The Golden State Warriors have taken the NBA by storm over the past four years. Golden State has won three NBA Championships in that span, and they are favored to win the title yet again this year. They broke the record for wins in a season, a feat that many thought was impossible. However, all good things must come to an end. The Warriors could see their roster split up after this season, and here are some of the reasons.
Players leaving to build their own legacy
Ever since their run of dominance has started, Klay Thompson has lived in player’s shadows. He is one of the best three point shooters in history. He could be the best player on half of NBA teams, but he just might be the worst player in Golden States starting lineup. Draymond Green wants to show that he can lead a team on his own. Although, he has been ridiculed as being too emotional. He is very competitive, and he is looking to be the best at what he does. However, I can not imagine him riding the coat tails of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant his whole career. Kevin Durant needs to win a Championship with a sub-par roster to prove he is among the best to ever play. Although, he will go down as one of the best, to be with the names of Jordan and Kobe, he will have to leave Golden State.
Building up the bench
The Warriors without a doubt have the best starting five in the NBA, but they will look to add depth to the bench this offseason. Without a good bench, your stars are out on the floor more than they should be. It could lead to fatigue, or even worse, a serious injury. Golden State has veterans Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston leading the bench this year. They are thirty four and thirty three years old. The Warriors will need to find players to replace them soon, and the price of quality players is skyrocketing.
Not being able to re-sign starters
Klay Thompson’s contract is over after this year, and he will look to make big money. Some teams would be willing to give the four time NBA All Star a max contract. He has been a key piece to the Warriors success over the past four years. They would love to see him re-sign with the team, although Thompson could have other plans. The other superstar on the team that could leave after this season is Kevin Durant. He made headlines by signing with Golden State in the 2016 offseason. Many people seen it as a weak move by Durant, saying that he joined a Warriors team that broke the record for most wins in a season, to chase a ring.
Others, Not Staying For Long
Durant has accomplished his ultimate goal as he’s gotten a ring in both years since he has joined the Warriors. He has a player option next year, meaning that he could choose to stay with the Warriors. However, if he chooses to re-sign, he will be owed 31.5 million dollars next season. The newest addition to Golden State is Demarcus Cousins. He signed a one year deal with the Warriors in the offseason. The four time All-Star will look for a bigger contract next year, and it will be virtually impossible to re-sign all three of the superstars while staying under the salary cap.
Big stars = Big attitudes
Draymond Green is one of the most competitive players in the NBA. The downside to that is that often times, he is highly emotional. Add in Kevin Durant and Demarcus Cousins, and it gets even worse. Durant and Green were both in the top three in technical fouls last season, and Cousins was fourteenth on the list. Last week, Durant and Green had an altercation on court at the end of regulation in this video. The altercation escalated into the locker room, where they held a team meeting to talk about the direction of the team moving forward.
Payroll Problems
It would take a miracle for Golden State to pull off re-signing Cousins, Durant, and Thompson all in one offseason. Add in that Stephen Curry is the highest paid player in the NBA, and it gets even harder. The Warriors will likely either let one of the stars walk away, or trade one of them before the season ends to clear up cap space. Thompson has been the one taking the pay cuts to stay on the team, and it’s safe to assume that will come to an end this offseason.
They Can’t Keep Everybody
Cousins signed a way-below-market contract heading into the season. It was only worth 5.3 million dollars, and was a huge bargain for the Warriors. He will not look to sign a contract that cheap for the 2019 season. From what we’ve seen this season, Durant looks as if he doesn’t want to be with the Warriors next season. He doesn’t look like he’s having fun or enjoying the game much. It has become evident that Durant joined this team just to get his rings and build his legacy. Furthermore, there will be a handful of teams in the Durant sweepstakes next season, but the Warriors will not be one of them.
It was a good run Golden State. They will continue to have success, but they will not look as dominant as they have in the past in 2019