Draymond Green Exclusive: Warriors Star Not Thinking About Retirement

Draymond Green and the Warriors need two wins in the play-in tournament this week just to get the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

But even though Golden State is no longer a perennial contender, the four-time NBA champion doesn’t have plans to retire any time soon.

"As long as my body feels good, and if I feel like I can go out there and compete at a high enough level, you just want to give yourself the opportunity," Green told Casino Guru News in an exclusive interview. "From what I hear about retirement, you'll know when it's time. But I don't feel like it's time yet."

Green is 14 years into his NBA career and is now one of the older players in the NBA. He is one of the 20 oldest players in the league.

The 36-year-old averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 27.5 minutes per game this season while having started all 68 games he appeared in.

The four-time All-Star said there is more still for him to accomplish.

"I want to continue to try to win," Green said. "Try to win at a high level, both from a team perspective and individually. I want to continue to try to add different things to the resume. Ultimately, you set out to do this. You set out to build a great resume, and the beautiful thing is that, as long as you're playing this game, you have a chance to add to the resume.

"So that's my goal. From a team perspective, from an individual perspective, continue to try to get better, try to stay in the category of playing elite level basketball for as long as I possibly can."

Green talks importance of leading young teammates

Green knows the Warriors are facing an uphill battle as they prepare for a play-in game against the Clippers on Wednesday. They need to win that and then beat the loser of the Trail Blazers-Suns matchup just to make the Western Conference playoffs.

The Warriors have been decimated by injuries this season, with lead scorer Stephen Curry missing 27 consecutive games due to a lingering right knee injury. To top it all off, their other lead players, Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, are out due to their own season-ending injuries.

Green said he’s been trying to give advice to his teammates as well as lead by example.

"Those conversations are important, just sharing the experience, trying to keep their spirits up," Green said. "But it's also about what you do. How do you approach the game? How do you go out there and approach it from a day to day basis?

"Because what you can do is think you're just going to go tell them, 'Oh man, it's like this,' and yet you're showing something different on the court. I think it's very important, on a day-to-day, to be the example as well. Not just speaking on your experience and what it should look like, but being that example for them."

Green: We must make plays late in postseason games

The Warriors showed potential last year after the midseason trade acquisition of Butler from the Miami Heat. Golden State went 16-2 when Butler and Curry played together last season and won their first round playoff series. However, Curry's injury in Game 1 of their semifinals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves led to them losing.

Golden State has a 46-22 record overall when Butler is in the lineup. It's clear that even though they're an older team, the Warriors are one of the best teams when they have their stars in the lineup.

But they’ll be short-handed this postseason, and Green said ball movement is their best shot at making a surprise run in the West.

And with Curry back in the fold, he just wants to make sure the team is close at the end of games to give itself a shot.

"I think ball movement is always going to be a part of the identity of this team, especially a staple in our offense," Green said. "More importantly, you just want to compete. You want to compete at a high level, give yourself a chance. You want to give yourself a chance to win the game, right? You want to be in the game for the last five minutes, and give yourselves a chance to make plays down the stretch to win the game.

"Ultimately, that's what everybody in basketball is trying to do," Green continued to say. "And so I think for us, it's just doing the necessary things, having the proper level of focus on both ends of the court, so that when it comes down to it at the end, we have a chance at the end to put ourselves in position to win."