30 teams in 30 days: Golden State Warriors offseason preview

Fresh off of their second title in three years, the Warriors are poised to be a once-in-a generation team for years to come. They took advantage of last summer’s cap spike better than anyone could have imagined and now the rest of the league has to catch up to them.

Technically, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, the Warriors’ two best players, are free agents this summer, but nobody expects either one to even take a meeting with another team. Durant has only been in Golden State for one year, which means he’s a Non-Bird free agent. Non-Bird free agents can be re-signed for up to 120 percent of their previous salary and retain their status, but if Durant wants his full $35.35 million max this summer, the Warriors would have to renounce his rights and sign him as if he had played for another team last year. This would break the bank and force Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala out of town, so Durant has already indicated that he’ll be willing to take less to keep the band together.

How much less will depend on where exactly the salary cap falls — the lackluster playoffs may have had such an impact on league-wide Basketball Related Income that the cap could fall from the $101 million that has been projected. As things stand, Durant will leave $3.5 million on the table, but every dollar the cap drops makes that difference smaller.

Read More: Cavaliers offseason preview

The second question with Durant will be the length of this contract — it behooves Durant to take another two-year contract with a player option. That way, Durant can lock in $65.3 million, just in case something goes haywire, but he can opt out and get paid his full max next summer.

Curry will be eligible for the new Designated Veteran contract, which means he can receive up to 35 percent of the salary cap instead of the 30 percent usually reserved for players with seven to nine years of experience. Curry’s five-year max will therefore start at $35.35 million and rise 8 percent every season, culminating in $46.7 million in 2021-22. The $205 million Curry will receive will be the largest contract in NBA history, though others this offseason may match his record if they return to their teams on full max deals.

Assuming Durant takes a two-year contract with a player option on the second year and Curry takes his $205 million, the Warriors would have $105.5 million on the books for next season.

The Warriors will be just $14.5 million from the $121 million luxury tax line (which could also fall as a result of the cap falling), but that won’t be a concern for them like it is for other teams. The Warriors are the best team in the league and have a real chance to win a multitude of championships over the next few years. Things are going to get expensive, especially once Durant takes his max and Klay Thompson and Draymond Green get paid, but Golden State should be able to print enough money in their new arena — which opens in 2019, one year before Green will need his max contract — to keep up with the massive luxury tax penalties incoming.

Bob Myers has already earned his Executive of the Year honors for the next few seasons on the back of what he’s been able to put together in Oakland, but he’ll really earn his keep this summer in negotiations with Livingston and Iguodala. The Warriors have full Bird Rights on both players, but that doesn’t mean they want to break the bank to keep those guys in the fold. Livingston and Iguodala certainly have negotiating power, as the Warriors would be unable to replace them if they were to leave, but it’s not like Golden State doesn’t have some chips on their side of the table as well. After three years of being on one of the greatest teams in NBA history, where would these guys go that would give them a better experience? Unless Myers comes to the table with an offensively low offer, both will be back in Oakland next season.

The length of these contracts will be important to monitor, as neither of these guys are getting younger and the team is getting more and more expensive with each passing season: Curry this year, Durant next, Thompson after that and Green in 2020 will all need those max contracts.

Assuming Livingston and Iguodala are back, the Warriors will still have a few holes to fill, notably at center. All three of Zaza Pachulia, David West and JaVale McGee are free agents after signing one-year contracts with Golden State last summer. They’ll have minimum contracts and the mini mid-level exception to bring in talent, which they can either use on their incumbent centers or on someone else willing to take a pay cut to come run with the Dubs. $5.2 million doesn’t go very far these days, but Golden State can stretch it as far as anyone since they’re already prohibitive title favorites for next season.

Outside of that, the rest of Golden State’s moves will serve to increase their depth with guys who can soak up minutes when their stars are out of the game. Ian Clark in particular played a big part for the Warriors off the bench and will have to be replaced. Pat McCaw might be able to step into that role, but a veteran guard would be a good fit just in case McCaw doesn’t take that step forward.

Next: Sending Serge Ibaka our best free agent offers

The Warriors are perfectly built to contend for titles for a long time, assuming ownership is willing to foot the bill. Their stars’ contracts are spaced out just right to give each one a raise in a separate summer; they won’t have to choose between two of them unless Joe Lacob and his consortium become increasingly unhappy with the high payroll and luxury tax costs. As they were able to do this year with West and Pachulia, veteran talent will flock to the Bay Area to take a smaller contract in exchange for a very good shot at a ring, which helps the Warriors refill their bench each summer when guys are out of contract. While they won’t have much in the way of a big free agent over the next few years, they’ve got all they need to compete for the foreseeable future.