The top two free agents of the NBA’s 2017 class were members of the Warriors, but Golden State was never worried about losing either Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant. Coming off a dominant 2016/17 season, which was capped off by a 16-1 playoff record and the team’s second championship in three years, the Dubs were a lock to bring back Curry and Durant.
Retaining Curry and Durant meant keeping Golden State’s Big Four intact, and there would always be free agents willing to team up with that group for a shot at a title. But the Warriors faced the very real possibility of turning over half their roster and losing guys like Iguodala and Livington, who played key roles in the team’s two championships.
However, just when it looked like the Warriors might lose their 2015 Finals MVP, Iguodala agreed to re-sign. And each of the players listed above joined him on new deals of their own. All in all, Golden State re-signed a league-high seven of their own free agents, ultimately undergoing the least roster turnover in the NBA.
The willingness of team ownership to pay a big luxury tax bill made that possible, as did Durant’s offer to take a more modest salary than he needed to. While Durant’s discount didn’t give Golden State any additional cap flexibility, it will significant reduce the Warriors’ projected tax bill, and may have made a difference in the Warriors’ willingness to go a little higher than they wanted to on Iguodala’s new deal.
Key offseason losses:
While most of the Warriors’ rotation players are back, the team did lose a couple notable veterans. Matt Barnes, who provided the club with toughness and depth down the stretch last season, reached free agency and wasn’t re-signed. In fact, Barnes has yet to sign with any team, raising questions about whether or not we’ll see the 37-year-old in the NBA again. I expect he’ll catch on somewhere eventually, but if 2016/17 was his swan song, Barnes went out on a high note.
Ian Clark departed in free agency as well, though in Clark’s case, I believe the Warriors expected his price tag to increase too much to make a reunion viable. That ended up not being the case, as Clark landed in New Orleans on a minimum salary contract.
Even if the Dubs – or Clark’s camp – misjudged the market, it shouldn’t have a major impact on the roster. Neither Barnes nor Clark played many minutes in the postseason, and given how far down the depth chart they were, it shouldn’t be hard to find adequate replacements for them.
Key offseason additions:
In need of replacements for Barnes, Clark, and big man James McAdoo, the Warriors arguably upgraded all three spots. In place of Barnes, the team added veteran swingman Omri Casspi, who was coming off an injury-plagued contract year in Sacramento, New Orleans, and Minnesota.
Casspi doesn’t necessary provide the same sort of attitude and locker-room presence that Barnes did, but he’s arguably a more effective on-court performer at this stage of their respective careers. In three years prior to signing with the Warriors, Casspi converted on 40.1% of his three-point attempts, and he should have plenty of open looks playing with Golden State’s collection of All-Stars.
To replace Clark, the Warriors used their mid-level exception to sign Nick Young. Clark, who is still just 26 years old, may still have some untapped potential, which probably isn’t the case for the 32-year-old Young. But Young, who made a career-high 2.8 three-pointers per game last season on 40.4% shooting, has a more extensive résumé than Clark and has the ability to be a bigger difference-maker. At some point this season, Young will win the Warriors a game or two with a scoring outburst off the bench.
Finally, the Warriors replaced the little-used McAdoo with Jordan Bell, sending $3.5MM in cash to Chicago for the right to draft the rookie power forward with the 38th overall pick. It’s fair to excoriate the rebuilding Bulls for that trade, which looks like a coup for the Dubs. Despite spending three years in Golden State, McAdoo never played a regular role for the club, outside of garbage-time minutes. Bell, on the other hand, already looks polished enough to step in as a rotation player for the NBA’s best team.
Outlook for 2017/18:
A year after making the biggest splash of the summer by landing Durant, the Warriors flew under the radar for most of the 2017 offseason. While their top rivals made blockbuster moves involving the likes of Paul George, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, Isaiah Thomas, and Gordon Hayward, the Dubs brought back all of the main pieces of last year’s squad and quietly improved their roster around the edges.
The Warriors have won at least 67 regular season games in each of the last three years, so the idea that they got even better over the summer seems outrageous. That’s exactly what they did though — on paper, at least.
With rival contenders stockpiling stars in an attempts to knock off the champs, the Warriors won’t have an easy path to another title, particularly if they get hit with a key injury or two. For now though, it’s hard to imagine another club beating a healthy Warriors squad in a best-of-seven series. Golden State heads into the 2017/18 campaign as the odds-on favorite to be the last team standing for the third time in the last four years.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
