accurate, but there's an argument to be made that Curry would be better off playing with four shooters instead of playing with Green.

For most of Curry's career, there was no point in trying to make this argument. Green's combination of defense, ball-handling, passing and screening made Curry better. Now withe Green's decline on defense and with opponents respecting his shot less than ever, it's not clear if Curry would play better with him or without him.