The NBA and the NBPA agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement early Saturday morning, but that doesn't mean that the entire player's union is thrilled with the agreement. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green took exception to the new clauses in the collective bargaining agreement meant to curb spending among top teams while encouraging spending in smaller markets.
"Players lose again…. Smh! Middle and Lower spectrum teams don't spend because they don't want to," Green tweeted. "They want to lose. So increase their spending capabilities, just to increase them. They continue to cut out the middle. And this is what we rushed into a deal for? Smdh! Never fails."
This is hardly a new occurrence in Green's eyes, either. "Never seen someone go to a table with the assets that makes an entire machine go, and lose EVERY time! Blasphemous," Green tweeted. He went on to comment on a number of tweets echoing the message that the players lost negotiations with the owners in this CBA, but promised to comment more in an upcoming podcast.
Green is not Golden State's player representative in the union. That position is held by Kevon Looney, and long-time Green teammate Andre Iguodala was the union's first vice president until his term ended in February. Another of Green's former teammates, Harrison Barnes, currently serves as a union vice president.
Green has a very personal stake in this collective bargaining agreement as he has the right to opt out of his contract at the end of the season. He is reportedly hoping for a new long-term deal, but a harsher luxury tax is going to make it harder for the Warriors to re-sign him at a price he feels is worthwhile. However, Green tweeted that his concern had more to do with the generation that's following him. "I'm in year 11 bro. It's the younger guys and also those that aren't in the league yet that gets F---ed!"
The NBA originally hoped to impose an upper spending limit on teams like the Warriors in these negotiations, but the players were never going to agree to that. The new structure keeps the onus on the Warriors. While keeping Green and the rest of their team together will be expensive, Golden State's ownership will still technically be able to do it if they are willing to pay the enormous cash price. Whether or not they will remains to be seen.
