The Warriors’ quiet 2026 NBA offseason already has led wandering eyes towards the summer of 2027. Draymond Green on Tuesday returned to the Warriors on a one-year, $27.7 million contract, which is the same deal he turned down in opting out of his player opinion to open more financial flexibility in the team’s pursuit of LeBron James. Once Green’s new contract and De’Anthony Melton’s two-year, $11 million contract with a player option on the second year becomes finalized, the Warriors will be hard-capped to the second apron.
They technically have three spots available, not including second-round pick Lajae Jones, to fill out on minimum contracts.
James was the big fish this offseason that couldn’t be reeled in. The free-agent market is barren, and the Warriors’ salary cap situation only allows for cheap deals signed on the dotted line. As the Warriors continue to hold onto their draft picks, running a 37-win team back with reasons for optimism and arguments for the other side on nearly every player is as much about clearing the books for next summer as anything else.
Bringing back Green,...