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Coming off a fourth NBA championship in eight years, the Warriors have firmly reestablished themselves as a powerhouse organization. That is largely thanks to being able to keep their big three of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green under contract.
However, Golden State’s ability to keep the team together may soon come to an end. While the Warriors’ only large piece lost from last year’s championship squad was Gary Payton II, owner Joe Lacob told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami that next summer might be different.
“It’s going to be difficult,” Lacob said. “I’m not going to sit here and lie to the fan base. It’s going to be really difficult to figure out what we’ll do next summer. This year, we’re good. I’ll call this running it back. Some people may think we lose Payton and a couple other people, we’re not back. (But) there’s always going to be some change.”
Specifically, Lacob is referencing how many players will be due raises after the season, and how tough it will be to accommodate everyone. Jordan Poole, only making just under $4 million this season on his rookie deal, will be a restricted free agent next year, while Andrew Wiggins will hit unrestricted free agency.
Meanwhile, Curry’s four-year, $215 million extension begins this year, Thompson is locked into the next two seasons at over $40 million a year, while Green has a player option at $27 million for the 2023–24 season. The Warriors, who have spent the last few years operating with the largest luxury tax in the league, may have to decide to let some valuable players go elsewhere as they want raises.
“We think we’re going to have a great team this year,” Lacob said. “But next summer, we’re going to be faced with more issues with respect to the cap and luxury tax and all that. We’ll just have to see how this goes. It’s sort of a year-to-year thing. Let’s see how everybody plays, let’s see if we are contending again; we think we will. Let’s see if we’re going to win again. That certainly extends what we’re able to do. If we don’t, we have to rethink things a little bit.”
