Offseason Outlook: Golden State Warriors
Guaranteed Contracts
- Klay Thompson ($15,501,000)1
- David Lee ($15,493,680)
- Andrew Bogut ($12,000,000)
- Andre Iguodala ($11,710,456)
- Stephen Curry ($11,370,786)
- Shaun Livingston ($5,543,725)
- Harrison Barnes ($3,873,398)
- Festus Ezeli ($2,008,748)
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- James Michael McAdoo ($845,059)2
Options
- Marreese Speights ($3,815,000 — Team)3
- Brandon Rush ($1,270,964 — Player)4
Restricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- Draymond Green ($2,725,003) — $2,725,003 qualifying offer5
- Justin Holiday ($1,147,276) — $1,147,276 qualifying offer6
- Ognjen Kuzmic ($1,147,276) — $1,147,276 qualifying offer7
Unrestricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- (Jordan Crawford $5,406,048)8
- (Jermaine O’Neal $2,400,000)8
- Leandro Barbosa ($947,276)
- No. 30 pick ($943,300)
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (30th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $77,601,793
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $745,059
- Options: $5,085,964
- Cap Holds: $14,716,179
- Total: $98,148,995
Continuity is a word rarely attached to any team’s offseason strategy. Most franchises spend those months upgrading at positions of need, executing a rebuilding plan, retooling with young players or making flashy moves. Even many championship teams rarely stand pat, either out of necessity because of salary issues or free agency, or under the assumption they cannot repeat without a different mix.
Not so with the Golden State Warriors. Their avowed goal this offseason, as GM Bob Myers declared after the team’s first title in 40 years, is to keep their young core intact. Considering that all but one of their starters is 27 years old or younger, that’s not surprising. Sure, they’d like to make a couple of tweaks but the Warriors seem poised to defend their title with most, if not all, of their rotation players returning in their same roles.
“When you have the success that we had, you like to keep it together as much as possible,” Myers said during his postseason press conference. “It doesn’t mean you don’t open your eyes to see what else is out there, but if it’s a close call, you always want to retain the talent that got you a championship.”
Golden State’s front office has one major order of business this summer — retaining its best frontcourt player, Draymond Green. That will come at a high price financially but there’s little chance that Green will wind up in another uniform. Green, who is represented by former NBA player B.J. Armstrong of the Arn Tellem-led Wasserman Media Group, is due for a massive increase in pay after making less than $1MM this past season. It’s expected that the restricted free agent will command a max level contract or something in that ballpark with a starting salary of approximately $16MM.
Green has emerged as one of the league’s top two-way players and should have his share of suitors. There were rumblings during the season that the Pistons would make a strong push for Green, who grew up in Michigan and developed into an All-American talent under coach Tom Izzo at Michigan State. But while the Warriors cannot address the situation publicly, they have quietly made it known that they will match any offer that comes his way. Green himself said he wasn’t going anywhere, though that proclamation came during the euphoria of the championship celebration.
It may actually be in the Warriors’ best interest if Green signs an offer sheet. That would allow them to lock up Green for another three or four seasons without any tricky negotiations. While it’s almost unfathomable to believe that Green would sign his qualifying offer of $2.725MM, he could attempt to work out a shorter deal with the Warriors that would allow him to swiftly re-enter the market as an unrestricted free agent.
The tricky part for the club is securing Green’s services long term while avoiding the dreaded luxury tax in the short term. They have $77.6MM in salary commitments for next season with the tax line projected to come in at $81.6MM. The easiest way to stay under the tax threshold is to deal David Lee‘s expiring contract of approximately $15.49MM and that’s the most likely outcome. While Myers hasn’t committed to doing that, it’s the only viable way to avoid the luxury tax without dealing one of those core players. Though Lee played a valuable role in the NBA Finals, he dropped out of coach Steve Kerr‘s rotation during the regular season.
