Draymond Green Told JaMychal Green He Can Set Himself Up for Life by Joining Warriors

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JaMychal Green did not wait long before agreeing to join the Golden State Warriors after he reached a buyout with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It turns out a call from Draymond Green helped sell him on the defending champs.

JaMychal revealed Draymond said he could “set [himself] up for life” if he signed with the Warriors and performed as expected. The veteran forward also added Steve Kerr’s interest in bringing him into the fold played a major factor in his move to Golden State.

“He told me that [the Warriors] were interested, that they wanted me here, wanted me to be a part of the program,” Green told reporters Monday at his introductory press conference. “After talking to him, I couldn’t tell him no. The organization and what they built over here, I’d love to be a part of it.”

Signing short-term deals with the Warriors helped Gary Payton II (three years, $26.1 million) and Otto Porter Jr. (two years, $12.3 million) cash in this summer on the open market. Green has made $41.2 million over the course of his NBA career, a plentiful sum but hardly a bounty in a league in which stars are landing $50 million annually.

The 32-year-old said he plans to come into Warriors camp motivated to help the team repeat—even if it means doing all the dirty work on the floor.

“Just come in and play hard,” Green said. “Be a dog. Do the dirty work—help Draymond out with the dirty work. Knock down shots and play defense. I feel like if you come here and handle your business, you set yourself up for life.”

Green is playing for his fifth NBA team after battling his way up through the G League after going undrafted in 2012. He averaged 6.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season with the Denver Nuggets.