Reports: Golden State Warriors are expected to retain Draymond Green for this season. Max deal is unguaranteed

Draymond Green has been the heart and soul of the Golden State Warriors throughout his career. After he punched teammate Jordan Poole, some have wondered about Green's future with the team. The speculation isn't going away any time soon.

After winning another championship last season, Green was vocal about his desire for another extension down the road. That conversation got even more difficult for the organization lately. Golden State recently handed out hefty extensions to Poole and Andrew Wiggins. For a team that is already paying the repeaters tax when it comes to the salary cap, where does that leave Draymond?

NBA analyst Zach Lowe spoke about the situation on a recent episode of "The Lowe Post" podcast:

"Everything I’ve heard is they are not trading Draymond. That’s just not going to happen. They’re trying to win the championship and will try to ride it out unless something drastic happens. Draymond is going to be on the team all season.”

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Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors focused on defending their title for now

Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors during their ring ceremony on Tuesday

The Golden State Warriors' front office has been sensational over the years in its willingness to keep the team's core pieces together. If the Warriors can have another strong season, it will only echo the importance of keeping Draymond Green around. Green is set to turn 33 in March, which could prove to be challenging when Golden State ponders investing in a long-term extension.

Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN's NBA insider, recently talked about how there could be some hesitancy over giveing a max extension. Wojnarowski said that for a player entering his mid-30s, the Warriors could have some hesitancy.

“For Draymond Green, with that $27-and-a-half million option next season, almost assuredly he’s going to exercise that," Wojnarowski said. "Not sure that that money is going to be in a long-term deal — he’s in his mid-30s — available in the marketplace.

"But if the Warriors are winning and Draymond is still a highly productive player and wants to be there, I don’t think it means that his days are necessarily numbered in Golden State.”

Time will tell if Green will stay with the Warriors in the future. With plenty of young roster pieces, Golden State is eventually going to have to make some difficult decisions. For now, the Warriors will focus on winning games. That should, in theory, make every decision down the road easier.