The Golden State Warriors are about to hit that period where it all can come crashing down, or it can look as if nothing happened at all. The results of the 2016 NBA FA period have already begun to take shape as the Warriors that we know are no longer the same. Some may say for the better and others the worst but this season will be downright interesting.
What will transpire this season, either a championship or not will have no effect on their decisions entering the 2017 FA period. The Warriors will have major decisions to make, and that’s the price you pay for continued success. First order of business is Stephen Curry. The NBA must be re-signed unless the Warriors believe they can do better in the open market or draft. How much will Curry services cost them? If the rumors are true, and he is the best player in the NBA, that LeBron James’s 3/$113M deal will be shattered come July.
There is no doubt they will fork over the money, but the key is not to let him pull a Kevin Durant and allow any other team access to their franchise player. Come the first day of signing, Steve Kerr and gang must be holed up in his house with a contact and blank check if they wish for their success to continue. Then you have Durant, who has an option at $27M if he opts in that put the Warriors in a world of trouble because they still must sign Andre Iguodala.
It’s no secret that Iggy is as valuable to the Warriors success and any of the starters. There wouldn’t be any championship to gloat over if he wasn’t on the team. This is the Finals MVP, the man who helped changed the landscape of the series with his defense on James, but the Warriors may be in danger of losing his services. Iguodala will earn $12M this season, but what will he demand in 2017?
Iggy is 32 years old, and while he offers a unique skill set, he is no longer the player that can get into the lane and throw a nasty one down in your face. But, what the Warriors must look into is Iguodala as a possible replacement if Durant decides or is forced to leave. In all fairness to Durant, the Warriors have won without him, but they haven’t without Iguodala. If Durant were to leave then resigning Iguodala becomes priority #2 right after Curry.
If you’re going to break the band up, at least break the new one up and not the old.