The Golden State Warriors’ 2023-24 season ended sooner than many in the organization are used to.
The Warriors, whose season officially came to a close on Tuesday during their 118-94 Play-In Tournament loss to the Sacramento Kings, aren’t exactly accustomed to being off in April.
The Warriors haven’t been the same dynasty of the National Basketball Association since the mid-2010s, as they’ve won four NBA Finals while appearing in six of them in the last decade. The Warriors have also made the postseason in nine of the last 12 seasons, dating back to the 2012-13 season.
This year, however, the Warriors were sent packing early, and it couldn’t have come at a more awkward time for the organization.
Klay Thompson, one of the three core members of the Big Three alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green, is entering free agency. Thompson, who just completed his five-year, nearly $190 million contract, had a down year in 2024 across the board. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, along with Curry, made it known they wanted Thompson back next season.
Then there’s Green, who has been a key member of this core for the last decade but has been in the middle of his fair share of non-basketball-related issues the past few seasons.
Dating back to last year, Green punched his then-teammate Jordan Poole in a practice. The Warriors ended up trading Poole in the offseason, giving him a fresh start in Washington.
This year, Green was at the center of multiple altercations again.
In November, Green put Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock and was suspended for five games.
Then, in December, Green hit Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face and was suspended indefinitely. He ended up serving a 12-game suspension.
Nurkić had a lot of fun on social media when the Warriors were eliminated on Tuesday.
These incidents have added to a laundry list of non-basketball-related issues, which has reportedly led some members of the Warriors organization to grow tired of Green, per ESPN’s Zach Lowe.
“They have a decision to make on Green, whose volatility has worn on several within the organization, sources said,” Lowe wrote. “But everyone within the team understands how good Green still is –one of the league’s best defenders, and an orchestrator of the Golden State motion offense who enjoys rare chemistry with Curry.”
Green is entering the second year of a four-year, $100 million deal. He’s owed $77 million over the next three years, which includes his nearly $28 million player option in 2026-27.
Green isn’t getting any younger, and his reputation is obviously well-known across the league. Thus, it would likely be very difficult to find a team interested in his services, especially at that price.
On the court, Green’s impact is still felt, though, as he averaged 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 27.1 minutes per game this season. Moreover, the Warriors were 33-22 when Green played this regular season — and just 13-14 when he didn’t.
It would be hard to imagine a non-Warriors team taking a chance on Green, who isn’t the same player he was in the prime of his career when he made three straight All-Star teams. And if that’s the case, the Warriors will have to figure out how to somewhat temper their former Defensive Player of the Year to at least stay on the court.
If Green was able to play in even 10 more games this season, the Warriors may have been able to avoid the Play-In Tournament, altogether. And we wouldn’t even be having this conversation right now.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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