Does Draymond Green Want to Join Lakers After Season?

Warriors forward Draymond Green is away from the team after his practice spat with guard Jordan Poole, an incident for which Green has since apologized.

Part of the reason behind the altercation is said to be related to the fact both Green and Poole are due for contract extensions this season. Green has stated publicly he doesn’t expect one to come before next summer.

That would set him up for free agency — and already he has been tied to (you guessed it) the Lakers.

According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, this could very well be Green’s final season with Golden State.

““I can tell you right now, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole are a priority [for the Warriors,” Smith said on First Take, via HoopsHype. “I can tell you right now that Draymond Green is expecting this to be his last year in Golden State. Now, he wanna be a Laker. He ain’t gonna tell anybody that, but don’t think I don’t know. He’d prefer to be a Laker if he gotta leave Golden State.”

Green has been an integral part of the Warriors’ six runs to the Finals, winning four titles. But he is represented by Rich Paul, who also just happens to be the agent for Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Still, Green is looking for a big payday, Smith said.

“He gonna get $25 million this year. He got a player option for $24 million next year,” Smith said. “The Warriors are probably hoping he don’t opt in because they’d have to pay him on top of the cats that they know that they gotta pay in Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins.”