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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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After initially declining his player option with the Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green reportedly agreed to a new deal to keep him playing for the team he won four championships with.
On Tuesday, he and the Warriors reached a deal for him to return on a one-year $27.7 million contract. That matches the player option he previously declined to help free space as the team pursued LeBron James and other players in free agency.
Green, appearing as part of the commentary team on Shaquille O'Neal's Dunkman league, shared his immediate reaction after co-star Adam Lefkoe brought up the new contract, asking if he felt good.
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"I forgot, but I do feel great about it," he responded to Lefkoe during TNT's telecast.
"I haven't done that yet, so it doesn't feel real," Green also said when asked if he'd put "pen to paper."
This will mark Green's 15th season in the NBA playing for the Golden State Warriors, who originally drafted him in 2013 from Michigan State. He averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists last season, playing 27.5 minutes per game.
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Unfortunately, Green's attempt to create some financial flexibility and recruit James to play for his team wasn't enough to bring the four-time champion and multi-time MVP to Golden State. During Tuesday night's Dunkman telecast on TNT, Green's co-star, Cash Nasty, taunted him a bit over that situation.
"I'm sorry for your loss, man," he said to Green, responding, "LeBron to Philly!" when asked what he meant.
"How is that my loss?" Green asked. "It woulda been nice, but it's no different than it's always been."
Last week, James announced he would play the next two seasons of his NBA career with the Philadelphia 76ers. He joined a lineup that already featured three All-Star players in Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Jaylen Brown, the latter of whom they also acquired this offseason in trade with the Boston Celtics.
Along with that, the Sixers feature young potential All-Star VJ Edgecombe, who had a productive rookie season, earning a spot on the All-NBA First Rookie Team.
Meanwhile, Golden State will return to what they were trying to build last season. They'll look to have Jimmy Butler healthy and back on the court after suffering a season-ending injury this past January. In addition, the team will have the skills of a brand new rookie, Yaxel Lendeborg.
The Warriors' first-round pick helped the squad win the NBA Summer League championship and claimed MVP honors for his performance throughout the Las Vegas event. That's certainly a bright spot for a team of aging stars who hope the roster has enough for them to compete in the Western Conference.
With the window seemingly closing on Stephen Curry and Green's chances of continuing to play, Golden State fans are hoping this team can rediscover some of the magic they had during the team's dynasty era when they achieved four NBA championships.
This could be the final season that three major cornerstones of that dynasty — Green, Curry, and head coach Steve Kerr — are together with the same team.
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