Keeping The Band Together (If Possible)

The default for any championship team is to run it back. After all, you just crested the mountaintop on the backs of the squad you had; why not give them another chance to recreate the same magic? But circumstances sometimes lead to different outcomes, and for the Golden State Warriors this is precisely what occurred. Gone are Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica. Jettisoned are Damion Lee and Juan Toscano-Anderson. In their places are Donte DiVincenzo, JaMychal Green, and rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins. The circumstances in question that precipitated this? Finances, for the most part. Joe Lacob and the ownership group finally saw a luxury tax number that they balked at, and the consequences were clear: GPII and OPJ lost to richer contracts than the Warriors were willing to give out, and JTA and DLee’s roster spots freed up to look for more playable options. The most important question that many Warriors fans were asking after the dust settled was, what does this mean for next offseason? After all, a number of critical players are reaching the ends of their existing contracts at the same time, including Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and Draymond Green. If the Dubs aren’t willing to approach the $400 million payroll + luxury tax threshold, does that mean one, or more, of these players will be gone next year?

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