Naturally, everyone around the league is well aware of the Warriors’ predicament and Golden State may have to give up an additional asset or two, such as draft picks, to make the deal happen. The Jazz reportedly engaged in serious discussions with the Warriors about acquiring Lee at the trade deadline and he could still help Utah and many other teams with his offensive skills. But no team has a trade exception big enough to absorb Lee’s contract, so the Warriors must find a trade partner with at least that much cap space or one that possesses some major non-guaranteed contracts. A third party might be required to pull it off.
A big reason why the Warriors have so much guaranteed money tied up is that they were proactive in re-signing the Splash Brothers. Klay Thompson‘s four-year extension with a starting salary of $15.5MM kicks in next season. The contract of reigning league MVP Stephen Curry has two years remaining and he will make the bargain basement rate of $11.37MM next season.
Once the Green-Lee issues are decided, the Warriors can focus on working out a contract extension with Harrison Barnes. Both parties are interested in getting something done by the October 31st deadline and it’s estimated that Barnes will command an annual salary in the $10MM-$12MM range. That wouldn’t affect the Warriors’ bottom line next season, since the extension would kick in for the 2016/17 season when the league’s salary cap is expected to dramatically increase.
The team’s only unrestricted free agent is veteran reserve shooting guard Leandro Barbosa, who was part of Kerr’s rotation most of the season. If Barbosa does not return, they will be in the market for a backup shooting guard. The Warriors also have to decide whether to exercise their $3.815MM team option on Marreese Speights — an unlikely prospect considering their cap situation — and extend qualifying offers to Justin Holiday and Ognjen Kuzmic.
They can add depth with their first-round pick at No. 30 overall (they don’t have a second rounder) and through free agency via exceptions. They have the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions available if they can avoid the luxury-tax apron. Otherwise, they’d be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception of $3.376MM.
That’s how they could make those aforementioned tweaks. Otherwise, the Warriors seem content to bring the not-so-old gang back and stay the course.
Cap Footnotes
1 — Thompson’s salary will be the league’s maximum salary for a player with four years of experience or $15,501,000, whichever is less.
2 — McAdoo’s salary is partially guaranteed for $100,000.
3 — The cap hold for Speights would be $4,754,750 if the Warriors decline their team option on him.
4 — The cap hold for Rush would be $947,276 if he opts out.
5 — The cap hold for Green would be $947,276 if the team decides not to tender a qualifying offer.
6 — The cap hold for Holiday would be $947,276 if the team decides not to tender a qualifying offer.
7 — The cap hold for Kuzmic would be $947,276 if the team decides not to tender a qualifying offer.
8 — See our glossary entry on cap holds for an explanation of why these players technically remain on the books.
The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post.
Western Notes: Warriors, Mudiay, Hunt
Now that the Warriors have secured the NBA title, the team enters the offseason with the goal of keeping its young core intact while still improving itself, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. “When you have the success that we had, you like to keep it together as much as possible,” Golden State GM Bob Myers said. “It doesn’t mean you don’t open your eyes to see what else is out there, but if it’s a close call, you always want to retain the talent that got you a championship. I think if we’re going to lean in a direction, it’s the continuity, which is something we’ve tried to build here, and certainly at least it worked for this year.” One of the Warriors’ priorities this summer is to re-sign restricted free agent Draymond Green, who is in line for a hefty increase from his 2014/15 salary of $915,243.
Here’s what else is happening around the Western Conference:
- The Kings have been unsuccessful thus far in getting point guard Emmanuel Mudiay to work out for the team, Sean Cunningham of News 10 Sacramento tweets. Mudiay’s representatives believe that he’ll be off the board prior to Sacramento selecting with the No. 6 overall pick, Cunningham adds.
- Arizona defensive whiz Rondae Hollis-Jefferson‘s scheduled workout with the Jazz on Friday was cancelled due to travel issues, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News relays (Twitter link). It’s unclear if the showcase will be rescheduled prior to the draft. Hollis-Jefferson is already expected to work out for the Kings on Monday.
