After years of struggles and subpar play, the Golden State Warriors are back to being elites in the Western Conference. With just four wins to go until another Finals appearance, the Warriors are clearly among the most talented and well-organized teams in basketball.
Unfortunately, his cast of players will not stay together too much longer. According to Connor Letourneau of the San Fransisco Chronicle, the Dubs are headed towards a summer of tough decisions, regardless of how this playoff run ends for them:
It’s highly unlikely that the Warriors bring back all those players next season. Kevon Looney is expected to sign a multi-year deal with Golden State this summer worth roughly $6 million a year, and the Warriors want to sign Jordan Poole to an extension that could be around four years, $100 million.
Combine that with the fact that Draymond Green, Curry and Thompson are due to earn a combined $122.7 million — $3.5 million over the total projected salary cap — in 2023-24, and Golden State needs to be judicious with the rest of its roster decisions. As I’ve written before, the most logical way for the Warriors to cut salary is to trade Wiggins before he hits unrestricted free agency in summer 2023.
But even if Golden State moves Wiggins shortly after this season, it could have a tough time bringing back Otto Porter Jr. and Payton. Those two are expected to command well more than minimum contracts in free agency this summer. And given how much money the Warriors have tied up in their core, they might have issues spending so much on role players like Porter and Payton.
The Warriors haven’t been shy about spending money before. When it comes to their core guys like Steph, Klay, and Draymond, they have no problems breaking the bank. But with so many resources tied into keeping that group together, it leaves little left for the other guys. And now, with Jordan Poole’s ascension, it will be that much more difficult to take care of Wiggins, Porter Jr., and Gary Payton III.
In the long run, it could make the Warriors more vulnerable, especially if any of their core guys suffers an injury. But as long as Golden State has their “big three” healthy and playing well, they will always be a force to be feared in the NBA.
