The Warriors face a vital offseason once the NBA bubble playoffs are over.
While most of the Warriors’ offseason priority talk revolves around a magical swap for another superstar, Steve Kerr and the Warriors Brass have a more realistic goal in mind for free will.
“We’d like to add a veteran or two in free agency, but I don’t even know if that’s possible,” Kerr told The Athletic’s Anthony Slater of the recent additions by Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa to the front office. “We’ll see how everything goes. So it’s almost, you know, if we can’t do it, if we can’t add Zaza Pachulia or David West in free agency, we have to be able to do it on staff. So I think that’s a big part of the reason which Shaun and LB are here to provide some of that mentorship. “
After five consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. The Warriors roster underwent massive changes last season. Kevin Durant left for the Brooklyn Nets in free agency, Andre Iguodala was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, DeMarcus Cousins joined the Los Angeles Lakers and Livingston retired.
The end result was a Warriors squad full of youngsters, with nine of the 14 Warriors opening day players under 23.
With Klay Thompson missing the entire season and Steph Curry only playing five games, it was largely left to Draymond Green to be the veteran leader of the Warriors during a turbulent season that saw them finish 15-50.
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After a year at the bottom of the NBA, the Warriors are expected to return to title contention next season with Curry, Thompson, Green and Andrew Wiggins forming a dangerous quartet. The Warriors also own the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and have a $ 17.2 million commercial exception to use to bolster their roster in the off-season.
The injection of youth was nice, but the Warriors will need proven veterans to get back to the Finals.
There should be a number of quality veterans on the market looking to chase the title with the Warriors this off-season. Serge Ibaka, Paul Millsap, Marc Gasol, Derrick Favors and Marcus Morris, among others, are all ready to hit the market and will be looking to sign with a contender.
The Warriors don’t have much room for the cap, but they will have the mid-tier taxpayer exception and their $ 17.2 million commercial exception to compile what should be one of the best lists in the NBA.
