Where Will Draymond Green Go? Top Landing Spots for the Veteran Free Agent

Joel Reyes

updated at June 20, 2023 at 3:59 PM

Draymond Green declined his player option for the 2023/24 season to seek a longer contract
He will explore free agency this offseason which makes his future with Golden State uncertain
Green has been linked with a move to the Lakers given his close friendship with LeBron James

Draymond Green sent shockwaves across the NBA on Monday when he declined his $27.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season.

That makes his future with the Golden State Warriors uncertain as he will test free agency this offseason.

Amid questions on where the four-time NBA champion will play next, here are the top landing spots for Green.

Draymond Green, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, NBA, Free Agency — Draymond Green in action against the Lakers. Image: Thearon W. Henderson
Source: Getty Images

Green to Los Angeles Lakers?

Green has made no secret of his admiration for LeBron James. The two have become close friends ever since the Warriors veteran decided to join Klutch Sports, an agency founded by LeBron’s pal, Rich Paul.

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They have also become business partners, with James and Green investing in the Italian tequila brand, Lobos 1707, and owning a Major League Pickleball team, per Forbes. They may want to team up on the basketball court as well after their teams failed to reach the NBA Finals this year.

Rumors of Green becoming a Laker intensified over the weekend as he was seen together with James in France just after the news broke of his impending free agency. He will help bolster an LA defense brutally exposed by reigning Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic.

Green staying with Golden State?

Green may be declining his player option for next season, but that doesn’t mean his time with Golden State is already over.

New Warriors general manager, Mike Dunleavy Jr., and head coach, Steve Kerr, have made it clear they want him back for next season and beyond.

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The problem for the front office is how they will navigate the specifics of Green’s next contract. The 33-year-old mentioned last offseason that he deserved a maximum extension worth $164.2 million, per Yahoo! Sports.

He didn’t get that lucrative extension from the Warriors, thus his decision to test free agency. Given his age and the luxury tax problems of Golden State, signing him to a lucrative long-term contract isn’t that straightforward for the Warriors.

That being said, Green has spent his entire career with the Warriors, playing 11 seasons and winning four championships in the Bay Area.

The opportunity to win a fifth title with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson may be too hard to resist for Green.

Miami Heat move for Green?

Like the Warriors and the Lakers, the Heat fell short in their bid to win the championship last season, losing in five games to the Nuggets in the NBA Finals.

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Miami struggled with its offense in the Finals, failing to score at least 100 points in all four losses. Signing Green may be what the doctor ordered for the Heat, who ranked 25th in the league in offensive rating last season.

Green’s high basketball IQ makes him an excellent facilitator on the offensive end.

Miami will find that appealing to ease the burden on star Jimmy Butler. He is also a solid defender who can guard multiple positions, which the Heat badly needed in the series against Denver.