First things first: The $100-million extension that Draymond Green successfully negotiated with the Warriors represents the maximum-allowable amount he could have received under terms of the National Basketball Association’s collective bargaining agreement. Second things second: The $100-million extension likewise represents a bargain given the options he had. By agreeing to stay signed and keep donning royal blue and California golden yellow until 2024, he limited his earning capacity in favor of security. Clearly, he deems the one in his hand to be superior to the two in the bush.
Indeed, Green may well have played out his contract and tested free agency next year, during which a five-year, $202-million deal from the Warriors or a four-year, $155-million arrangement elsewhere becomes a possibility. Instead, he opted to affix his Hancock pronto, thus enabling the reigning league runners-up to generate direct savings of $102 million, not counting luxury tax payments. And that’s not even taking into consideration his potential payday were he to become the All-NBA selection or Defensive Player of the Year. In either case, he would be in line for the designated veteran windfall of $235 million for five years.
To be sure, Green isn’t motivated by magnanimity or generosity. Rather, he’s driven to grab hold of a sure thing. And, if nothing else, the fact that he has Rich Paul of Klutch Sports for an agent means his decision to go for the here and now vice the there and then was well thought out. He’s not like teammate Klay Thompson and former teammate Kevin Durant, who got injured during their contract year and still claimed a maximum deal. Were he to be in the same boat, he would likely face a far more uncertain future. Moreover, his style of play, which relies on savvy as much as skill, is highlighted with the Warriors but figures to be less effective elsewhere — again depressing his value.
Which, in a nutshell, makes Green an astute purveyor of the NBA landscape. Players often get blinded by upshots instead of certainty even at considerable risk, but not him. He’s happy with what he got, and with where he is. Parenthetically, he has determined exactly where he’s headed. Not bad for a 35th overall draft pick whose first contract, by comparison, had only $900,000 in guaranteed money.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
