After winning the NBA title convincingly against the Boston Celtics, the Golden State Warriors entered the campaign in a big conundrum. Apart from their superstar player in Stephen Curry, four of their championship core were eligible for a contract extension in the offseason.
While Klay Thompson is on a lengthy contract, the same couldn’t be said about the likes of Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green. With the trio of players eligible for an extension, the Warriors had to choose whose contract situation they wanted to address.
Golden State Warriors Payroll Might increase To $483 Million Next Season
The Warriors have made up the decision to reward both Poole and Wiggins for their exploits in the 2021-22 season, With Poole signing a 4-year-deal worth $140 million and Wiggins earning $109 million, the two certainly deserved the bag that they secured in the offseason.
While it is good news for the two, the Warriors might not be in so much good faith for long. According to reports from ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Warriors’ wage bill, including their luxury tax bill, might increase up to $483 million, almost nearing $500 million.
Golden St. payroll and tax penalty in 2023/24 will likely exceed $500M once the roster is filled.
That factors in Draymond Green opting-in to his $27.6M player option.
With 12 players
💰Salary: $215M
💰Tax: $268M
💰💰Total: $483M
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) October 15, 2022
This would possibly happen if Draymond Green opts into his $27.6 million player option for the 2023-24 season. It is staggering to see that we are so close to seeing wage bills up to $500 million in the NBA. Given the number of talented players the team has, it isn’t outrageous to see super teams with the biggest wage bills.
But the Warriors have been pretty notorious for paying up huge amounts of luxury tax bills for multiple seasons now. A very risky way to keep your star players, Joe Lacob and Co. have somewhat bought their success and have managed to pay up their star cast with an ever-increasing wage bill. How long will this strategy work, though?
