Draymond Green spent part of Thursday’s episode of “The Draymond Green Show” discussing how Anthony Edwards’ knee injury could affect his next contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. His concern centered less on Edwards than on the position the injury could leave the team in.

His comments came a week after the Timberwolves guard underwent surgery on his right knee. The expected time away could prevent him from reaching the games threshold needed to qualify for a projected four-year, $304 million supermax extension next summer, and Green’s warning quickly drew reactions from fans.

Fans Answer Draymond Green’s Leverage Warning About Anthony Edwards

The Warriors veteran focused on what losing that contract advantage could mean for Minnesota.

“I’ll tell you who this sucks for more than anyone, this puts the Minnesota Timberwolves in a vulnerable position … they have less leverage to make him stay because he don’t qualify for the supermax … I can offer you higher raises, I can offer you a supermax, ultimately offer you more money than the next team if you left, you now lose that due to injury, it affects the small market team in a negative way,” Green said.

Some of the response went after Green himself.

“Focus on your own game,” one fan wrote.

Another took aim at the four-time NBA champion: “Do you ever get tired of pocket watching?”

Others pushed back on the idea that Minnesota should be worried about Edwards leaving.

“You seen the Wolves play lately? You think he’s leaving this squad? C’mon now,” one fan added.

The 25-year-old had dealt with right-knee problems dating to last season and played four games before undergoing an arthroscopic debridement at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on Oct. 29. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that he could miss up to two months.

Even a return this season might not be enough for the former No. 1 overall pick to reach 65 games. He played 61 last season, four short of the standard threshold for awards such as All-NBA, MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, subject to limited exceptions.

Those honors can also determine eligibility for the designated veteran extension. The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski said in late October that Edwards “will not meet the games threshold to qualify for that” this season.

The four-time All-Star is still years away from free agency. His five-year contract, signed in 2023 and now worth roughly $244.6 million, runs through the 2028-29 season.

Minnesota’s recent play also became part of the response. The Timberwolves have gone 4-2 since Edwards’ last appearance and sit sixth in the Western Conference at 7-3.

The latest win came Friday, when Minnesota beat New Orleans 115-109 behind 22 points and 8 assists from LaMelo Ball.

“This has to be the stupidest take ever why would he leave to play anywhere else when he has LaMelo Ball with him?” another fan remarked.

A different response also pointed to the roster around the Timberwolves star:

“I think Ant would rather use that money he lost to keep LaMelo, Jaden, and other players to compete for rings over more $ from another team.”

One more fan answered Green’s leverage argument directly.

“It ain’t about leverage we love him and he loves us, Twolves would definitely find a way to still bless him.”

Minnesota could still offer Edwards an extension next summer without supermax eligibility. He could also wait and try to meet the qualifying criteria the following season, which would reopen a path to the larger deal.

The Timberwolves expect Edwards to make a full recovery. He was averaging 33.3 points through four games before the procedure, after averaging 28.8 last season.