Retooling Warriors Roster
This past year, there has been no shortage of rumors regarding soon-to-be free agent forward Kevin Durant. With suitors like the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Brooklyn Nets, KD has a plethora of choices to choose from, and could very likely be leaving the Dubs this offseason. So, what will the roster look like without KD next season?
The Core
Out of the five players on the starting lineup, only Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are under contract for next season. Curry is a mainstay and still has four years remaining on the supermax contract he inked last summer for a record-setting $201 million. Green's situation is slightly more difficult. He has one year left on his contract, which means that the Warriors are not under pressure to sign him to a new deal this offseason. However, Green is up for an extension next summer during free agency. If Green happen to win Defensive Player of the Year or places on an All-NBA team, he would be eligible for the supermax contract next summer. Unfortunately, the Warriors are already into astronomical luxury taxes, thanks to their lavish spending on Durant, Curry, Thompson, and Green. Signing Green next summer would cause a enormous hit on the salary cap. If the Warriors opt to keep Durant and Thompson by signing them to huge deals in free agency, then Green could potentially be a casualty next summer. During the regular season, he also showed significant signs of decline (although Green has picked his game up in the postseason), so it might not be worth the while to sign him to a supermax extension next summer.
Durant and Thompson are both on the free agency block this summer. Luckily for GSW's front office, Thompson did not make an All-NBA team this season. If he had vaulted into a position on the First, Second, or Third teams, then he would be eligible for a supermax extension. Clearly, Thompson wants the max this offseason, and if the Warriors had offered him anything less than the supermax, Klay might have bolted for LA or some other team. Currently, the max for Thompson figures to be around 180-190 million, which is not as much of a salary cap hit as it could have been. He will likely be resigned during free agency. Durant on the other hand, is a moot point. The lanky forward has been courted by a multitude of teams and rumor has it that he will not be in town next season. Currently, it looks like he will leave, but only time will tell.
The last remaining member on the starting lineup is Demarcus Cousins. Cousins is a talented scorer and a great center, but he succumbed to injury yet again in the second game of first round playoffs. Boogie made a comeback in Game 1 of the NBA finals, but injuries have insofar heavily plagued his season with the Warriors. While he is productive when he plays, it will be a challenge for him to remain completely healthy for 82 regular season games and another run at the championship next season. That being said, the Warriors would most likely still want to retain him because he provides a valuable scoring punch, whether that will be on the bench or in the starting lineup. Keeping him at an affordable contract such as the one he has currently will be a challenge because the Dubs do not have much contract money available for him. However, not many other teams will be interested in him due to his excessive injury streak in the past years or so.
Consensus: GSW keeps Curry, Green, and Thompson, loses Durant, but brings Cousins back on a team-friendly contract
Bench Mainstays
If the aforementioned situation works out, the Warriors will have a solid base of four starters and potential all-stars. For the bench, Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala will serve as great plug-and-play and defensive options, if the two of them do not retire after this championship run. Alfonzo McKinnie has played some great basketball, and his contract should be guaranteed. Jacob Evans III and Damian Jones will be back for another run, and Jordan Bell wants to stay with the Warriors. That brings the roster number up to ten. The Warriors are likely to bring Quinn Cook back, and hopefully, Kevon Looney. The third-year forward out of UCLA has played great defense and showed impressive steps forward on offense, which will be a concern for the Warriors in free agency. Looney will be offered richer contract sheets than the Warriors can afford and at this time next season, he will likely be on another roster. However, if Looney wants the chance to continue to grow and learn with the team that drafted him, he could resign this offseason at a price that the Warriors can afford.
Consensus: Jonas Jerebko and Andrew Bogut will not be back, but the rest of the Warriors rotation will be.
Free Agency
The Warriors play a very small-style of ball, and it is no secret that they have had some matchup difficulties with bigger teams in the past few years. Kevin Durant added a lot of length to the team, but with him gone next season, they will need to fill their roster up with athletic, long forwards and quality centers. Dewayne Dedmon, Trevor Ariza, and Willie Cauley Stein could all be potential options. There are also veterans chasing rings who could potentially be interested in signing with the Dubs
The team should be able to find quality players on two-way contracts (ie. Damion Lee) from the ranks of the G-League. If they do find a diamond in the rough like Alfonzo McKinnie, the Warriors could also be set up with another high-energy bench contributor.
The 2019 NBA draft also has a lot of potential to help the Warriors fill out their roster. At their draft position of No. 28, they can draft SGs like Ty Jerome, Nickeil Alexander Walker or SF Matisse Thybulle, KZ Okapala, or Talen Horton-Tucker. Who knows? Maybe another team like the Bulls two years ago will be willing to shop a pick to the Warriors for a few million dollars.
Projected Depth Chart
PG
Stephen Curry
Shaun Livingston
Quinn Cook
SG
Klay Thompson
Ty Jerome
Jacob Evans
SF
Trevor Ariza
Andre Iguodala
Alfonzo McKinnie
PF
Draymond Green
Jordan Bell
Kevon Looney
C
Demarcus Cousins
Damian Jones
Dewayne Dedmon