The Warriors and an uncertain and worrisome future: Now what?

After a very painful goodbye, with a suspenseful title defense as the story of this season ended in the Conference Semifinals, they do nothing but raise questions about the Golden State Warriors and their destiny, if the time has come to fire with all honors the best dynasty of the last decade and the best of the 21st century together with the Lakers with four titles. It seems not yet.

“We’ll be back next year,” he said, grieved but at the same time convinced. Stephen Curry after falling in Los Angeles. “We are not finished. We will return next year”, the always high-sounding cried Draymond Green.

“The only thing I’ll say is that Draymond, Klay, Steph, our core players still have a lot to offer, there’s still plenty left in the tank. I feel like this team still has championship potential,” warned the Warriors coach, Steve Kerr. This is the architect speaking and two of the pillars of the great and beautiful work that has risen in the Bay not only for titles but for his basketball to achieve them. His word against the logic of time. And the economic.

And it is that it is not only about basketball, but also about coffers. And these anticipate a difficult summer in Golden State, with an absolutely runaway salary mass, the Warriors having to spend next year more than 500 million in salaries according to ESPN’s projection if the luxury rate is taken into account.

“I feel like this team still has championship potential”

Steve KerrWarriors coach

Looking ahead to the next season, according to data from Spotrac, the San Francisco franchise would have to pay, not including the luxury tax, 210 million in salaries, the most in the NBA.

The figure shoots above 150 from which it is paid penalty and above 167.5, the red line from which, with the new collective agreement, exceeding wages no longer touches only the pocket but the players that can be signed, since franchises that exceed that limit will not be able to use the midlevel exception in free agency, they won’t be able to sign anyone in the February buyout market, they won’t be able to trade seventh-year first-round draft picks and they won’t be able to use money on trades. come on, what It is not only worth a wallet for skipping the rules.

Season 2023-2024

Players with the largest contracts

1

Stephen Curry – 52 million

2

Klay Thompson – 43.2 million

3

Jordan Poole – 28.7 million

4

Draymond Green – 27.6 million

5

Andrew Wiggins – 24.3 million

6

Gary Payton II – 8.7 million

7

Kevon Looney – 75 million

From here, it is necessary to look at what is the contractual situation of the trident to start. To the lord of the triples, with 35 years Already completed, a long life still awaits him in Golden State, with a contract until 2026 at a rate of almost 170 million dollars. His situation contrasts with that of Draymond Green, who ends his contract in June and will have to make a decision, whether to execute the player option to play one more year in San Francisco, which would bring him 27.5 million.

The Warriors made their priorities somewhat clear after their incident with Jordan Poole, at the beginning of the season, renewing the escort for four years and 140 million and without offering anything to a Green who has not received any proposal. In the middle of the campaign he implied that this was his last.

“Destiny is written”, came to say the bustling interior of 33 years. Unless a third option is activated and renews for a multi-year contract on the downside, the power forward must decide whether to renew for one more year and see what happens next year or, rather, try his luck in free agency taking advantage of that this has been another season of his ‘prime’ to get one last big contract.

For their part, with Klay Thompson the Warriors will also have to make a decision. The escort of 33 years His contract ends in 2024 -he will collect 43 million last year-, and this summer he is eligible for an extension of 4 years and 220 million.

While Draymond Green’s performance remains unquestioned, the other’s is not. ‘Splash Brother’, who has registered his worst shooting percentages of his career this season with 39% from the field and 36.8% from triples and has disappointed in the series against the Lakers. In addition, as ESPN points out, there is no player in the team with a contract beyond 2026 And it squeaks that the season in which he turns 37 is going to collect 61 million. The most viable option also seems to be a downward renewal.

On the lower scale, there is no doubt about Kevon Looney -contract until 2025 and will receive 7.5 million next year-, and Andrew Wiggins -renewed in October for four years until 2026 and 109 million-, but with Jordan Poole.

He listens to 23 years He has been far from justifying his renewal this season, both in the regular season, especially with a drop from 36 to 33% in triples and in the playoffs, barely 10 points in 22 minutes on average with a meager 34% shooting and 25% shooting. from the perimeter. His discussion with Curry at halftime of one of the games in the series against the Lakers does not help either and it seems that, among the players with large contracts, his name would be the most likely to appear in a transfer.

The Warriors would now pay more than 500 million in salaries next year

From here, the Warriors must also decide what their approach is with role players like Donte DiVincenzo y JaMychal Green -one has a ‘player option’ and the other is a free agent this summer-, and the youngsters. The Bahía franchise wants to rebuild by developing players while still making the most of its golden generation but, with the exception of Poole, no other youngster has played a relevant role, also assuming the contribution of the bench is a handicap.

In a move that speaks as much to the Warriors’ lack of patience as to their financial urgency – and which spelled failure for the Bay Area organization – Golden State traded in February to James Wiseman to the Pistons to save the 30 million that the number 2 in the 2020 draft was going to cost next year.

For his part, Jonathan Kuminga y Moses Moody -both have had their flashes this course-, their contract ends and the Warriors have a franchise option. Whether through young talent or not, one of the shortcomings to be covered by the Warriors this summer is the interior with an outside shot that they lack, a resource that they have not had in the recent series against the Lakers to have more options to take out to Anthony Davis of the painting.

All these issues and others such as the continuity of the General Manager who has also been essential in this succession of successes, Bob Myers, that their contract ends, they ask some Golden State Warriors, who in the words of their magnificent trio say that not yet, that they do not want to become an unforgettable memory yet because they have memories to add. Long live the Warriors.

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