Josh Green 'More Motivated' After Signing Dallas Mavs Contract Extension
DALLAS — Before the regular season began, Josh Green and the Dallas Mavericks agreed on a three-year, $41 million contract extension. The two sides had until Oct. 23 at 4:00 p.m. CST to complete a deal and did so on deadline day.
As a result of Green signing a contract extension, it prevents him from needing to become a restricted free agent next summer. Coming off a career year averaging 9.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 60 games in 2022-23, he can continue to focus on expanding his impact with the Mavs.
Green mentioned before the Mavs' 126-119 victory against the San Antonio Spurs that getting a contract extension done before a season helps a player to be entirely focused on contributing to winning. Now that he has a contract extension, his motivation to help the Mavs win games will only intensify.
"I think for any player, having your mind fully on winning is a huge, important piece. And for me, I'm always a win-first guy, but [the contract extension] adds to that," Green told DallasBasketball.com. "I think I'll be more motivated to win."
Josh Green drives against the Detroit Pistons.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Green came off the bench behind Derrick Jones Jr. in Wednesday's game, but Green still played 30 minutes off the bench after being relied on heavily in the second half. Green finished with 11 points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal while contributing a pair of made 3s. Meanwhile, Jones played a total of 12 minutes.
Regardless of having a contract extension in place, Green remains highly motivated to continue to work hard to maximize his potential and help that lead to wins for the Mavs. He has an entire regular season to worry about now, but he'll remain focused on adding to his game.
"I think just [continue to work on] everything, there's no reason to stop working and having the same work ethic I've had every other summer," Green said. "I'll find what I need to work on throughout the season and going into the offseason next year. But for now, just focusing on being the best player I can be right now."
It remains to be seen if the Mavs will stick with Jones as a starter on the wing as the team seeks to experiment with different combinations. If Green continues to make an impact as he did against the Spurs, surely he'll continue to receive heavy minutes.
