The Golden State Warriors had an amazing season. How could you have a bad season boasting all that talent? Everyone who thought that perhaps the Warriors would take a year to figure out how to fit all that talent on the court, similar to the Miami super team, were flat out wrong.
Instead, the Warriors became a deadly team who went from playing great team basketball to playing amazing team basketball. But after being crowned champions, now we have come to a difficult off-season. Nine free agents are on the roster, and decisions must be made. But who do you cut from a team that just won everything?
Free agents
I'll divide the free agents into categories by position. For guards, we have Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and Ian Clark. For forwards we have David West, Matt Barnes, and James McAdoo. Leaving the centers: Zaza Pachulia, and JaVale McGee. How crazy is it that with all this talent, you could essentially start another franchise. But the important name left off this list is Kevin Durant. Although he isn't technically a free agent, he does have a player option that he could activate in order to get a payday. This would put the Warriors in a pretzel on what choices to make. Or would it?
No brainers
The most obvious choice here is to keep Stephen Curry. Hopefully, I didn't have to say that, but I felt it necessary anyway.
Beyond that, if Durant does happen to opt out, you have to re-sign him. I don't think he drops out solely because the chatter indicates that he won't, but in any event, if he does, it is with the intention of re-signing and not leaving.
Who else gets to stay
Now let me just say that I can't imagine any of the players wanting to leave Golden State.
The two names that are on the chopping block if Durant opts out is Livingston and Iguodala. This is problematic because although Durant, Curry, Thompson, and Green headline your starting five, this depletes the bench that you have built up that keeps teams like the Cavaliers at bay even when their starting five are on the court.
Iguodala, as shown in 2015, is entirely content with being a bench player. It is unusually rare to possess such a strong piece off the bench; only showing why Golden State can be so dominant. In the regular season, Iguodala averaged 7.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while averaging 26.3 minutes per game. At age 33, I can see someone paying a decent sum for his services. The good thing for the Warriors is that Iguodala has expressed that he doesn't need to start, or at least to play on the Warriors he doesn't. Perhaps he is selfless in the sense of playing time, but what about money?
Livingston, on the other hand, averaged 5.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while averaging 17.7 minutes through the regular season.
Another significant presence is spearheading the second unit, allowing the starters to get much-needed rest.
Although his statistics don't seem that earth shattering, Livingston is an incredibly talented player. He is unique in the sense that he plays at the point but is comfortable posting up and playing with his back to the basket. He can easily ignite the scoring sheet by backing down his opponents on the baseline and pulling up. We saw this in the finals a lot when he came off the bench. This is also not mentioning that he plays defense better than Steph Curry.
These talented role players would be sorely missed if the money situation didn't favor them this off-season. Perhaps we will see them take a pay cut to stay where they have not only found success in their playing careers but forged friendships off the court as well.
But I wouldn't be surprised to see a team swoop in for their services at a premium due to the raise in the salary cap.
The problem
On top of these two, Golden State has to divert attention to a slew of other names. I am assuming that players such as Matt Barnes, Ian Clark, and James McAdoo would return at a reasonable pay. Barnes especially because at this point in his career, if the Warriors would keep him at all, that would be his best move. Perhaps Ian Clark or James McAdoo would leave for more playing time or higher pay, and the interest would certainly be there. Although their skills are poised in a better light from playing on a great team and getting minutes that usually don't factor into the game, a market would exist.
One player, I could see leaving is Zaza Pachulia. He is non-restricted and may be able to get a payday someplace else. Although he has just secured a ring, perhaps more money is what he is after next. Not to mention that centers are a hot commodity nowadays. Also, he sees lots of competition from the likes of JaVale Mcgee.
JaVale McGee surprisingly is the player I would most expect for the Warriors to bring back. McGee has flourished in Golden State, and his production thus far certainly warrants more money. With that being said, the center is also the Warriors weakest position. Therefore finding a center who has revitalized his career in this team environment is more than likely worth holding onto.
Bottom line
Golden State has lots of decisions to make. Durant single-handedly solves a majority of them by giving them virtually one choice. However, that is a situation I'm sure the Warriors are hoping doesn't come to fruition. Either way, some cuts will most likely be made regardless. Out of all the names, expect McAdoo and Barnes not to make it back if cuts need to be made. However, with no picks in the draft, no new names should be coming in.
