Draymond Green Declines $27.7 Million Warriors Option, Clearing Path for LeBron James Pursuit

Draymond Green will not be returning to the Golden State Warriors on his existing contract. The four-time NBA champion declined his $27.7 million player option for the 2026-27 season on Monday, per ESPN’s Shams Charania, a move that signals Golden State’s aggressive intentions heading into what could be the most consequential free agency in franchise history.

The decision, made ahead of the June 29 deadline, gives the Warriors considerable financial flexibility as they enter Tuesday’s official negotiating period with one name at the top of their list: LeBron James.

Green’s Sacrifice Sets the Stage

Green’s contract was part of the four-year, $100 million deal he signed with Golden State in July 2023. Declining $27.7 million is not a rejection of the Warriors — it is a calculated move designed to help the team he has won championships with alongside Stephen Curry since 2015. By removing his salary from the books, at least temporarily, Golden State now has access to the full $15.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception, the maximum the team can offer any free agent given their current cap situation.

That figure is the opening bid in their pursuit of LeBron James, who officially becomes a free agent when the negotiating window opens league-wide Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET. Green is widely expected to agree to a new deal with Golden State at a lower annual value, clearing space while remaining a cornerstone of a core that now includes Curry and Jimmy Butler. Bettors tracking NBA futures on LeBron’s next destination can find current odds at the DraftKings Promo Code portal, which has been posting updated lines throughout the offseason.

The Warriors’ front office, led by general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., has been open about its ambitions. Multiple league insiders have confirmed Golden State’s genuine and escalating interest in James, and Curry has reportedly been prepared to personally recruit his potential future teammate before free agency opens.

The LeBron James Equation

James, 41, averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game during his 23rd NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers. He enters free agency without a player option safety net, having opted into his 2025-26 deal rather than structuring a long-term extension with Los Angeles. That decision set up exactly this moment — a summer where every franchise with ambition and cap space has reason to call.

Communications between James’ camp and the Lakers have been notably sparse. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that after an initial check-in call once teams could negotiate with their own free agents, there had not been much follow-up, and the Lakers had yet to present a formal offer as of Monday morning. That silence has fueled the Warriors’ confidence in their pursuit.

Multiple league sources told ESPN that the prevailing sentiment around the league is that James will likely return to the Lakers if he stays in the NBA — but the Warriors are the clear second option, and the gap between the two has been narrowing. The Lakers recently locked up Austin Reaves on a four-year, $185 million maximum extension, a signal of franchise intent even without certainty on their iconic forward. That commitment also complicates Los Angeles’ ability to offer James a comparable deal, making the Warriors’ pitch — play with Curry, Butler and Green while chasing a fifth ring — increasingly difficult to dismiss.

Anthony Davis and a Potential Superteam

Golden State is not limiting its ambition to the free agent market. According to reporting from ESPN, the Warriors are also exploring a trade for Washington Wizards center Anthony Davis, a longtime James ally who would serve as the ultimate recruiting tool in any LeBron pursuit. The plan, per league sources, would involve using Jimmy Butler’s contract as the centerpiece of a trade package sent to Washington.

A potential lineup of Curry, James, Davis, Green and Butler would rank among the most star-studded rosters in NBA history — though the age and injury history of that core would invite legitimate scrutiny. Washington is not believed to be eager to move Davis at this stage of the offseason, particularly without a guaranteed max extension attached. But the Warriors’ willingness to explore every avenue underscores just how seriously the organization is treating this window as its last best chance to build around Curry before the dynasty era closes for good.

Prediction markets have tracked this saga closely. Kalshi and Polymarket have seen heavy trading volume on LeBron’s 2026-27 team destination contracts, with the Warriors emerging as a consensus second-choice behind a Lakers return. For bettors who want to wager on the outcome, the FanDuel Promo Code and BetMGM Promo Code pages have the latest NBA futures odds available.

What Happens Next

NBA free agency officially opens Tuesday, June 30 at 6 p.m. ET, when teams can begin signing players to binding contracts. LeBron James’ decision — whether to return to Los Angeles, join the Warriors, or explore a reunion with the Cleveland Cavaliers — will define the shape of the Western Conference for the coming season and likely for however many seasons he has left.

Green’s willingness to walk away from $27.7 million guaranteed is a telling gesture. Curry is entering the twilight of his career, and Golden State has constructed its entire offseason around one calculated bet — that a legendary partnership, reuniting James with the game’s greatest shooter on the sport’s biggest stage, might be enough to pull one more title out of a window most teams would have already closed. The Warriors have pulled every available lever. Now they wait.