Draymond GreenForward, Golden State Warriors

Why Draymond Green Says Amen Thompson is Worth His Massive Extension

10 Sept 2026 · 1 min

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In this commentary, Draymond Green defends Amen (Immanuel) Thompson’s lucrative contract extension by emphasizing the elite defensive and athletic qualities that justify his pay. Green argues that Thompson’s body of work shows he commands a high market rate, and while he acknowledges the need for improvement in his jump shot, he pushes back against the simplistic notion that shooting can be fixed easily. He likens Thompson’s athleticism to that of Steph Curry and Isiah Thomas, noting his elite ability to move from point A to B and defend. Green also outlines the team’s expectations: Thompson must evolve into an 18‑20 points‑per‑game scorer and reliably hit open three‑pointers, but his current compensation is primarily for his defensive and athletic contributions.

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What this deal says to me is this is Immanuel Thompson's team. Immanuel Thompson has the demeanor to be that guy. Number one, you get paid for what you've done. Immanuel Thompson has put together a body of work that says, if you wanna keep me, this is gonna be the going rate. Yes, he needs to improve. But on the flip side, I do get a little frustrated sometimes when people come out like, yo, this guy can just gain a jump shot. Like, yo, jump shooting is a skill. Yes, you can work, work, and work to better that skill, but— We're not gonna ask Steph Curry could go beat Isiah Thomas athletically. He is elite at jumping. He's an elite defender. Getting from point A to point B, elite. So he has some things about him that are elite, and ultimately that's what he's paid for. He doesn't have to come out and shoot the ball like Kevin Durant, but in order for this team to be who they want to be, he's going to have to be an 18 to 20 point a night scorer, and he's going to have to be able to knock down an open 3. But he's paid because he's elite at some things.