- Mavs coach Rick Carslile has confirmed reports that former Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt will be joining his staff as an assistant, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (Twitter links). Hunt will replace assistant Monte Mathis, who has been offered the job as head coach of Mavs’ D-League affiliate if he does not obtain another position outside of the organization, Stein adds.
Western Notes: Tomic, Towns, Lakers
Jazz draft-and-stash prospect Ante Tomic has inked a three year extension with FC Barcelona, Liga Endesa has announced (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Tomic’s deal runs through June of 2018, and it’s unclear if the arrangement contains an NBA out clause. According to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link), Tomic used the threat of leaving Barcelona for the NBA as leverage to secure a more lucrative contract overseas.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Potential No. 1 overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns has a meeting scheduled with the Timberwolves this Friday, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear if this meeting will just be an interview, or if Towns intends to work out for the team as well, Charania adds.
- Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers noted that if the team was to purchase a pick in this year’s NBA Draft, it would likely be a second-rounder so that the team could avoid having to sign the player to a guaranteed contract, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times tweets.
- Manhattan forward Emmy Andujar has a workout scheduled with the Rockets, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (on Twitter).
- The Lakers will attempt to bring back Emmanuel Mudiay, D’Angelo Russell, and Jahlil Okafor for second looks prior to next week’s NBA Draft, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register tweets.
- Texas big man Myles Turner has an individual workout scheduled with the Suns today, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops relays (via Twitter). In Hoops Rumors’ latest mock draft, Phoenix is tabbed to select Turner with the No. 13 overall pick.
- Now that the franchise has secured the NBA Championship, the Warriors have numerous roster decisions that need to be made, Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders writes. The odds of the current roster remaining intact are slim because of the team’s challenging salary cap situation, Taylor notes. This sentiment is shared by pending restricted free agent Draymond Green, who said back in March, “This is a special group, a special bond, so let’s make the best of it, because this team will probably never be together again. That’s just the nature of this business. One addition, one subtraction, and the team isn’t together no more. So take advantage of it while you’ve got it because I’m sure this team will never be together again.”
Latest On Warriors, Draymond Green
WEDNESDAY, 9:05am: Green seemed make his intentions clear late Tuesday when Kawakami asked him if he was sure he’d be back with the Warriors next season.
“I’ll be here. I love this group of guys,” Green said.
Kawakami cautioned that the remark came in the emotionally charged hours after the Warriors had won the championship, and Green said in response to a follow-up question that he’s not thinking about his free agency for now. Still, it’s nonetheless a positive sign for the Warriors.
TUESDAY, 3:17pm: Warriors GM Bob Myers refused to delve deeply into the mechanics of the negotiations the team has planned with soon-to-be restricted free agent Draymond Green, but he nonetheless expressed confidence the team will bring him back, as Jeff Faraudo of the Bay Area News Group writes.
“Tell the Warrior fans they shouldn’t worry,” Myers said.
The Warriors front office had given every indication as the trade deadline approached that they planned to match any offer for Green, as Bay Area News Group columnist Tim Kawakami reported then, and the latest comments from Myers suggest that hasn’t changed. Myers cited league rules against public comments about contract talks as he refused to elaborate today, and while it’s not uncommon for teams to say they’ll match any offer for a restricted free agent, the league frowns on it.
In any case, Myers made it clear that the team hopes to retain the core of its club, Faraudo relays, which may or may not include David Lee, who’s suddenly become a significant weapon again after falling out of the rotation and sitting on the bench for all of the first two Finals games. Lee’s salary of nearly $15.494MM for next season is part of more than $77.5MM in commitments Golden State already has for 2015/16, never mind a new deal for Green. The Warriors have Bird Rights on Green, so they can pay up to the max if they want, but that would likely entail a massive tax bill with the tax line projected to come in at $81.6MM.
