Draymond Green, Stephen Curry open up about uncertain futures after Warriors’ ouster

PHOENIX — Draymond Green could not have made his intentions any clearer after Friday night time’s 111-96 season-ending loss to the Phoenix Suns: He needs to stay a member of the Golden State Warriors.

“If the question is where do I want to be?” Green stated. “I think it’s pretty obvious, guys, where the hell I’m going. If they want me here, I’ll be right here.”

The 36-year-old, who has risen from a second-round draft choose in 2012 to a Hall of Fame-level ahead who has helped the Warriors earn 4 NBA championships over the past decade and a half, was candid in his commentary on an evening when he acknowledged that he wasn’t precisely certain what his future held within the Bay after 14 seasons. Green has a participant choice near $28 million for the ultimate 12 months of a four-year $100 million deal he signed in 2023.

But as he hinted in his commentary after Friday’s recreation, that’s solely a part of the equation for subsequent season. Green’s wage may nonetheless be packaged over the summer time as half of a bigger deal, relying on whether or not he picks up the choice. Green, when requested particularly about the longer term, was uncertain about what he felt.

“I don’t know,” he stated. “I’m not retiring from basketball, though. I still love to play and I think I’m still pretty decent. But this league we’re in, it’s an interesting one. And it’s one that you don’t really control everything, so for me, I hope I’ve done enough to still be here. Because at the end of the day, if I ain’t done enough I don’t want to be here.”

Green struggled to seek out consistency all through the season, particularly on the offensive finish. He averaged simply 8.4 factors a recreation, his lowest output since 2021-22, and noticeably struggled with out star guard Stephen Curry when the veteran guard was pressured to overlook over two months due to a runner’s knee damage. Still, Green confirmed sturdiness all through the season — and his defensive prowess shone brilliantly at numerous factors, culminating in a showcase down the stretch of Wednesday’s first Play-In recreation in opposition to Los Angeles Clippers’ star Kawhi Leonard, as he repeatedly shut down the All-Star wing when the Warriors wanted him essentially the most.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who embraced Green and Curry simply earlier than the ultimate buzzer, repeatedly stated throughout the season that he believed Green was one of the best defensive participant he had ever seen. As Green seems forward, another choice at his disposal can be to say no the choice however negotiate a multiple-year extension at a lesser annual price, thus giving the Warriors just a little extra wiggle room with wage cap flexibility over the summer time.

Green has spoken overtly about how proud he’s of the usual he has helped the Warriors create alongside Curry and former teammate, Klay Thompson. He and Kerr spoke throughout the season about how they wished Green to complete his profession with the Warriors. But for the primary time in his profession, Green knew simply earlier than February’s commerce deadline that there was an opportunity he may be moved elsewhere because the group tried to amass Milwaukee Bucks All-Star huge man Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“Like I’ve told y’all before, I don’t ever want, ‘Yo, we just gonna keep him around because of what he’s done before,’” Green stated. “Like what can I still do? And by the way, that’s not just playing, right? That’s leadership, that’s helping bring the young guys along. That’s helping move the organization forward.

“So hopefully I’ve performed sufficient to nonetheless be right here, but when not, we’ll see what it seems like. It’s been a hell of a run. I hope I’ve received excessive sufficient within the meter of doing issues. If not, we’ll see what occurs subsequent.”

Green is known for his honesty in his dealings with the media, but Friday’s postgame news conference offered a different tenor for the outspoken forward. He was still open about the various possibilities that await him in the weeks ahead with the only team he’s ever known, but the bravado that has defined his words at times through the years was missing. He understood that things could look much different for himself and the Warriors when next season begins.

After getting ejected by veteran official Scott Foster with 1:04 left, Green slowly made his way off the floor, waving his arms in the air to get the Phoenix crowd even louder as he walked back to the Warriors’ locker room. It was an awkward ending to one of the most emotional seasons in recent memory.

“I think we’ve been hit with more injuries this season than any I’ve ever seen,” Green said. “It’s not fairly the ending you need, but it surely occurs. We whupped on lots of people for a very long time. Once you get whupped on, you possibly can’t put your head down; you have to take the punches and transfer ahead. We take pleasure in not being frontrunners… received to take the nice with the unhealthy, man. The finest foot we had, we put ahead and on the finish of the day, so long as we do this, you have to stay with it.”

As Green waits to see how his future unfolds, Curry made several noteworthy observations about his own future. The 38-year-old star was optimistic that with a summer full of rehab on his ailing knee, he would be able to come back strong to start next season.

“I don’t feel like there’s gonna be any real long-term symptoms or anything,” he said.

Curry, who just completed his 17th season in the league, said he still sees several years remaining in his playing career.

“Multiple for sure,” he said. “That’s multiple? Yes. Perfect.”

Curry also said he was open to the idea of ​​potentially discussing a contract extension with the Warriors over the summer. Curry still has one year left on his current deal, worth almost $63 million.

“For sure,” Curry said. “But none of these conversations have occurred. “So it will be a busy summer for the Warriors.”