Since 2015, the Golden State Warriors have been the most successful team in the NBA. They've won four championships over the past seven years (more than any other squad over this span), including one just last season. At this juncture, it's evident that the Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green-led Warriors are a dynasty. However, the dynasty was in jeopardy in 2015 before it began. If it weren't for Golden State spending $12 million more dollars than they wanted to, the Dubs wouldn't be talked about as a historically great team like they are today.

In the summer of 2015, the Warriors had just won their first title with Curry and company. That summer was also when Draymond Green hit restricted free agency. Early on in free agency, Green and the Warriors met to discuss a new contract extension. Initially, the Dubs offered him a five-year, $70 million extension, but Green felt disrespected by this number. After all, the contract was worth $14 million annually, not a whole lot for a 24-year-old who was a major component of a championship team.

As a result, talks broke between Green and the Warriors, and rumors started spreading that he may look to sign elsewhere. Several teams were reportedly interested in acquiring Green's services. One was the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons were rebuilding, but Green grew up in Michigan, and Detroit had plenty of cap space to throw a larger deal his way than the Warriors initially offered. Another team, along with Detroit, that was rumored to be interested in Green was the Boston Celtics. Green spoke with the Celtics after his talks with the Warriors sputtered.

Once the rumors of Green speaking to other teams reached the Warriors, they realized they had made a mistake. Talks between the Dubs and Green then resumed, and on July 1st, the two sides agreed to terms on a new deal. The Warriors inked Green to a five-year, $82 million extension, $12 million more than the team first offered Green.

After Golden State was able to ink Green to a new deal, the rest, as they say, was history. The Dubs went on to win three more NBA titles and appear in five more NBA finals over the next seven seasons. Sure, players like Curry, Thomspon, Kevin Durant, and others were also invaluable to the team's success over this period. But make no mistake, if Green signed elsewhere in the summer of 2015 like with the Pistons or the Celtics, the Warriors wouldn't be the dynasty they are today. As the saying goes, defense wins championships. Without one of the best defensive players in league history, Golden State wouldn't have been nearly as dominant defensively and, as a result, wouldn't have won as much.

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By NBA contract standards nowadays, $12 million doesn't seem like much money. But it proved to be the difference between forming a dynasty or having one cut short before it even truly began. Because of this, the extra $12 million the Dubs invested in Green is probably the best investment in the history of the NBA.

This investment also played a big part in assuring LeBron James only has four rings. Remember, in 2017 and 2018, James and the Cleveland Cavaliers made it to the NBA Finals only to lose each time to the Dubs. Who knows what would've happened in those series if Draymond wasn't there? Maybe the Dubs wouldn't have made the Finals those years to begin with.