Draymond Green could have become an unrestricted free agent next summer. But he bypassed the opportunity to hit the open market and signed a four-year contract extension with the Warriors back on Aug. 3.
Before his agent, Rich Paul, negotiated with Golden State's front office, did Draymond speak to Warriors owner Joe Lacob or general manager Bob Myers about the offer?
The 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year pulled the curtain back somewhat on the most recent episode of "The Woj Pod" with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
"With our history, it is definitely a conversation where we have before. Bob just came to me and said, 'Hey, just want you to know that we're gonna offer you the full max extension that you can sign -- how do you want me to handle it?'
"And I said, 'Great, thank you. You and Rich can handle it from there.' And that's what they did. He was just telling me there's no pressure or rush. Whenver you're ready to talk about it or discuss it then we'll talk about it and discuss it.
"So the summer went on and I enjoyed the summer a little bit -- went on vacation. Then I got back and then Bob was leaving for vacation. And then Bob landed back maybe Wednesday evening or Thursday. And Rich was like, 'All right, Bob's back. We'll start negotiating the contract now.'
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"And I landed in Toronto on Saturday morning and it was done already. I was like, 'Whoa, that was fast' (laughing). With our relationship, I personally think it would be kind of weird if he just went to Rich and was like, 'Hey Rich -- we're offering Draymond an extension.' It's like, 'You could have told me.'
"With our relationship, he definitely said it to me first and then we go from there."
So if Draymond knew for weeks what the dollar figures would be, what was even left to negotiate?
First, the final year in 2023-24 reportedly is a player option -- allowing the three-time NBA champion the ability to become a free agent.
Second, a 15 percent trade kicker reportedly is included -- which would result in Draymond making even more money if the Warriors ship him to another team.
[RELATED: Why Draymond thought Warriors GM Myers was turning on him]
Finally, there is this:
Jeff Siegel of Early Bird Rights reported Wednesday that Green's contract has nearly $50 million in "advanced payments." This means the three-time NBA champion will receive 25 percent of his annual salary on July 1, and another 25 percent on Oct. 1.
The remainder of his contract will be paid throughout the season.
So while Draymond potentially left tens of millions on the table by signing the extension this past summer, he did receive some perks.
