Draymond plans to be ‘extremely involved’ in Dubs’ offseason

Warriors

Draymond plans to be ‘extremely involved’ in Dubs’ offseason

Draymond Green anticipates having a voice in the Warriors’ pivotal offseason this summer.

“I expect to be extremely involved. That’s just the way it’s gotta be,” Green said in a video conference with reporters following Friday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

“I definitely expect to be extremely involved. You have to dive in. Looking back on this year, I think there were a lot of successes that came out of this year, but we did not win a championship. So you have to go back to the drawing board and try to figure it out.”

The Warriors endured an up-and-down regular season in 2020-21, finishing with the Western Conference’s eighth-best record (39-33) after winning their last six games. Steph Curry was an NBA MVP finalist in the season-long absence of Klay Thompson (torn Achilles), while Andrew Wiggins grew into a capable 1-on-1 defender. Jordan Poole took big strides in his second NBA season, while Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damion Lee solidified themselves in Golden State’s rotation.

But rookie center James Wiseman was high, low and everything in between, while Kelly Oubre Jr. struggled to find a niche. Neither played in the play-in games, with the former sustaining a torn meniscus and the latter suffering a torn ligament in his wrist. With Lee also out after a stint in the NBA’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, the Warriors ended the season using an eight-man rotation.

There are long-term questions the Warriors must answer this summer. If they have two draft lottery picks, can they afford to integrate another two rookies alongside Wiseman? Does Wiseman’s development window align with the remainder of Curry’s prime, let alone Thompson and Green’s?

Can Golden State return to title contention with nearly $130 million next season tied up in a 33-year-old Curry, 31-year-old Thompson, 31-year-old Green and 26-year-old Wiggins?

Everything’s on the table this offseason, Green said, but he wants the organization’s principal figures pulling in the same direction.

“There are some things that need to be discussed between myself, Steph, Klay, [the coaching staff], front office,” Green continued. “This has always been a group thing. We’ve always done it all together, and this summer it’s extremely important that we do sit down, go back to the drawing board as one if we’re going back to where it is that we want to go. Those conversations has to be had, and I’m looking forward to having ’em.”

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The Warriors have plenty of time for those conversations.

The 2021 NBA Draft lottery will be held on June 22, and the draft’s on July 29. Golden State can begin negotiating with free agents four days later.

No matter what direction the Warriors ultimately choose, Green will have plenty to say about it.