NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 potential destinations for Taj Gibson
By John Buhler
Golden State Warriors
West, Pacific
Could the best team in basketball get better? You better believe it, as the Golden State Warriors could conceivably have the cap room to land a player like Taj Gibson in unrestricted free agency. Of course, that would require Kevin Durant to take about $4 million less next year to keep playing for the juggernaut Warriors.
Golden State will obviously re-sign point guard Stephen Curry and retain Durant should he inevitably opt out of the second-year of his two-year deal with the club. While shooting guard Klay Thompson and power forward Draymond Green won’t hit free agency for a few years, this is a make-or-break time for the Warriors to bring back forward Andre Iguodala and backup point guard Shaun Livingston. Can they do it?
Expect Golden State general manager Bob Myers to try to bring the whole band back together for 2017-18. However, they could look to upgrade their frontcourt rotation. It seems that big men Zaza Pachulia and David West are merely rentals. If Golden State manages the cap perfectly, they could theoretically afford Gibson to come in for the mid-level exception. More likely, he could take the veteran’s minimum and ring chase for a year.
Gibson could make significantly more money signing elsewhere, but he would have his best shot at winning a title next year if he joins the Warriors on a one-year deal. This team is stacked, but would look for some muscle in the frontcourt. Gibson may be too young to ring chase at 32, but we have to believe that the Warriors will pursue someone like him or Zach Randolph this summer to improve around the rim.