Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has declined a $27.7million player option in his deal, according to ESPN’s Shams Chanaria, setting him up to enter free agency amid reports the team is set to push to acquire both LeBron James and Anthony Davis this offseason.
Four-time MVP James is poised to enter free agency following the expiration of his deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Reports have claimed the Warriors want to sign the 41-year-old and reunite with Washington Wizards big man Davis, who won the NBA title alongside James in 2020 during their time together with the Lakers.
A trade for Davis, 33, would likely require the Warriors to part with six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, who is on an expiring contract and coming off a torn ACL, and send draft picks to the Wizards.
Were the Warriors to succeed in those moves, they would have a remarkable core of veteran superstars with James and Davis joining two-time MVP Stephen Curry in the Bay Area.
Green’s decision to decline his option does not mean he is set for pastures new. Instead, it likely indicates a willingness on the part of the 36-year-old former Defensive Player of the Year to return to Golden State on a cheaper deal that would boost the Warriors’ hopes of making those potential blockbuster moves a reality.
Acquiring James and Davis would represent a final swing from the Warriors to win another title with Curry and Green, who, along with Klay Thompson, helped propel Golden State to four NBA championships under the tutelage of head coach Steve Kerr.
Three of those titles were won at the expense of James and the Cleveland Cavaliers as they faced off in the NBA Finals in four successive seasons from 2014-15 to 2017-18. James led the Cavaliers to a remarkable comeback from 3-1 down in the 2016 Finals to beat the Warriors 4-3 after Golden State went 73-9, the best record in NBA history, in the regular season.
Golden State’s last title came in the 2022 season, but they have reached the playoffs in only two of the subsequent four seasons. The 38-year-old Curry led the Warriors with 26.6 points per game as the Warriors finished 37-45 last season before being eliminated in the Western Conference play-in tournament by the Phoenix Suns.
And, with James, Curry, Green and Davis all in the latter stages of their career, it is debatable whether putting them together as a big four is likely to result in success.
However, the prospect of Curry playing alongside long-time rival James is a tantalising one, and Green’s decision appears to have made it more likely.
