Draymond Green’s retention would cost Warriors $500 MILLION

How the Warriors’ luxury tax bill could force them to break up their core.

Draymond Green’s retention would cost Warriors $500 MILLION

Warriors forward Draymond Green. (Via Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Draymond Green is hitting the open market. The four-time champion and heart of the Golden State Warriors declined his $27.6 million player option for next season, sources told ESPN. This move puts both Green and the Warriors in a tricky situation, as they face a huge luxury tax penalty if they want to keep their championship core intact.

The NBA uses a salary cap to limit how much teams can pay their players. Teams that go over the cap have to pay a luxury tax, which goes to teams that stay under the cap. The more a team goes over the cap, the higher the tax rate they have to pay.

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The Warriors are way over the cap. The salary cap for next season is expected to be $123 million, but the Warriors are already $52 million above that. If they bring back Draymond Green on a similar or bigger deal than his previous option, they could end up shelling out around $500 million in salary and luxury tax next season.

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That would be a historical amount for any NBA team, and it would also put a lot of strain on the Warriors’ owners, who are a group of 15 investors led by Joe Lacob and Peter Guber. Most of them would have to be on board with paying such a huge price for a team that is not a lock to win another title in the tough West.

Also Read: Josh Hart SHOCKED at Bradley Beal-Suns deal package, “They didn’t get a single first-round pick?”

Warriors face tough decisions in free agency, with Draymond Green at the forefront

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Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors (Via Getty Images)

The Warriors could try to lower their payroll and tax bill by trading some of their players or asking them to take less money. But that would also mean splitting up the core that has given them so much glory and fan love over the years.

Green, who put up 8.5 points, 7.2 boards and 6.8 dimes with the Warriors last season, has been a key piece of the team’s success since they picked him in the second round out of Michigan State in 2012.

However, his offensive output has dipped in recent years, and he has also been involved in some controversies on and off the court. He was suspended for one game in the first-round series against Sacramento after he stomped on the chest of Kings center Domantas Sabonis, and he also had a heated exchange with Jordan Poole during a practice session where he even punched him.

The Warriors have some tough decisions to make this offseason as they try to balance their financial situation and their championship aspirations. Green’s free agency will be one of the key factors that will determine the team’s future direction.

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