Draymond Green has revealed that he once asked the Golden State Warriors to facilitate a sign-and-trade that would have sent him to the Memphis Grizzlies during contract negotiations.
Speaking on The Draymond Green Show, Green explained that he wanted another team involved in the negotiations to strengthen his position with Golden State. He ultimately called the Warriors and asked them to work with Memphis on a potential deal.
“In negotiations, you wanna have another team, you have to sometimes make it real to the team that, ‘hey you got something else,’” Green said.
“I called the Warriors and said ‘Yo I’m gonna go to the Grizzlies, can y’all do all y’all can do to work that sign-and-trade and make it work for me?’”
Green said the Warriors then entered negotiations with the Grizzlies, although he felt Golden State changed the terms of what Memphis would need to provide.
“And to the Warriors credit, they then went into negotiations with the Grizzlies and I will say, they moved the goalposts on the Grizzlies a bit,” Green said.
The change in Golden State’s approach ultimately gave Green confidence that the Warriors still viewed him as an important part of the franchise.
“But once they moved the goalposts, it also was clear to me like ‘they really want me here’ and at that rate it’s like ‘let’s go, let’s get this done,’” he said.
Green ultimately remained with Golden State and has spent his entire 14-year NBA career with the Warriors. The four-time All-Star has played 949 regular-season games for the franchise, averaging 8.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists while shooting 44.7% from the field.
His importance to Golden State has been most evident beyond his scoring. Green has won Defensive Player of the Year, earned four All-Defensive First Team selections and helped the Warriors win four NBA championships.
He was also named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2015-16 and the All-NBA Third Team in 2016-17. His 2015-16 season remains the statistical peak of his career, with averages of 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks in 81 games.
Green’s latest revelation also provides context for his most recent contract negotiations with Golden State. He declined his $27.7 million player option in June as the Warriors explored ways to create flexibility for their pursuit of LeBron James, then re-signed with Golden State on a one-year, $27.7 million contract on July 28.
The Warriors ultimately failed to land James, who joined Philadelphia, while their pursuit of Anthony Davis also did not materialize. Golden State entered the 2026-27 season having largely retained its veteran core, with Green, Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler remaining central to the roster.