Green, a native of Michigan, reportedly had significant interest in signing an offer sheet with the Pistons, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote during the season in a report that seemed to suggest a max offer from some team would be in play. Wojnarowski detailed the Warriors’ desire to match an offer that would exceed Klay Thompson‘s salary, which will be no more than $15.5MM next season, rather than make the offer themselves, lest Thompson’s feelings get hurt. Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy seemed to make it clear he has plenty of interest in Green, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’d want to tie up his team’s cap for three days while the Warriors can simply wait to match. Van Gundy also made his comments in response to questions about Green long before the Pistons traded for Ersan Ilyasova, whose presence helps solidify the team’s front line.
Myers said today that he doesn’t expect that the job change for Arn Tellem, the super-agent from the Wasserman Media Group who’s leaving for a job with the Pistons organization, would play a role in negotiations with Green, who’s represented by Wasserman’s B.J. Armstrong. Myers, himself a former agent, used to work with Armstrong, as Myers pointed out, according to Faraudo.
And-Ones: Lockout, Gentry, Pointer
- Warriors GM Bob Myers admits that if there hadn’t been such a lengthy break before the start of the NBA Finals, the team might not have allowed Alvin Gentry to have the second interview with the Pelicans that led New Orleans to hire him as head coach, as Myers tells TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip for NBA.com.
- The Lakers, Wizards and Sixers are the upcoming teams on the predraft workout docket for St. John’s small forward Sir’Dominic Pointer, reveals Josh Newman of SNY.tv.
- St. Bonaventure center Youssou Ndoye, if drafted, is willing to sign overseas and become a draft-and-stash prospect if an NBA team so desires, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Ndoye faces long odds to hear his name called on draft night, as neither Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress nor Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him. He worked out for the Clippers on Monday and is set to do so for the Jazz today after showing off for the Knicks last week, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Charania adds the Sixers, Mavericks, Heat, Spurs and Wizards to the list of teams working him out, which includes previously reported auditions with the Nets and Grizzlies.
- Shooting guard Bobby Ray Parks Jr., who took the unconventional route of playing collegiately in the Philippines rather than the U.S., will work out for the Mavericks, Hawks and Celtics in addition to previously reported workouts with the Nets and Jazz, as Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune details.
Pacific Notes: Cook, Lakers, Clippers, Lee
Reports have indicated that the Lakers have their sights set on Jahlil Okafor with the second pick in the draft, but Quinn Cook, Okafor’s teammate at Duke, is hoping LA might have some interest in nabbing him later in the night, as Janis Carr of the Orange County Register passes along. Cook described himself as the “biggest Lakers fan you could ever think of,” and while he isn’t a sure thing to get drafted (he’s listed as this year’s 55th best prospect by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress), the Lakers’ decision to work Cook out means there’s at least a chance LA has some interest in wheeling for a late second round selection to swoop him up. While we wait to see if an Okafor-Cook reunion might be in the works, here’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- Along with Cook, the Lakers also worked out Branden Dawson, Treveon Graham, Vincent Hunter, Travis Trice, and Aaron White, the team announced on Twitter. Anyone LA might be thinking of taking from this group would likely come late in the second round.
- The decision that the Clippers made to deal away Spencer Hawes to the Hornets increases the likelihood that the team retains big man Glen Davis, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times surmises in a tweet.
- The Warriors never considered trading David Lee at the trade deadline this year, as Golden State owner Joe Lacob tells Sam Amick of USA Today, adding that the front office believed he could help the team win a championship. The decision appears to be a wise one as the Warriors are one win away from taking home the NBA title.
- Lee acknowledged to Amick in the same piece that he understands there’s a chance he might get moved this summer for the right price. “But I also know that whether it’s here [in Golden State] or somewhere else next year, that I’m going to have a great year, given the opportunity.” Lee said. “I have confidence in myself. It’s not like I played bad and lost my job. I got injured, and things have worked out the way they have, and I’m excited for the future. And most importantly, I hope we can get this done.”
