Warriors Advised To Terminate Draymond Green’s $100 Million Contract For Zion Williamson Alliance

The Golden State Warriors recently concluded their regular season run. Despite having had the chance to make a final attempt towards the Playoffs, the team blew it against the Sacramento Kings. As a result, speculation has now arisen over what changes will take place within the star roster. Amid rumors of a potential Klay Thompson exit, another unofficial headliner is that they may look to part ways with the ever-famous Draymond Green.

Prominent sportswriter Bill Simmons, along with guest host Rob Mahoney, touched base on a potential Green trade during a recent episode of his podcast. Simmons highlighted that if an exchange is on the table, the Warriors will have to be careful about who they’re sending the player to. If Green isn’t happy, he could allegedly “sabotage the situation” for the franchise for a whole season.

A place Simmons feels would be a great fit is the Zion Williamson-led Pelicans. “They (New Orleans) already have so much offense, so much scoring, and a specific type of identity and I feel that he could fit differently there,” he said.

Draymond Green is currently playing for the Warriors under a 4-year, $100 million contract which is the 64 highest for an active player. A trade could not only provide a change of scenery but also provide him with higher pay during the next stage of his NBA career. However, any team that would accept Green into their fold would have to do so knowing that the player comes with a certain amount of undesirable baggage.

Along with his age of 34 years, the power forward had been involved with an unusual number of fouls and suspensions over the past few months. His on-court antics had even distressed some of his teammates, with Stephen Curry almost being on the verge of tears at one point in time. This is probably the reason why the franchise could now look to wash its hands off the one who has been with them for 12 years.

Draymond Green’s “volatility has worn on several”, but his trade could be “tricky”

The rumor about a potential Draymond Green exit first started to make the rounds of the internet thanks to a revelation by Zach Lowe, who is considered amongst the ‘premier columnists’ who cover the NBA. He recently released a report which claimed, “They (Warriors) have a decision to make on Green, whose volatility has worn on several within the organization, sources said”.

Despite all the alleged trouble that the 4x NBA All-Star has brought upon himself, Lowe held the claim that the same would also prevent his exit from the Stephen Curry-led roster. With three more years left on Green’s current contract, any team looking to acquire him would have to fork up at least $77 million or higher.

Given the high price, along with all the player’s previous suspensions, Lowe believes it would be “tricky” for the Warriors to gain any “significant future assets” if a trade took place. Because of this, the Warriors are stuck between ‘a rock and a hard place’.

As of now, neither the Pelicans nor the rest of the NBA world have majorly considered Draymond Green to be traded to New Orleans. While some speculation has arisen about a potential Andrew Wiggins-Brandon Ingram exchange, anything can happen once the 2023-24 postseason era begins.