Warriors' big deal needs to be Myers
Bob Myers built this Warriors dynasty. He should see it out. As Golden State heads into a pivotal offseason, fraught with questions about the team's long-term future, there is one short-term decision that should be prioritized over all others: Myers, the team's president of basketball operations whose contract is set to expire in July, needs to be re-signed.
The Warriors' coaches and players were adamant that this season was not a “last dance” scenario – that while the 202223 team “maxed” out the season after winning a title, there is still plenty this core group can achieve together.
But there are a great number of moving parts to the Warriors' roster this offseason. Add to that a new collective bargaining agreement takes effect this summer and some of the rules might as well have been named for the Warriors, given that they were designed to limit spending.
This might sound ridiculous considering that this team won a championship less than a year ago, but turning these Warriors into true title contenders once again is a tall task. The Warriors would be foolish to have anyone other than Myers calling the shots.
Ultimately, the decision is up to Myers: He is not obligated to sign any new deal. He will wait until the last minute to sign anything, anyway, because that's when real business gets done in the NBA. A sabbatical is absolutely on the table for Myers. He's tired. At the same time, he loves his job. He'll have a better idea of which of those two forces should guide him in a few weeks.
But it's crucial that Warriors' CEO Joe Lacob and the team's ownership brain trust make it clear to Myers in their next contract offer that he is the best at what he does in the game; that the Warriors do not achieve dynastic status without him at the helm, nor will they will add to that lengthy list of accomplish
ments without keeping him in charge.
Or, in cruder terms: Show him the money.
I entered the 2022-23 season with a big-picture question: If Myers leaves the Warriors this summer, does the dynasty go with him?
A campaign's worth of ups and downs provided a clear answer.
Yes.
I don't think it would happen all at once, but if Steph Curry is the glue that holds this operation together, then Myers is the vice that keeps everything in place.
Things could get pretty messy without Myers around.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr has been open this season about his passion for coaching. It's a refreshing narrative, given his past health challenges and the fact that Kerr, like Myers, can do anything he wants in the basketball realm or beyond. Still, Kerr has sounded like someone who wants to follow in Gregg Popovich's footsteps, not just in effectiveness as a coach, but in longevity, too.
But Kerr is also close with Myers — they're a perfect match and their professional marriage is the league's gold standard.
If Myers goes, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Kerr re-evaluated his long-term goals upon the expiration of his current contract, which has two years remaining.
There has been plenty of speculation about CEO Joe Lacob's son, Kirk Lacob, taking over the top basketball operations job. Mike Dunleavy Jr. has some media backing for a takeover, too.
Given the level of input and power those two already have in Myers' administration — the Warriors' basketball department is run in a deeply collaborative manner — I am sure either of them could do the job.
But they are not Myers, who is great at the known responsibilities of his job, and downright brilliant at all the small things that aren't advertised but come with the gig.
If the Warriors keep Draymond Green around, is Lacob or Dunleavy going to come down from the stands and calm him down on the bench?