The Golden State Warriors are laser-focused on turning things around in the Emirates NBA Cup, with a colossal $8.7 million dangling as a motivator. After last year’s group-stage elimination and the largely disappointing season, it’s no surprise that the Dubs would want a repeat! And Steve Kerr, unsurprisingly, is in a sticky spot regarding tough lineup decisions; particularly, when it comes to Draymond Green.

With the NBA Cup offering a winner’s price of $514,971 per player, it’s no surprise that the Warriors’ roster—17 deep—sees the collective potential of walking away with $8.7 million as a significant incentive. And acknowledging the buzz was none other than Coach Kerr.

Talking to reporters post-game, he noted, “I think there’s more of a buzz for it this year than there was last year. … It’s going to take a little time to catch on. But our guys are excited for it. They, they talk about it, they want to win this thing.” Don’t believe the coach?

Well, here’s what Green had to say about winning the NBA Cup. “We want to go win this thing. As fans of the game, we need to embrace it,” he stated recently on the Draymond Green Show. In fact, he compared it to soccer and Euroleague Basketball, noting that these tournaments deserve just as much respect as those. “It should be celebrated. When you look at La Liga (soccer) and Euroleague Basketball, those tournaments matter!”

Moreover, Kerr pointed out the financial incentive, especially for the younger players, after the Golden State became the first team to advance to the knockout stage of the NBA Cup. “It would be an amazing thing for our younger players to get the financial reward that comes with that NBA Cup. … I would love nothing more than to see those guys rewarded,” the 9x champ said.

However, their journey hasn’t been without its hiccups. Injuries have forced Steve Kerr to shuffle their deck repeatedly. In Andrew Wiggins’ absence, the Dubs coach opted to reinsert Green into the starting lineup. An ironic move, considering the NBA world was stunned by Dray’s earlier benching in favor of Jonathan Kuminga.

The 4x champion, for his part, embraced the lineup experiment with characteristic openness. “A lot of people in this organization, including myself, think he is next. So if he is next, at some point we gotta see it,” he said. Yet, when Wiggs went down, Kerr’s hand was forced, and Green returned to the starting 5.

Kerr, though, didn’t shy away from the implications of these decisions.

Steve Kerr finds himself on familiar ground this season as well

“We gotta figure out what we do when Wiggs comes back. But we started Draymond at the five. [And] I’ve said I don’t really want to start him at the five. We have a lot of interesting, difficult decisions. But we’re learning a lot about our team for sure,” Kerr explained when a reporter asked how he would manage the combinations from here on.

We don’t have to remind you of the tumultuous lineup changes last season now, do we? One of the major ones was the brief promotion of Brandin Podziemski over Klay Thompson. That shuffle ultimately ended with the now-Dallas guard back in the starting five. But it proved that Kerr’s roster changes were as much about experimentation as they were of necessity.

For Stephen Curry & Co., this NBA Cup is more than just about money (not saying it isn’t a factor), but it has a deeper implication. Winning it will effectively help them reclaim their status as a championship-caliber team. However, with $8.7 million on the table and Green’s role in constant flux, every one of Kerr’s decisions will be magnified.

The Warriors’ path to redemption is undoubtedly full of twists and turns. And the Dub Nation wouldn’t expect anything less from this storied franchise.