Win whatever cost. And the cost, in this case, literally means how much it is going to cost the defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors to retain its star-studded lineup. The good news for the Dubs fans, however, is that the Warriors general manager Bob Myers has reportedly been given the go-signal "to do whatever it takes" to keep their stars.
This latest scuttlebutt spells trouble for the rest of the NBA. If the Warriors can, in fact, keep their star players, then they would be poised to continue their championship run for the next few years.
The Warriors have already signed Stephen Curry to a massive 5-year 201M deal that guarantees that the two-time MVP would be in a Warriors uniform until the 2021-2022 season. Draymond Green is under contract through the 2019-2020 season, and there's no doubt that Myers would move heaven and hell to keep the Dubs heart and soul.
These two players are key components that keep Golden States' engine running. And while Curry and Green alone, at least on paper, are seemingly enough to keep the Warriors in contention in a tough Western Conference, having the All-Stars Klay Thompson, Kevin Durrant, and DeMarcus Cousins no doubt make the Dubs the odds-on favorite to win it all.
However, keeping these All-Stars will be more difficult (translation: it's going to cost the team more than an arm and leg and it's going to make the IRS very happy) than it sounds. In an ideal situation, these players could simply take a "hometown discount" like Kevin Durant did when he re-signed the last off-season.
Durant opted out of his contract to become a free agent and turned down $26.2 million. This allowed Warriors to not only forge a new deal with the two-time NBA Finals MVP, but it also allowed Golden State to keep Andre Iguodala in the fold.
KD is definitely worth a max contract and taking a contract way below his worth shows that he values winning. But then again, that's all in the past. Durant can sign a five-year $221 million extension if he chooses to and he would be well within his right if he were to demand it.
Klay Thompson, the other half of the Splash Brothers, is in line to receive a 5-year $190 million extension. The good news for Dubs fans is that the reigning NBA Three-Point Shootout king is open to the idea of taking less money. Add it to the fact that Thompson's father Mychal recently declared that he is confident that Klay would "retire in the Warriors' uniform." The elder Thompson, however, threw in a bone for contention saying that the Warriors front office will be willing to shell out more cash to in order to keep Klay.
Assuming Golden State signs Durant and Thompson to max deals, it would be needless to say that the Warriors luxury tax bill would be enormous as they already have Curry on a super-max deal. And then, there's still the All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins.
Cousins has just returned from a serious injury, but his last two games clearly showed that he's still got the goods. That being said, keeping Cousins in a Warriors uniform would be both easy and difficult at the same time. And much of it would depend on Cousins himself.
The Warriors can only offer Cousins about $6.4 million since they only have Boogie's non-Bird Rights. Other teams could simply lure the big man with a 4-year $140 million max contract and the chance of him staying in Golden State would be gone. On one hand, an opportunity to acquire a championship ring (or rings if Cousins decides to stay) would be irresistible for any player, on the other hand, it would certainly be difficult to walk away from more than $100 million.
However, there is a way to keep Cousins for the long haul. Cousins can sign a one-year contract and then the Warriors can re-sign him the next season when Cousins becomes eligible for a long-term contract in 2020. In theory, this would be the best route for Cousins if he wants to remain with Golden State. However, it is risky especially for a player just coming off a serious injury.
While it certainly is going to be a challenge to keep these All-Stars, the Warriors supporters should be glad that Bob Myers will be leading the charge to retain their stars. After all, Myers was instrumental in acquiring Andre Iguodala, the NBA's ultimate Swiss knife and the 2015 NBA Finals MVP.
Myers was also heavily involved in recruiting Kevin Durant and later DeMarcus Cousins. For the casual NBA fans, Myers it seems can make miracles happen. And if anyone could persuade these stars to remain in a Warriors uniform for a couple of years more, it would be Bob Myers.
