Draymond Green has a $27.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season, and according to the latest rumors, the Golden State Warriors expect him to opt out.

That doesn't mean the Warriors are simply letting Green walk away, however. The team reportedly still plans to bring him back in a bid to field a championship contender in the upcoming season, per NBA insider Marc Stein.

“The Warriors expect Draymond Green to opt out of the final year of his $26 million contract, I'm being told. But Joe Lacob, [Mike] Dunleavy, the Warriors are going to do everything in their power, if he does as expected, to bring him back,” Stein said.

Considering the Warriors' massive payroll, it will be difficult for them to keep Green and the rest of their young core together. With that said, the Dubs need to negotiate a more team-friendly deal with Dray in order to keep him.

For what it's worth, Draymond Green himself has expressed his desire to stay with the Warriors for the rest of his career. As for Golden State, it was previously reported that they will look to discuss a “multi-year contract” with the former Defensive Player of the Year to prevent other teams from stealing him away should he opt out.

It's unknown what kind of deal Green would be willing to accept to stay with the Warriors, but he has all the leverage since there will be plenty of title-contending teams who are expected to be interested in his services if he's available.

Golden State will surely need to be careful when it comes to negotiating Green's contract. After all, they could still end up losing their defensive anchor despite his desire to be a Warrior for life.