After capturing their fourth championship in eight years this past summer, it’s fair to say that the Golden State Warriors have enjoyed an unprecedented level of prosperity and success in the NBA.
But as any NBA salary cap expert will tell you, all of this success comes at a cost for the Warriors.
Between Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, and others, the Dubs have amassed a gigantic payroll that blows away any other team in history.
The Golden State Warriors Make History After Surpassing Reaching High Payroll Mark
In a recent tweet, Spotrac broke down the Warriors’ salary situation and revealed the astronomical amount the team has paid in checks over the years.
#Warriors Cash Payroll Ranks over the last 5 NBA seasons:
2017-18: 2nd
2018-19: 2nd
2019-20: 2nd
2020-21: 1st 2021-22:2nd
Golden State has doled out $756M in player salaries over this timespan, $74M more than any other franchise.
#Warriors Cash Payroll Ranks over the last 5 NBA seasons:
2017-18: 2nd
2018-19: 2nd
2019-20: 2nd
2020-21: 1st
2021-22: 2nd
Golden State has doled out $756M in player salaries over this timespan, $74M more than any other franchise. pic.twitter.com/J5WpLWDkY8
— Spotrac (@spotrac) June 17, 2022
These numbers are ridiculously high, but they pale in comparison to what the Warriors might pay next season when extensions kick in for many of their top players.
The sheer size of the amount has led many to speculate that the Warriors could make some trades in an attempt to lower the financial burden. At the very least, trading Draymond addresses more than one issue for the organization.
“Here’s the thing. I think they’ve been through this rodeo with him a bunch of times and I think they were trying to figure out how to manage it and hope it never got too bad and hope it never blew up,” said Bill Simmons. “I was of the opinion that it was 50-50. No real insight info on this, but I think they wanna pay Wiggins. I think they wanna pay Poole. At some point, not everyone can make $35 million a year on your team, right? And at some point you gotta take some chances. You have Wiseman, you have Kuminga, and you know you can patch together some big guys. I thought it was 50-50. Now, I think it’s like 25-75 because I think they have outs now to get rid of him.”
The Warriors will have to make some tough decisions about their future. As great as their roster is right now, they are going to be paying a lot to keep everyone together, and one has to wonder how long they’ll be able to keep it going.
For now, though, all the Warriors can do is keep pushing through and hope for the best.
