Golden State Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob joined general manager Bob Myers on the podium Tuesday afternoon as the latter announced he’ll be leaving the organization after 12 seasons.
One of the architects of the Warriors’ dynastic run over the past decade, Myers’ importance to the organization can’t go unnoticed. Lacob touched on that in more ways than one from San Francisco Tuesday afternoon.
The highly-successful co-owner also talked about Golden State’s future beyond Myers after the team suffered a premature exit in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Lacob’s comments came within the context of a question regarding changing cap rules under the new NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement and how they might play a role in Golden State’s roster building. The comments were rather interesting.
“I am not going to comment on the roster because, the truth is, we have a lot of work to do. And we have time. We have until the draft and free agency, which is a month away. We’re going to win no matter what. I don’t care what thee rules are. We are going to figure out a way to do it,” Joe Lacob said about the Golden State Warriors’ way forward.
Lacob is not wrong as it relates to the work Golden State has to do. First off, the organization must find a replacement for Myers within the next month. His contract expires at the end of June. Right now, VP of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr. is seen as a favorite to land the job.
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Golden State Warriors offseason plans
Outside of that, player decisions must be made. Star forward Draymond Green has a player option for next season. He’s more than likely going to decline it and hit NBA free agency in July.
Fellow four-time champion Klay Thompson is entering the final season of his current contract. Thompson would presumably like to be extended this summer on a max contract. Retaining both core players to team up with franchise cornerstone Stephen Curry would create a payroll and luxury tax approaching $500 million for the 2023-24 NBA season.
The good news? Lacob and fellow co-owner Peter Guber are not afraid of the tax bill. They are willing to spend to keep the Golden State Warriors’ championship window open.
The bad news? There are other decisions that must be made to keep said window open. Assuming Green, Thompson and Curry return to the Warriors for another season, finding a supporting cast better than the iteration they saw last season must be in the cards.
Youngsters Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga might be moved during the summer. Meanwhile, the Warriors will likely be active in finding another star on the trade block. They continue to be linked to big names.
While the loss of Myers is going to hurt Golden State, Lacob’s comments from the podium Tuesday afternoon should calm some nerves. He helped oversee one of the greatest franchise turnarounds in modern professional histroy, and he’s willing to keep it going by investing more cold hard cash regardless of the new NBA financial rules.