The standard rules of roster and salary cap management no longer apply to the Warriors. While that has been true since Kevin Durant made his announcement on July 4, 2016, it became even clearer this summer when Nick Young came aboard for the taxpayer mid-level exception and general manager Bob Myers signed the trio of David West, Omri Casspi and JaVale McGee for their respective minimums.
In the first 18 months of this new reality, the players most affected have been veterans. After all, every team needs to devote resources to young talent and the front office has done well to both identify and develop players who will provide energy, control and cost certainty moving forward.