When Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers joined the team as assistant GM back in 2011, the organization had earned just one playoff appearance over the past 18 seasons.
In reality, Golden State was seen as a true laughingstock around the Association. It was playing in a run-down venue in Oakland, embattled owner Chris Cohan had just sold the team for $450 million and the Warriors had put up more 60-loss seasons than winning campaigns over the previous two decades.
Fast forward roughly 12 years and things have changed big time in Northern California. The Warriors are coming off their fourth NBA title in eight years, the organization is valued at a whopping $7.56 billion and is playing in a state-of-the-art venue in San Francisco.
Despite a pedestrian 23-24 start to the season, things seem to be going swimmingly for the former NBA Executive of the Year and his organization. At least, that’s how it was viewed publicly until an eye-opening report on Wednesday.
According to Anthony Slater, Marcus Thompson II and Sam Amick of The Athletic, there’s a good chance that the two sides could part ways this coming summer. The report points to Bob Myers’ contract expiring after the 2022-23 season with a financial rift existing between the front office head and Golden State’s ownership group.
“As the clock ticks and extension talks remain flat, many around Myers are wondering whether – and even predicting that – his days with the Warriors are about to run out,” report on Bob Myers’ situation with the Warriors.
The financial issues are real here. Rightfully so, Myers wants to be compensated among the highest-paid general managers in basketball.
While Warriors owner Joe Lacob told The Athletic back in January that he’s already one of the three highest-paid GMs in basketball, Myers apparently doesn’t see it that way. Per the aformentioned report, several people with knowledge of executive salaries around the NBA believe Myers is somewhere outside of the top five.
Related: Golden State Warriors standing in Sportsnaut’s NBA power rankings
Golden State Warriors situation with Bob Myers
There’s a lot of layers to the situation in Golden State right now. Four-time champion and future Hall of Famer Stephen Curry is seen as being very close to Myers.
With the Warriors struggling to keep their championship window open and Curry entering the back-end of his prime, there’s a belief that a win-now philosophy should be in the cards. That’s magnified with the likes of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green also a bit longer in the tooth.
On the other hand, Golden State’s ownership group continues to dole out a ton of cash in player salaries and is now overlooking the largest payroll in North American professional sports history. Including a record luxury tax, Golden State’s payroll is an estimated $359.2 million this season.
As for Myers’ future, there’s a belief that he might want to start anew with another organization. That is to say, an attempt to build up another title contender outside of the Bay Area.
Per The Athletic’s report, the Washington Wizards, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks are all worth monitoring as potential landing spots for Bob Myers. There’s also a chance that the Los Angeles Clippers get involved.
With that said, it seems to be unrealistic that Golden State’s brass would let money get in the way of extending Myers this coming summer.
An argument could be made that Golden State’s plans ahead of the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline could play a role in what happens here. The team is expected to be active. If so, that could signal Myers and the Warriors have come to some sort of an agreement behind the scenes. If not, the philosophical rift could actually exist.