The Warriors have another summer of challenging offseason decisions to make ahead after their inconsistent 2023-24 NBA season came to a disastrous close in a play-in loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday at Golden 1 Center.
Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy, nearing one year since trading Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul, likely has to shake up the Warriors' roster once again.
One of those players who likely is off the table, however, is Draymond Green, who is someone Dunleavy discussed with reporters on Thursday.
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“Yeah, I think in terms of having [Draymond] back, I think very, very high likelihood,” Dunleavy said. “I can't imagine a scenario where he's not back. Could be wrong, but, man, he's signed up under contract, we value him, he's a core piece of what we do. So, fully expect him to be back.
“I think we won over 60 percent of the games he played in this year, so you know how meaningful he is to winning, and he'll continue to do so.”
Green just completed his 12th campaign with Golden State. The four-time NBA All-Star averaged 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists over 55 games during the 2023-2024 NBA season.
While it’s unlikely Dunleavy and the Warriors' front office deal Green elsewhere this summer, all parties involved know the veteran forward must be more available next season -- meaning no more suspensions.
Golden State Warriors
The aging Warriors (46-36) struggled to reach the finish line as it was, and they were 13-14 in games without Green -- that record only would fly in the Eastern Conference.
But Dunleavy believes Green has learned from his mistakes and will be sharper emotionally next season, hopefully for the Warriors, with far fewer ejections.
“As far as the other stuff, part of it I think is managing [Draymond], Steph [Curry] and Klay as they age,” Dunleavy added. “These are long seasons, these guys have been through a lot, so we've got to manage the emotional, the mental, the physical stress, and the fatigue these guys take on, and that will be a part of the process moving forward.
“But I think Draymond, I think he's in a great place mentally, just evaluating him, observing him over the season, after the suspension. I think he's learned from it, I think he's better, and we'll continue to work on that stuff and have it on top of mind, but, you know, I think we're in a really good place with him and excited to have him back.”
Retaining the hot-headed Green seems like one of Dunleavy’s top priorities heading into his second offseason as Warriors general manager.
It’s uncertain, though, what Golden State will decide to do with other veterans like impending free-agent Klay Thompson -- a fellow longtime Warrior who joined the team in 2011, two years before Green.
While the Warriors want to keep Thompson, they also once wanted to retain Poole.
Green, as everyone knows, has played a huge role in the Warriors’ four NBA championships over the last decade.
As Dunleavy does for Thompson and Curry, the general manager anticipates the Michigan State product to be back for another trek in the Bay.