Pacific Notes: Clarkson, Atkins, Lakers, Iguodala
The players at the Lakers‘ pre-draft workout Saturday were inspired by the rise of Jordan Clarkson, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. The session was for second-round hopefuls like D.J. Newbill of Penn State, Phil Greene of St. John’s and Darrun Hilliard of Villanova, but everyone present hopes to follow the path set by Clarkson, the 46th selection last year by the Wizards, who was sent to the Lakers for cash considerations and wound up as their starting point guard. “It gives you a lot of hope seeing how great he played last year and how good he is,” Greene said of Clarkson. “It just gives you a lot of hope of staying with the grind and knowing anything can happen.” The Lakers have more pre-draft workouts scheduled for Monday and Friday.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Virginia’s Darion Atkins, one of the players at Saturday’s Lakers workout, believes his ACC background will help him transition to the pros, Turner writes in a separate story. Atkins earned National Defensive Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors, but fears he has “dropped off” most NBA draft boards. “I think coming from the ACC has helped me a lot,” he said. “I think that’ll be a great transition over into the NBA because the physicality is going to be great in the NBA, but I think it’ll give me more of an advantage.”
- Delaware State’s Kendall Gray was also among the participants at Saturday’s workout (Twitter link). Michael Qualls of Arkansas had to skip the event because of a knee injury, tweets Mike Trudell of Lakers.com.
- The Lakers are debating whether a center or point guard is more valuable in today’s NBA as they face a likely draft choice between Jahlil Okafor and D’Angelo Russell, Turner writes in another story. “In years past and maybe even today, it makes sense to build around a big,” said GM Mitch Kupchak. “But you don’t want to take a big because it’s a big and then pass on the No. 3 pick, which turned out to be Michael Jordan [in 1984]. So we’re going to look at the bigs, then you want to look at the guards and see if there is a guard there that despite being just a guard, you don’t want to miss and pass on him because he’s not a big.”
- The NBA Finals are giving the Warriors‘ Andre Iguodala a chance to showcase all his skills after spending the season as a reserve, according to Michael Lee of The Washington Post. Iguodala, who joined Golden State as a free agent in 2013, is signed through the 2016/17 season.
2015/16 Roster Counts: Golden State Warriors
During the offseason it’s OK for teams to carry as many as 20 players, but clubs must trim their rosters down to a maximum of 15 by opening night. In the meantime, some teams will hang around that 15-man line, while others will max out their roster counts. Some clubs may actually have more than 15 contracts that are at least partially guaranteed on the books. That means they’ll end up paying players who won’t be on the regular season roster, unless they can find trade partners.
With plenty more movement still to come, here’s the latest look at the Warriors’ roster size, the contract guarantee status of each player, and how each player came to be on Golden State’s roster.
(Last Updated 2-22-16, 1:15pm)
Fully Guaranteed (15)
- Leandro Barbosa (G) — 6’3″/32 years old. Free agent signing.
- Harrison Barnes (F) — 6’8″/23 years old. Drafted with No. 7 overall pick in 2012.
- Andrew Bogut (C) — 7’0″/32 years old. Acquired via trade with Bucks.
- Ian Clark (G) — 6’3″/24 years old. Free agent signing.
- Stephen Curry (G) — 6’3″/27 years old. Drafted with No. 7 overall pick in 2009.
- Festus Ezeli (C) — 6’11″/25 years old. Drafted with No. 30 overall pick in 2012.
- Draymond Green (F) — 6’7″/25 years old. Drafted with No. 35 overall pick in 2012.
- Andre Iguodala (G/F) — 6’6″/31 years old. Acquired via sign-and-trade from Nuggets.
- Shaun Livingston (G) — 6’7″/29 years old. Free agent signing.
