MEMPHIS, Tenn. — There was an undetermined length of time this past summer that people within the
Golden State Warriors believed
Draymond Green might sign with the
Memphis Grizzlies.
Stephen Curry remembers it. He was in Hawaii. The threat of Green departing for a conference rival, he said, felt legit for at least a portion of that vacation.
“A day,” Curry estimated.
Green had the ultimate say. The Grizzlies were in lucrative pursuit but were a form of leverage against the incumbent Warriors. Was there even a moment Green truly believed he’d leave his only
NBA home for Memphis?
“An eensy bit of time,” he said.
What’s an eensy bit? Two hours?
“Just an eensy bit,” Green repeated, bringing his index finger and thumb a centimeter apart.
Green is rehashing these details with The Athletic late Friday night in Memphis’ visiting locker room, the only side of the arena that will remain familiar to him. His Warriors just finished off the Grizzlies 121-101 in a rare easy win in a season that has otherwise rocked a fading dynasty.
The Warriors are 21-24, currently 12th in the Western Conference standings, struggling to overcome an early-season spiral that included two debilitating Green suspensions and 24 missed games from the defensive engine who remains their second-best player.
“I know I have to be in the game,” Green said. “For us to have the best chance at winning, I have to be there.”
But quickly back to the summer. Green credited Joe Lacob, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Kirk Lacob for what he described as “straightforward” negotiations. They haggled over years and money, but the Warriors’ front office prioritized Green’s return and eventually delivered quite the commitment: Four years, $100 million with a player option on the final season. They weren’t letting a franchise legend leave for the Grizzlies.
But before the contract was finalized, Green and Lacob had a long conversation. Green’s preseason punch of Jordan Poole had derailed the previous Warriors’ season. Coach Steve Kerr had come out a month before and directly pinpointed that event as the moment everything went haywire. So, before Lacob green-lit the Green commitment (and tax ramifications), he wanted vocal assurance from Green about the expectations attached to it.
“What I need to be for this organization,” Green said. “The growth I need to show. Helping young guys out. Mentoring. I want to see this organization not only do great while I’m here but after. I’ll be mentioned with this organization forever. And this will be home forever. So you want to see it in a great spot. And I have a direct impact on how that works.”
