opted out of the final year of his contract earlier this summer in order to give the the flexibility to pursue other players — most notably, . Now that James has signed with the , Green and the Warriors were able to figure out his situation.
Ironically, Green is signing the exact same contract he opted out of — a one-year, $27.7 million deal, according to .
Green’s deal will keep him in the Bay Area for a 15th season. Among active players, only , who is entering his 18th season with the Warriors, has been with one team for longer than Green.
There’s a real chance this could be the last season the four-time champions play together, however. As it stands, both Curry (extension eligible in August) and Green will be unrestricted free agents next season, as will . And all of them are in their late 30s. Curry is 38; both Green and Butler are 36. While coach Steve Kerr was persuaded to sign a multi-year extension in May, he nearly retired at the end of last season, and there’s no guarantee he will fulfill his contract.
As we wait to see what happens with Curry’s contract situation and whether this will be the Warriors’ “Last Dance” season, Green spoke about the Warriors’ pursuit of James on the latest . Ultimately, Green believes James did not want to wear a Golden State uniform after the battles he had earlier in his career.
“You look at Golden State, and I ultimately don’t think Bron was ever able to get over the history, and I understand it, I get it,” Green said. “What we all ultimately always knew was like, that’s the hurdle to get over. I don’t think it’s the team, the organization, anything else. I think it’s the history.
“We live in a day and age where everybody who doesn’t have anything to say has something to say. And so, he’s gonna get crushed if he comes to the Warriors, ‘Ahh man, you went to team up with Steph, you had to go to them.’ I think ultimately that weighed in on the decision a lot. That played a big role in the Warriors not landing LeBron.”
When James returned to Cleveland in 2014, he led the to four consecutive Finals appearances — all against the Warriors — and became a fierce rival of Curry and Green. In 2016, James led the Cavaliers on a historic 3-1 comeback to win the first title in franchise history, in large part because Green was suspended for Game 5 after hitting him below the belt in Game 4.
Green’s suspension is one of the biggest sliding doors moments in history, and it still has ramifications to this day. If he doesn’t get suspended, James and the Cavaliers likely don’t win the 2016 title, and likely doesn’t sign with the Warriors in free agency in 2016.
Ironically, Durant’s experience with the Warriors helps explain why James didn’t sign with the team, according to Green. Durant has always been criticized by some for joining the Warriors in order to win. And even though he won back-to-back Finals MVPs in 2017 and 2018, the Warriors remained Curry’s team.
James has four MVPs, four titles and four Finals MVPs, never mind all his other accolades, so his legacy is far more secure than Durant’s was at the time he joined the Warriors. But Green is right that while many would have loved to see James and Curry play together, signing with the Warriors would have received much more criticism than signing with the 76ers.
