The Golden State Warriors still have plenty of work to do this offseason, even after the events of this past weekend, where they finally agreed to a new contract with Steve Kerr and gained more clarity about their roster construction by securing the 11th pick in the NBA draft lottery.

A few players currently on the team still need to have their own contract situations figured out, and that's not to mention the necessary team improvements that became apparent over the course of the 2025-26 season.

One player that falls into the former category, Draymond Green, has some options for his $27.7 million player option, which is likely one of the first things the Warriors will look to lock down. However, alternative options are popping up that could potentially help the Warriors out in the latter category, as well.

Green has two main paths if the end goal is indeed to return to the Warriors. The first is to simply accept the player option and make next summer his time for free agency.

As reported by Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, this wouldn't be a shocking decision, considering what Green and his team decided back in 2023 when they signed the contract.

"Green and his camp negotiated hard to have this $27 million player option when he first signed his four-year, $100 million deal in 2023 after contemplating whether to pursue opportunities with other teams."

However, the other choice — opting out and restructuring his contract to have less annual salary over more years — could have some legs now.

"Green and the Warriors are open to discussing the idea of him opting out and restructuring his contract on a new two or three-year contract. Doing so and keeping Green on a smaller contract in the range of $18 million to $20 million per season would save Golden State a lot when it comes to utilizing its own mid-level exception to upgrade the roster this offseason."

Of course, freeing up the money doesn't necessarily mean anything if the Warriors don't end up using it on a good option, something Siegel did consider when discussing possible reasons Green himself would want to opt out, outside of pure loyalty to the franchise.

"The only way Green will opt out of his contract is if there is a firm and clear vision for what the team plans to do with the financial flexibility such a move would create. Green would have no problem with opting out and taking less money if it ensured that the Warriors could land LeBron James or another immediate championship-like piece to their roster at the start of free agency. But this is hard to predict, and there is no guarantee that taking less money results in the Warriors even making a roster upgrade."

James will be a free agent this year and is reportedly willing to sign a mid-level or veteran's minimum contract to join a team, but it's a matter of whether James, or a player of his caliber, would want to come play with the Warriors.

It's a bit of a tricky situation, as it requires Green to take a gamble on the Warriors' front office being able to successfully reel in another player. However, it could also secure Green more money in the long-term by restructuring for a contract worth mid-to-high teens, rather than testing free agent waters next summer that may not be anywhere near as kind.