Warriors rumors: Insiders reject idea of Draymond Green trade mandate as Giannis talks loom again

Although Golden State Warriors’ veteran Draymond Green was mentioned in trade talks for Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo before the deadline, will both teams revisit those conversations in the offseason? Possibly. Green says Steve Kerr prevented him from quitting. However, the Warriors’ head coach is no longer under contract. He’ll have to decide if he wants to return.

And while Green’s future also hangs in the balance, the Warriors are not determined to ship Draymond out one way or another, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Anthony Slater.

Green was in trade talks at the deadline for Giannis Antetokounmpo and could be again this summer for salary-matching purposes. Still, team sources insist there is no desire or mandate to trade Green and, if a decline-and-extend helps the front office add to the roster in a useful way, it is something they’d discuss,” Shelburne and Slater reported.

One thing is certain: retirement is not an option.

“I’m not retiring from basketball,” Green said. “I still love to play. I still think I’m pretty decent. But this league is interesting. You don’t really control everything. For me, I hope I’ve done enough to be here. If I ain’t done enough, I don’t want to be here. I don’t ever want, ‘Yo, we just going to keep him around because of what he’s done before.’ What can I still do?”

While the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo are seemingly at a crossroads heading into the offseason, the Warriors will also have a very busy summer.

Draymond Green reveals how Steve Kerr saved him from ‘quitting’

Warriors veteran Draymond Green entered the 2025-26 season with high expectations for his team, which struggled amidst injuries, losing streaks, and a .500 record. Green has a $27.7 million option for 2026-27.

After watching his season end in the Play-In Tournament, Green reflected on the challenging regular season, per the Draymond Green Show.

“There was several times this year where I thought about quitting, and each time, he’d just say the right thing to relight that fire and make you wanna go again,” Green said. “That’s a special coach. When you come into a season expecting to compete for a championship, and it goes the way it’s gone for us, man, good luck trying to keep that together.

“So many coaches you see get fired because they just can’t hold it together. When it all goes wrong, they can’t hold it together. Seve Kerr is a master.”

“There was several times this year where I thought about quitting and each time, he'd just say the right thing to relight that fire and make you wanna go again.”

Draymond Green on Steve Kerr

(via @DraymondShow) pic.twitter.com/Hb8MfnFT1B

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 19, 2026

Green and the Warriors could restructure his contract or trade him during the offseason.

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