GM Myers looking at future, not fast help
After the first losing season under his tenure, Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers emphasized his goal in the upcoming NBA draft is not necessary to fill an imme - diate need, but rather to draft for the future.
“There’ s no Tim Duncan, where the guy is a senior and he is going to be great automatically and you win now and win for the next 20 years,” Myers said during a virtual news conference Wednesday. “I think you owe it to the organization to build towards the future if there’s not an obvious win-now guy. If the win-now guy helps win four regular-season games, then
what’s the point of that?
“When you’re talking win now, for us, you’re really talking about winning in the playoffs, and what rookie is going to come in and help you win now in the playoffs?”
Myers, who has been at the helm for five NBA Finals appearances and three championships since he was hired in 2011, will guide the Warriors in a pivotal offseason that could determine whether or not they return to title contention after injuries and departures sunk them to a league-worst 1550 record. The first major decision comes Nov. 18, when the Warriors will select second overall in the NBA draft.
Having spent the last few weeks visiting potential picks in person, Golden State’s front office is on track to make the maximum 10 allowed in-person visits. So far, the Warriors’ top executives have met with consensus top picks James Wiseman, Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball, along with other projected lottery picks Deni Avdija, Tyrese Haliburton and Isaac Okoro.
“We still are allowing ourselves time to really
firm up our board,” Myers said. “We’ll make (our decision) Wednesday night. When they call our name, we’ll decide.”
With a championship core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in place, the Warriors are open to trading the No. 2 pick and acquiring contributors or other assets in the process of moving down in the draft. Conversations with other teams haven’t led to any concrete offers, Myers said, but he expects trade talks to start ramping up after teams are allowed to complete deals starting Monday.
“More stuff in the last few weeks in the last few days,” Myers said of trade offers. “But we haven’t had a lot in terms of, ‘ We’ll give you X, Y, Z.’ ”
In addition to the top draft pick, the Warriors have the trade exception created by trading Andre Iguodala to Memphis last summer that they can use to absorb a salary of up to $17.2 million. While that’s a valuable tool, expected to expire Nov. 27, the financial impact of the pandemic could curb ownership’s willingness to spend more on a roster that is already expected to cost $50 million in luxury taxes.
But this week, the NBA informed teams that tax payments will decline in proportion to the league’s revenue at the end of the season. The Warriors are expected to use the trade exception if the right player becomes available.
“If something makes sense, we’ll do it. If it doesn’t we won’t,” Myers said.
Though Myers has ideas of who he would target with the trade exception, the options will be dependent on what other teams do during the abbreviated offseason. If there’s a three-team trade that begins to materialize, the Warriors could swoop in and take an unwanted salary for the right compensation.
“A lot has been written about players we would go after and possibly compensate a team for,” Myers said, “but what if there’s a player that will get you a first round pick and we take this guy, so it’s very, very fluid.”
For example, if the Phoenix Suns offer Kelly Oubre and Ricky Rubio along with draft compensation to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Chris Paul, the Thunder could re-route Rubio’s $17 million salary to Golden State, and Myers could ask for a future first-round pick in return for the trouble.
Whoever is acquired with the draft pick and trade exception will join Curry (returning from a broken hand), Thompson (returning from ACL surgery), Green and Andrew Wiggins, along with centers Marquese Chriss and Kevon Looney, and secondyear forward Eric Paschall as key parts of the rotation. But as Myers acknowledged, “We need more depth.”
They will also have the mid-level exception worth $5.7 million and minimum contracts to offer veterans in free agency. With the second, 48th and 51st picks in the draft and 13 players already under contract, the Warriors aren’t expected to have enough roster spots for two second-round picks. According to Myers, they could opt to draft and stash a prospect overseas, or sign one of the picks to a twoway contract.
All of this will be happening within days before training camp opens Dec. 1, when Warriors players will begin preparing for a season set to begin Dec. 22 — nearly nine months after their last game of the 201920 season.
Players and staf fers around the NBA have expressed concern for how to prepare players for a 72game regular season after a hurried preseason. Especially for teams, like the Warriors, that have not played since March. For Myers, however, any excuses expired with last season.
“The bottom line is by the time next year’s season matters, we would have played enough,” Myers said. “However we start off — good, bad or in the middle — if we’re not ready for the playoffs it’s not going to be because we played in the bubble last year or not.”