After a postseason that was marred by injuries and an offseason colored by the departure of Kevin Durant, fans and critics feel like the Warriors dynasty is hanging in the balance. Despite this, the franchise showed ultimate faith in their core players by resigning an injured Klay Thompson during free agency and signing Draymond Green to a four-year max contract extension worth nearly $100 million. On Wednesday, Green has sat down with ESPN's Rachel Nichols for an intimate conversation about recent events and the road ahead.
One of the topics Nichols and Green addressed was his relationship with Kevin Durant. KD and Green got into a heated argument after a game but Green tells Nichols that they have a solid relationship.
"I just talked to K yesterday. That's my brother," Green said before telling Nichols that KD had no obligation to tell him or his teammates that he was planning on signing with the Nets.
"This is our lives," he said. "I'm not about to go to Kevin Durant and say, 'Kevin, can I get my fiancee pregnant?'... Am I supposed to come to you and A-let you know that's what I want to do and B-ask for permission?" Draymond then went on to address the doubt surrounding the Warriors after losing both KD and the Finals.
"I heard people say we're not going to make the playoffs. That's crazy to me," he said. "I have a hard time believing that."
Many fans consider Green the emotional core of the Warriors. Still, some were surprised when Golden State agreed to give him a max contract extension. “What this contract tells everyone is that all the garbage they tried to say about me, they were wrong," Green said.
As much as his play helped in negotiations, his agent, Rich Paul, was integral in brokering and securing the deal. It's no wonder Green told TMZ that the NCAA "did the right thing" by revising their so-called "Rich Paul Rule." "They did what was right. Rich applied that pressure to them, though," Draymond said in regards to Paul's editorial in The Athletic. "I just feel like it wasn't really gonna affect Rich ... but it was gonna affect the next Rich."
