Draymond GreenForward, Golden State Warriors

Paul Pierce Says Only Wemby, SGA, Nikola Jokic Deserve Max Contracts... Draymond Green Reacts

20 Jan 2026 · 1 min

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In this YouTube reaction clip, Draymond Green sharply critiques former teammate Paul Pierce's statement that only three NBA players—Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, and Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander—deserve max contracts. Green argues the list is absurdly narrow, pointing out the omission of current superstars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James, as well as past legends like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan. He highlights the inconsistency of Pierce’s claim by noting that Pierce himself never qualified for a max contract, making the assertion self‑defeating. Green also touches on the role of age and contract circumstances, suggesting that while some players may be excluded for age‑related reasons, dismissing them entirely is unreasonable. The overall tone is conversational yet highly critical, framing Pierce’s comment as an “idiotic” over‑generalization that fails to reflect NBA contract realities.

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Paul Pierce says there's only 3 players in the NBA worth the max contract. Wimby, Joker, and SGA. Ant-Man not? Jason Tatum not? Giannis not worth a max? Draymond Green? Steph Curry? You mean to tell me none of these guys are worth max contracts? So then what Paul Pierce is saying is he was never worth a max contract. You named 3 guys. And when Paul Pierce was in the league, Kobe was in the league. So it definitely wasn't Kobe. Paul Pierce spent some time in the league with Michael Jordan. Definitely wasn't Michael. Kevin Garnett. Definitely wasn't Kevin. Tim Duncan. Definitely wasn't Tim Duncan. So pretty much Paul Pierce was never max player either if his notion is what works. There are some guys that get maxed due to circumstance, but to say there's only 3 and also to leave off Ant-Man, like if you wanna say Steph not, Bron not because of their age, cool. You can say, oh man, I don't want to give that guy a 4-year max because I get it. But to say they're not maxed at all, just another idiotic thing that Paul Pierce has spewed into the world and that we must live with.