Draymond Green extends contract with GSW for four years, $100 million
Updated 22:08, 04-Aug-2019
Li Xiang
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ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has brought some good news for Golden State Warriors fans: Draymond Green accepted a four-year, 100-million-U.S.-dollar contract extension offered by GSW, meaning that the team should be able to keep most of their champion squad for at least three years.

Once Green signs it, the Warriors will join the Philadelphia 76ers to become the second team with four over 100-million-U.S.-dollar contract players: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, D'Angelo Russell and now Green.

According to Woj, Golden State will pay Green 22 million, 24 million, 25.8 million and 27.6 million U.S. dollars respectively per year from 2020 to 2024. Meanwhile, the total salaries of him, the splash brothers and Russell will reach 129 million and 138 million in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors gives instructions to his teammates in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena, June 10, 2019. /VCG Photo

Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors gives instructions to his teammates in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena, June 10, 2019. /VCG Photo

So is this the right call?

The answer is yes, for both the player and the team.

Green did the Warriors a big favor of accepting this deal because it's way smaller than the one he can theoretically get. If he becomes a free agent in 2020 summer, Green can either get a five-year, 203-million-U.S.-dollar deal from the Warriors or join another team with a four-year, 151-million-U.S.-dollar contract. Moreover, if Green makes any All-NBA Team of is named Defensive Player of the Year, he will earn the right to sign a five-year, 238-million-U.S.-dollar contract with the Warriors.

The team cannot afford to lose Green because he is an integral part of Golden State's small-ball squad with his defense, orchestrating and skillful screen plays with Curry.

Klay Thompson #11, Stephen Curry #30 and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors communicate with each other in Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena, May 30, 2019. /VCG Photo

Klay Thompson #11, Stephen Curry #30 and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors communicate with each other in Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena, May 30, 2019. /VCG Photo

Golden State mean the same to Green. He is important to the team but he is also a very special player. Like it or not, Green does not pose enough threat with his individual attack. As a 2.01-meter-tall power forward/center, he has no advantage in finishing and struggles taking on seven footers (about 2.13 meters tall). His continuously dropping three-point rate has already made Green a liability in half-court offense. He has helped made Golden State's unique system but the system has also maximized Green's power.

Moreover, Green will be 30 years old next summer and injuries have begun to bother him. His attendance kept falling in the past three seasons but his style of playing, both in offense and defense, relies on athleticism, which will gradually fade away as he ages even without serious injuries.

According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, there will only be five teams that are able to collect at least 25 million U.S. dollars of cap space next summer. There is a big question mark over which team will offer a big contract to Green.

Klay Thompson (L), Stephen Curry (C) and Draymond Green (R) of the Golden State Warriors celebrate with the NBA Championship trophy after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 in the 2015 NBA Finals. /VCG Photo

Klay Thompson (L), Stephen Curry (C) and Draymond Green (R) of the Golden State Warriors celebrate with the NBA Championship trophy after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 in the 2015 NBA Finals. /VCG Photo

Reaching such a contract extension is win-win for both the Warriors and Green. The team kept the backbone group that won the 2015 NBA Championship and 73 games in the following season while the player will remain in a familiar environment to work with teammates that know him better than others.