Warriors Look to the Future: Will Green Be Traded for Giannis?
Between trade rumors and championship dreams, the Warriors weigh their most painful sacrifice: Draymond Green, all in pursuit of Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry’s last dance
There’s a strange feeling in the air in San Francisco, and it’s not coming from the ocean. For the first time in his career, Draymond Green truly has to imagine a future away from the Warriors. Not because of some routine summer speculation, but because Golden State is thinking big. Very big. The idea has a name: Giannis Antetokounmpo, and it revolves around one clear objective – squeezing every last drop out of Stephen Curry’s championship window.
With Jimmy Butler out for the rest of the season and considered “untouchable” in the front office’s plans, there is one name that keeps resurfacing in trade discussions: Draymond. The defensive symbol of the dynasty, the emotional backbone of four championships, is now also the contract that could make a dream – which until recently felt like science fiction – financially possible.
I [Kerr] and Draymond have talked about the trade rumors. I think the really difficult part for Draymond is that this is the only place he’s ever known. One day he’ll have a statue outside the arena.
Steve Kerr
Steve Kerr, the Warriors’ head coach, didn’t mince words: for Draymond, this is new territory, almost surreal. He’s worn only one jersey his entire career, the same one that will one day hang in the rafters of the Chase Center. And yet, NBA business leaves little room for nostalgia.
The most fascinating scenario is also the most paradoxical: Green sacrificed today to land Giannis (with a major development reportedly emerging in talks with the Milwaukee Bucks), only to be free to come back home tomorrow. His $27.6 million player option for 2026-27 opens up creative, almost romantic possibilities – the kind only this league can produce.
At 35, Draymond is no longer at his offensive peak, but he remains a player who shapes games and defines identity. Losing him would be a blow to the heart; keeping him could mean passing on one last run at the NBA title. Between now and February 5, the Warriors must decide whether to listen to the past – or chase the future.