SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green will be a free agent for the second time in his decorated NBA career.

League sources confirmed to the Bay Area News Group that the Golden State Warriors lifer will decline his $27.7 million player option and enter unrestricted free agency. ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report the news.

The 36-year-old forward has been expected to negotiate a new multiyear contract that will bring him back at a lower per-year value and give the team more cap space in free agency, which opens Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET. Multiple national reporters — including Sharania — have linked the Warriors to pending free agent LeBron James, who is represented by Klutch Sports Group, the same agency Green uses.

If Golden State gets particularly aggressive to optimize the end of Steph Curry and Green’s run with the team, it could pursue a major offseason trade, as well. Sharania and Yahoo’s Kevin O’Connor reported over the last 24 hours that the Warriors were interested in James and Anthony Davis, who is with the Washington Wizards after two trades in two years.

Al Horford agreed last week to decline his player option and return to Golden State on a two-year contract. Kristaps Porzingis is also a free agent and the Warriors have publicly said they want Porzingis to return alongside Green.

“Both guys, we value, we want here, and we see them as a kind of piece of the puzzle next season,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said two weeks ago of Porzingis and Green.

Notably, Dunleavy also said before the draft that the Warriors would likely prioritize getting younger, saying there were “only so many guys” he would seek to sign to make the roster older. Davis and James played together with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2019-2025, winning the 2020 title.

With Steve Kerr returning to coach on a lucrative two-year deal, it is difficult to imagine Green wishing to leave one of his most ardent supporters for a new team.

This is not the first time Green has declined his player option. In 2023, Green declined his $27.6 million payday before re-signing with a new four-year, $100 million deal.

This time around, the Warriors are in a much different place than they were one year after winning the 2022 NBA championship.

Golden State is coming off an injury-riddled 37-45 season, and Green had arguably the worst year of his career.

His 8.4 points, 5.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game were not too far removed from his 2024-25 season, when Green placed third in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

But Green’s advanced statistics sharply declined, with his box-plus-minus painting him as only a slightly above-average stopper while being one of the worst offensive players in the league. The Warriors were 2.7 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the floor than off it.

In last week’s NBA draft, the Warriors added a player who could succeed Green as their top power forward. With the No. 11 pick, they took 6-foot-9 Yaxel Lendeborg, who can guard any frontcourt position.

The 23-year-old has the kind of athleticism Green has not possessed in a decade, but that does not mean Green’s skillset is dispensable.

He notably defended Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in consecutive games in March, and is still one of the few players who can give elite centers such as Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama difficulty in the post.

And even with the addition of Lendeborg, the Warriors are far from deep in the frontcourt.

Horford is 40 years old, Quinten Post is an unrestricted free agent who went through a sophomore slump and Gui Santos is the only big wing under contract at the moment.

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