Which free agents should Warriors prioritize keeping?
The Warriors have nine free agents coming off this title year and plenty of incentive to keep a good chunk of them.
The free-agency clock starts at 3 p.m. PT on Thursday. And pressure is on Bob Myers and the front office to glue the best parts of this title-winning team back in place — or find worthy replacements.
Majority owner Joe Lacob has made clear that winning championships justifies a loose budget. So that $400 million payroll Myers, the Warriors’ president of basketball operations, threw out after last season as something of a maximum budget will most likely be within reach heading into the 2022-23 season. The Warriors paid a recordsetting $350 million last year and are deep in the luxury tax and repeater tax zone with no reason to cut back yet.
“There is a limit, it’s not limitless,” Myers said. “I would like it to be limitless, but trust me, it’s not. You’ve got to have some constraints on a salary.”
The Warriors have the Core 3 — Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green — on the books along with Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins set (though eligible for extensions). But re-establishing the supporting cast is crucial. Here’s the priority list heading into free agency. Kevon Looney
The 26-year-old went from oft-injured player to the Warriors’ ironman after playing all 104 games in the 2022 season. That included a pivotal playoff performance in which he gave the Warriors a huge rebounding edge over their bigger, physical opponents.
Looney’s value skyrocketed as he solidified himself as a foundational part of the team. His presumed heir, James Wiseman, their seven-foot No. 2 overall pick, sat on the bench injured for the entire season and still has to earn a spot as a starter in his third NBA year.
And now the Warriors have to make a choice. Do they spend big on Looney or let the unrestricted free agent walk and find a new center market in free agency? Or do they go allin on a healthy Wiseman season in 2023?
Expect Looney to be a priority re-signing for the Warriors, but other teams with cap space to play with could make his return complicated. The Warriors have Looney’s Bird rights, so they can match whatever offer Looney gets, but a team like the Indiana Pacers, with ample cap space, could technically pump up the offer to a place the Warriors may not feel comfortable matching.
“Thankfully I hope that our players will give us a chance to respond to an offer,” Myers said. “They don’t have to. They don’t owe it to us. But that’s what you get if you win and you create a good environment. You might get a chance to match something.”
Gary Payton II
Payton established himself as one of the best perimeter defenders in the
NBA — quite a journey for a 29-year-old who spent most of his career toiling between the end of the bench and the G-league. It’s a Cinderella story for Payton, who should get paid well in his eighth year in the league.
Payton’s perimeter defense skill is hard, if not impossible to find on the free-agent market. He’s a true difference-maker on defense who became an essential part of Steve Kerr’s playoff rotation and a huge loss when he fractured his elbow during the semifinals. Golden State may make it a priority to keep the gem they discovered for themselves.