Davide Fizdale Urges Draymond Green to Sacrifice Ego and Embrace Udonis Haslem-Esque Role With Warriors

Golden State’s dynasty still has a pulse as long as Steph Curry is wearing yellow and blue. The Chef can still light up a scoreboard in minutes, and his gravity alone keeps the Dubs dangerous on any given night. He is averaging 27.2 points per game this season, despite opponents essentially double and triple teaming him on nearly every possession. The other franchise cornerstone, Draymond Green, however, no longer impacts every game the way he once did.

Green remains a high-IQ defender and an emotional leader, but his quickness and all-over-the-floor dominance have dipped slightly. There are nights when his presence is felt more through leadership than on the stat sheet or on film. That does not erase what he has meant to the dynasty. It simply shows that time catches up to everyone, even the greats.

So what are the Warriors supposed to do with Green? Should they cut down the future Hall of Famer’s minutes and look to add an elite scorer in his place? Maybe shift him into more of a mentor-type role? Either way, an honest conversation between the 35-year-old star and the organization feels necessary, at least according to former coach David Fizdale.

“The organization has to spend time sitting down with Draymond and mapping this out together. ‘Here’s what’s on the table. Here’s where we think you’re at. Here are the options we’re looking at,'” Fizdale predicted during an interview on Willard and Dubs.

“Really have an honest and open discussion with him. If you have better players than him on the roster and he wants to still be there, it has to be an ego sacrifice where he really has to let go of what was and start to become something else,” he added.

Fizdale didn’t just throw out this suggestion for no reason either. He mentioned how the same thing started to happen to Udonis Haslem. Haslem and the Heat had to make a choice, and it ended up benefiting both parties immensely.

“I watched it happen with Udonis Haslem. Father time started to catch up to him. UD made the choice not to be traded. He wanted to stay in the same city, organization. And I see that with Draymond, depending on where he feels he’s at.”

It is not a bad suggestion. As noted, Draymond’s basketball IQ is still as sharp as ever. He sees things on the court as a rim protector and big that many players simply do not. He has also done so much for the Warriors franchise that a shift into a role similar to the one Haslem played in Miamicould be a perfect fit.

Golden State is staring straight at the classic crossroads every dynasty eventually reaches, figuring out how to honor its legends while still chasing a legitimate shot at another title. The tricky part is that Steph is still performing at a superstar level, so the window is not fully closed, just narrower.

That reality puts pressure on the front office to balance sentiment with realism. Wasting elite Curryyears would hurt far more than navigating an awkward transition with a franchise icon, especially with Jimmy Butler lost for the season due to a torn ACL.

If Draymond can evolve his role and the team nails a couple of roster moves, the Warriors can remain relevant instead of slipping into full nostalgia mode. The dynasty may no longer be what it once was, but it does not have to be over either, as long as everyone is honest about what comes next.

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