A billion dollars for Durant?!?
https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/26933637/durant-free-agency-options-means-warriors
The finances and roster: With KD and without
The Warriors will be in the luxury tax even if KD leaves. The question comes down to how much they'll have to pay.
One scenario: The Warriors sign a league-record four players to max contracts by re-signing Durant and Thompson this summer and then extending Green on a max deal for 2020-21.
Warriors With Durant
SEASON SALARY TAX TOTAL
2019-20 $176.2M $203.5M $379.7M
2020-21 $180.2M $169.8M $350.0M
2021-22 $196.2M $231.6M $427.8M
2022-23 $203.2M $229.0M $432.0M
Total $1.59B
That is not a misprint. Keeping this team together and filling out the roster with minimum players, first-round picks, the tax midlevel exception and Kevon Looney on a three-year, $15 million contract would cost Golden State close to $1.6 billion in salary and luxury in the next four seasons.
With Durant on the team, Golden State will likely be rewarded the $9.2 million Disabled Player Exception if the NBA deems that the Achilles injury would hold him out until June 15, 2020. The exception would allow the Warriors to sign a free agent (or acquire a player in a trade or off waivers) to a one-year contract. However, using the full amount would cost Golden State an extra $68 million toward the luxury tax.
Keep in mind that the team was bought for $450 million in 2010.
The second scenario: There would be $960 million in savings by retaining Thompson and losing Durant, but the Warriors would still be hampered by restrictions in filling out the rest of the roster.
Warriors Without Durant
SEASON SALARY TAX TOTAL
2019-20 $139.7M $19.8M $159.5M
2020-21 $140.7M N/A $140.7M
2021-22 $153.7M $14.3M $168.0M
2022-23 $155.5M $5.7 $161.2M
Total $629.4M
In at least three of the next four seasons, the Warriors would still be in the luxury tax. The Warriors once again would need to rely on the draft and identifying bargains in free agency. There would be a consistent rotating door when it comes to the bench.
Comments
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Green, Iguodala, and Livingstone are all overpaid for what they bring to golden state at this point in their careers.
Move to the San Antonio model. Keep your 3 great core players in Klay, KD, and Steph together until they die of old age and then supplement with draft and role/gadget players that have lower salaries. Trade away anyone else who gets to expensive for draft picks. Looney is the perfect type of player for them too right now. -
Um Green is the best defender in basketball. Not during the regular season but playoff Green is a monster. He’ll probably end up over paid on his next contract but his current deal has been a steal.Houhusky said:Green, Iguodala, and Livingstone are all overpaid for what they bring to golden state at this point in their careers.
Move to the San Antonio model. Keep your 3 great core players in Klay, KD, and Steph together until they die of old age and then supplement with draft and role/gadget players that have lower salaries. Trade away anyone else who gets to expensive for draft picks. Looney is the perfect type of player for them too right now.
I think the Warriors plan, if KD stayed, was to do as you suggest. Durant’s injury changes that though. He’s never going to be the same player, no one ever has. They’ll never say it and they’ll offer KD the 5 year max but there’s no way they want him to sign it. -
Eh.... I think Green is a good defender, maybe great, but just not worth the price tag for a team that can score like GS. I think he has also lost a step from a year or two ago and is such a dead space on offense. IMO greens biggest asset to GS is his Rodman/pit-bull and aggressive attitude that clears space for the more “sleepy” GS stars to do their thing. But I’m working under the assumption you have to cut costs somewhere.allpurpleallgold said:
Um Green is the best defender in basketball. Not during the regular season but playoff Green is a monster. He’ll probably end up over paid on his next contract but his current deal has been a steal.Houhusky said:Green, Iguodala, and Livingstone are all overpaid for what they bring to golden state at this point in their careers.
Move to the San Antonio model. Keep your 3 great core players in Klay, KD, and Steph together until they die of old age and then supplement with draft and role/gadget players that have lower salaries. Trade away anyone else who gets to expensive for draft picks. Looney is the perfect type of player for them too right now.
I think the Warriors plan, if KD stayed, was to do as you suggest. Durant’s injury changes that though. He’s never going to be the same player, no one ever has. They’ll never say it and they’ll offer KD the 5 year max but there’s no way they want him to sign it.
KD, is it basically a coin flip if he will be great again? Even at a 10% chance he returns mostly to form you have to take it right? Most teams would mortgage their futures take a 10% chance of being the best team in the NBA for 5 years? -
As long as they can afford it, they will pay everybody
The NBA rules are stupid from a luxury tax perspective in trying to keep great teams together -
Not really. Shit teams like OKC won't pay it. You gotta pay to play. It's fair in that it let's us watch greatness if the owners want to do it.Tequilla said:As long as they can afford it, they will pay everybody
The NBA rules are stupid from a luxury tax perspective in trying to keep great teams together -
The revenue streams for the Warriors are way different than OKC
Nothing about the Warriors ownership has suggested to me that they’d break up a championship core because of $$$ -
OKC is locked into paying the tax for years.2001400ex said:
Not really. Shit teams like OKC won't pay it. You gotta pay to play. It's fair in that it let's us watch greatness if the owners want to do it.Tequilla said:As long as they can afford it, they will pay everybody
The NBA rules are stupid from a luxury tax perspective in trying to keep great teams together -
But there is a limit...is one guy really worth a billion dollars for 4 years (3 assuming he misses 19-20)Tequilla said:The revenue streams for the Warriors are way different than OKC
Nothing about the Warriors ownership has suggested to me that they’d break up a championship core because of $$$
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Does Klay possible knee injury play at all into the calculation? if its a severe knee ligament tear it could be 7-9 months of rehab time for him too?GDS said:
But there is a limit...is one guy really worth a billion dollars for 4 years (3 assuming he misses 19-20)Tequilla said:The revenue streams for the Warriors are way different than OKC
Nothing about the Warriors ownership has suggested to me that they’d break up a championship core because of $$$ -
Don’t think so cause even if you let either Klay or KD walk you are still at the cap and can’t sign a replacement and no way they let both walk. If I’m ownership I say if all 4 of Steph, KD, Klay and Green want max deals I gotta let one walk. The difference of a billion dollars to sign all 4 vs just signing 3 of those 4 is way too cost prohibitiveHouhusky said:
Does Klay possible knee injury play at all into the calculation? if its a severe knee ligament tear it could be 7-9 months of rehab time for him too?GDS said:
But there is a limit...is one guy really worth a billion dollars for 4 years (3 assuming he misses 19-20)Tequilla said:The revenue streams for the Warriors are way different than OKC
Nothing about the Warriors ownership has suggested to me that they’d break up a championship core because of $$$
