Draymond Green believes his Golden State Warriors are capable of winning the NBA championship again, with the veteran going so far as suggesting that the squad’s core actually can capture more than one additional ring.
“I don’t like to necessarily put a number on things,” Green told ESPN. “But I don’t see why we can’t get two more championships. Why not?”
Green is a four-time NBA champion with the Warriors who has also made two other appearances in the Finals, so he definitely knows what it takes to win a title. But despite Golden State winning one as recently as 2022, it is increasingly thought that with core players Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson all getting older, the Warriors’ window to win another ring is closing or has already closed.
Green certainly does not believe that and committed to the cause by signing a four-year, $100 million deal to stay in Golden State this offseason.
The 2022-23 campaign was a somewhat difficult season for the 33-year-old, starting with him punching then-teammate Jordan Poole during practice. That altercation and its aftermath apparently hung over the Warriors all season, which ended in disappointing fashion as they failed to defend their title with a second-round loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs.
Poole has since been traded to the Washington Wizards for veteran guard Chris Paul, one of the few roster changes Golden State made this offseason. Also, despite some whispers regarding possible retirement, head coach Steve Kerr seems prepared to continue chasing championships with his familiar group.
It’s worth noting, however, that Kerr is entering the final season of his current contract, as is Thompson.
Another championship would be No. 5 for Green, Curry and Thompson, which would be one more than LeBron James has won so far during his career. Two more titles would give them six, which would equal the number of rings Michael Jordan won with the Chicago Bulls.
Those three Warriors are likely bound for the Hall of Fame someday, but reaching five or six championships would elevate their status as a group in NBA history.
Even though the Western Conference has formidable competition, including the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets, revamped Phoenix Suns and talented Lakers, Green is maintaining his trademark confidence that the Warriors can indeed reach the ultimate heights again before his career winds down.
