People’s definition of what a MAX PLAYER is vary from person to person. In my mind, you are a MAX PLAYER if they give you a MAX contract.
I believe once you get that contract you are expected to perform at a certain level, but sometimes that just doesn’t happen.
Other times your circumstance put you in a position to receive a max deal because of your importance to the team. Put Draymond Green on the Pistons for a year, maybe no one is willing to give his max money, but being a key cog in a NBA Championship team puts him in a unique position to cash out.
Rick Barry had much stronger thoughts.
Rick Barry to KNBR "If somebody offers (Draymond) a max contract, I will lose all respect f/ that general manager bc he's not a max player."
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) June 23, 2015
Rick Barry to KNBR: "Draymond (Green) as good as he is and as valuable as he is not a player that can carry your team."
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) June 23, 2015
Rick Barry told KNBR another team offering Green max has no clue what it's doing. "That's just spending money that you don't have to spend."
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) June 23, 2015
If that is how he feels, at least he said it with his chest. I think Draymond is great for the Warriors so they need to figure out a way to keep him and Draymond needs to keep in mind the Warriors is the best place for him to build a legacy. I’ll begrudge a player for getting as much money as he can, but sometimes taking a little less now ends up making you a whole lot more in ways you could never imagine.