- Kevon Looney (F) — 6’9″/19 years old. Drafted with No. 30 overall pick in 2015.
- James Michael McAdoo (F) — 6’9″/22 years old. Free agent signing.
- Brandon Rush (G) — 6’6″/29 years old. Free agent signing.
- Marreese Speights (F/C) — 6’10″/27 years old. Free agent signing.
- Klay Thompson (G) — 6’7″/25 years old. Drafted with No. 11 overall pick in 2011.
- Anderson Varejao (C) — ’11″/33 years old. Free agent signing.
10-Day Contracts (0)
- None
TOTAL ROSTER COUNT (15)
Pacific Notes: Divac, West, Clippers
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive tried to bring Vlade Divac in as a goodwill ambassador and basketball adviser last year, but GM Pete D’Alessandro and adviser Chris Mullin mounted strong opposition that derailed the move, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Of course, Ranadive brought Divac this year to head the basketball operations department, bumping the now-Nuggets-bound D’Alessandro from that role.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Clippers will hold workouts on Saturday for Aaron White (Iowa), David Kravish (California), Treveon Graham (VCU), Julian Washburn (UTEP), Quinn Cook (Duke), and Ryan Boatright (UConn), Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times relays (Twitter links).
- While they don’t currently possess any picks in this year’s NBA Draft, the Clippers will look to acquire a second round pick on draft night, Arash Markazi of ESPN.com tweets.
- Warriors adviser Jerry West threatened to resign last offseason if the team went ahead and dealt Klay Thompson in exchange for Kevin Love, Chris Ballard of SI.com writes in his profile of West. West predicted that Thompson’s defense would improve, and that the pairing of he and Stephon Curry would give Golden State a Hall of Fame backcourt for the next decade, Ballard adds.
- The Lakers will bring in St. John’s guard Phil Greene as part of a group workout on Saturday, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops relays (via Twitter).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Southwest Notes: Ellis, Llull, Duncan, Collins
The Mavs won’t prioritize re-signing Monta Ellis if he opts out in search of a raise, as expected, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Ellis, who made $8.36MM this season, had a negative effect on team chemistry this past season because of his moodiness and selfish behavior, a source told MacMahon. The Mavs prefer to spend on either a combination of LaMarcus Aldridge and Tyson Chandler or DeAndre Jordan and a three-and-D wing player, MacMahon adds. That’s in part because the Mavs believe Chandler Parsons will be better off without Ellis’ on-court and off-court influence, as MacMahon details. Still, the Mavs are liable to change their minds based on unforeseen scenarios, just as they did when they decided to up their offer when they signed Ellis two years ago, MacMahon cautions. I looked further into Ellis scenarios when I examined the offseason ahead for the Mavs. Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:
- The Rockets have let Sergio Llull know that they’re willing to offer him a three-year deal worth $15-18MM, sources tell Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net. Houston GM Daryl Morey batted down a similar report from Javier Maestro of Encestando.es in March, but coach Kevin McHale recently made it clear that the team would like to sign the draft-and-stash point guard. Still, there’s a pricey $4MM buyout attached to Llull’s contract with Real Madrid, Varlas writes, adding that if Llull doesn’t end up in Houston for next season, the team would push to sign draft-and-stash center Marko Todorovic.
- Attorneys for Tim Duncan today requested that a trial in his lawsuit against a former financial adviser of his take place next summer so that he won’t miss playing time, tweets Guillermo Contreras of the San Antonio Express-News. That doesn’t necessarily signal that the Spurs star intends to play next season, only that he isn’t ruling it out, writes Express-News scribe Jeff McDonald, though it’s an interesting tidbit nonetheless.
- Chris Mannix of SI.com has heard Jarron Collins‘ name bandied about as a possible assistant coach for new Pelicans head man Alvin Gentry (Twitter link). Collins, like Gentry, has spent this past season as a Warriors assistant coach.