NBA Finals 2017: 5 reasons the Warriors repeat as champions
By Connor Learn
2. Veterans will take less money to chase rings
When Kevin Durant made the Warriors the favorites to win this title last summer, they filled out their roster with veterans who signed for well below market value to help them chase a championship. Zaza Pachulia signed for roughly $10 million below market value and David West and Javale McGee joined for the veterans minimum salary. All three bigs played capably in their roles and capable role players will be important in their efforts to repeat next season.
McGee, Pachulia, and West will all be free agents again this summer. Their other players with expired deals are Matt Barnes, Ian Clark, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and James McAdoo. Three of those players received regular minutes and played steady roles, and replacing them would become major obstacles if they left. Iguodala in particular is a glue guy who would be nearly impossible to replace. He has made nearly $119 million in his career and may not be seeking a larger payday elsewhere, however.
There will be a number of players who could find the idea of joining the Warriors intriguing. Vince Carter, Raymond Felton, Randy Foye, Taj Gibson, Gerald Green, Kyle Korver, Jason Terry, P.J. Tucker and Deron Williams all profile as veterans who would take less money to come play a role in the Bay Area. Their own vets might opt to return and this could be a moot point as well. Either way, Golden State will be filling out their roster with relatively cheap older players in July and August.