Draymond Green has signed with TNT — but he is staying with the Warriors.
Green, a three-time NBA champion with Golden State, has inked a multi-year deal with Turner that will have him serve as an analyst, while he keeps playing.
Green has long been viewed as a potential heir apparent to Charles Barkley on the “Inside The NBA” studio show. This will give the veteran forward a chance to see if he really likes it, and for Turner to evaluate if he is up for the task of one day filling Barkley’s main chair. Green has been on Turner as a guest analyst in years past.
The Post reported in August that ESPN had interest in Green as a player/analyst. Turner, though, already had inside position.
Green, 31, will make select appearances on “Inside the NBA” with Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and host Ernie Johnson. He will also appear on Bleacher Report shows.
Barkley, 58, has long said he will retire from TV when he is 60, though, no one really believes him. O’Neal said as much on “The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast”
“He’s never gonna quit,” O’Neal said in November. “Charles is gonna be here forever. We need him, and he needs us.”
Green has always been looked upon as a potential sports media personality when he retires, but he has gotten started early. Besides the new TNT gig, he began his own podcast with Colin Cowherd’s “The Volume” network.
The idea of a player being a commentator is not unprecedented. One example is when goalie Tim Howard was still active in the Premier League, he called other matches in England for NBC. Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen did a couple of one-off games for Fox when he was still playing in the NFL.