Draymond Green declined his $27.7 million player option with the Golden State Warriors on Monday morning, a move that makes him technically a free agent for the first time in his 14-year career but that almost everyone expects to result in a new multi-year deal with Golden State at a lower annual salary.
The real story is not what it does for Green. It is what it does for the Warriors.
By freeing up that cap space, Golden State now has the financial flexibility to pursue two of the biggest names in NBA free agency and trades simultaneously.
The Warriors want to sign LeBron James, who is a free agent, and trade for Anthony Davis, who is under contract with the Washington Wizards.
Both James and Green share the same agent in Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, which has not been lost on anyone analyzing this situation.
The fact that Green declined rather than opting in is being read widely as confirmation that James is genuinely interested in Golden State, because if he were committed to staying with the Lakers, Rich Paul would almost certainly have steered Green toward taking the guaranteed $27.7 million.
The Warriors have reportedly told Jimmy Butler behind the scenes they prefer to keep him, but ESPN notes that trading Butler's $56.8 million expiring contract could be central to matching Davis's $58.4 million salary in any trade package. "If I get traded, I get traded," Butler told ESPN last week. "Their job is to win."
Green said in May he cannot see himself playing for another franchise. The expectation is he stays. The question is what team he stays with.