Assuming Durant leaves...build next years team.

[KevinMcreynolds]

think we'll actually get Boogie back on a discount now, this will be our team

Steph
Klay
Dre
Dray
Boogie

Looney
Bell
McKinnie
Evans
Jones (wish we could cut ties, but we're stuck with him)

I'd add:
D. Powell (MLE)
Javale
McConnell
Rabb

+ our 1st round draft pick = 15

You need more than that at SF.

is SF even a position anymore? I mean Dre, Dray, Klay, Powell, Zo, Bell are all quick enough and big enough to play SF. These days lineups are basically:

PG
wing
wing
wing
big

[xdrta+]

think we'll actually get Boogie back on a discount now, this will be our team

Steph
Klay
Dre
Dray
Boogie

Looney
Bell
McKinnie
Evans
Jones (wish we could cut ties, but we're stuck with him)

I'd add:
D. Powell (MLE)
Javale
McConnell
Rabb

+ our 1st round draft pick = 15

You sure you want Cousins back on another long rehab project? I don't know about Iguodala starting, not sure how long that could hold up. Oh, and I predict Jones is the starting center.

[KevinMcreynolds]

think we'll actually get Boogie back on a discount now, this will be our team

Steph
Klay
Dre
Dray
Boogie

Looney
Bell
McKinnie
Evans
Jones (wish we could cut ties, but we're stuck with him)

I'd add:
D. Powell (MLE)
Javale
McConnell
Rabb

+ our 1st round draft pick = 15

You sure you want Cousins back on another long rehab project? I don't know about Iguodala starting, not sure how long that could hold up. Oh, and I predict Jones is the starting center.

I would start Powell over Dre. I just wanted to include him in the "I'd add" section.

Bringing back Boogie is low risk, high reward so I'm all for it.

Jones probably will be the starting C to start the year, which makes me a sad panda.

[nymets1]

Durant might come back I guess if you guys win the whole thing again or at least make the NBA finals. If somehow you guys didn't advance past the Clippers in the 1st round, He for sure gone.

[Coxy]

Steph/Livingston/Cook
Klay/Vince Carter
Ariza/Iguodala/McKinnie
Green/Looney/Bell
Cousins/Robin Lopez/Jones

+ Draft Pick.

[wco81]

I think this is becoming more likely now. Fact that he chose not to come back with the team and instead had surgery right away in NY may suggest teams have already told him they would max him out if he opts out.

Assuming he opts out, should the Warriors offer him a 5-year super max?

What would be the fastest way for the Warriors to recover enough cap space to get a quality wing? KD opts out and signs with another team and then Warriors get his cap space after next season?

Or will Klay and Dray's extensions keep them from getting any significant cap space back while Steph, Klay and Draymond are on their third contracts?


Or would the best option still be to try to re-sign KD, hope that he's at least 80% of the player he used to be and roll with that? Basketball-wise he may never be all-NBA again, but maybe be all star again. It would be a huge overpay if that turned out to be the case.

But there may not be any better options. Warriors don't need a 20-25 PPG scorer (assuming KD is at least that good) but they could need say a 12-17 PPG wing who can defend and hit at least 37-38% of corner 3s to try to stay in the championship window while Steph, Klay and Dray are in their primes.

If their salary cap situation doesn't allow them to sign such a player after Klay and then Draymond sign their deals, then overpaying KD may be the best option.

He would be a 7-foot knock down shooter, who may never defend like he used to, either on ball or at the rim. He may have the handles but he may not easily separate or be able to go to the hole with the authority like he used to. He may end up only being a top 20 player instead of a top 3 player.

Still worth $40-50 million or more a year?

[donkeylips]

It’s kd, he’s worth all the risk. I’d definitely max him out. Warriors won’t have cap space anyway. He risked everything for the warriors, not just with this injury but he knew the backlash he would get from joining the warriors. He gave us two rings and we probably wouldn’t have made it past the wcf without him.

[wco81]

OK but the question isn't should the Warriors offer him a max extension out of some obligation for past feats. He did leave about $72 million on the table according to Woj.

It's whether they should max him because it would be the best basketball decision going forward, while the Warriors core are still in their prime, still championship-level players.

Can the Warriors acquire a good enough SF starter and some depth given their cap situation? Or is KD, in all probability a highly-diminished KD, still the best basketball option to try to win more titles while they can?


They could offer him the max, like they did last year, and he could still leave. But hopefully they will only offer the max when they determine that he'd still give them the best chance to win more titles.

[superunknown]

offer him the max, maybe with a trade opt out if he wants to.
bring another wing who can spread the floor with the MLE, but that's something FO should do regardless of KD situation.
then draft a decent player, wing or SG or backup PG, who can contribute and not be sitting the entire year on the bench.
the team needed some depth anyway, especially players that can provide some shooting and/or scoring.

[jamesnamida]

If KD leaves,
Trade iggy and green + filler like Livingston for
Gordon Hayward and brown.
I love green and what he brings, but the warriors will not have enough offensive spacing to keep up with the top teams if we only have the mle.
Plus greens game won’t age well while curry and klay will. I wouldn’t write that 5 year max unless Durant was still here.
Hayward will be 100% by start of the season, provide good shooting, size and passing. Decent defense.
Brown will provide defense, athleticism and shooting off the bench.
Mle on a center.

Celtics want to foolishly move Hayward when he’s finally going to be good next season. He will flourish playing alongside curry vs the terrible Boston chemistry. They will want dray next to smart for a defensive tandem.

A lot More spacing and warriors would have to play more p n rs finally.
Death lineup:

Curry
Klay
Brown
Hayward
Looney/jones

[Samurai]

I think this is becoming more likely now. Fact that he chose not to come back with the team and instead had surgery right away in NY may suggest teams have already told him they would max him out if he opts out.

Assuming he opts out, should the Warriors offer him a 5-year super max?

What would be the fastest way for the Warriors to recover enough cap space to get a quality wing? KD opts out and signs with another team and then Warriors get his cap space after next season?

Or will Klay and Dray's extensions keep them from getting any significant cap space back while Steph, Klay and Draymond are on their third contracts?


Or would the best option still be to try to re-sign KD, hope that he's at least 80% of the player he used to be and roll with that? Basketball-wise he may never be all-NBA again, but maybe be all star again. It would be a huge overpay if that turned out to be the case.

But there may not be any better options. Warriors don't need a 20-25 PPG scorer (assuming KD is at least that good) but they could need say a 12-17 PPG wing who can defend and hit at least 37-38% of corner 3s to try to stay in the championship window while Steph, Klay and Dray are in their primes.

If their salary cap situation doesn't allow them to sign such a player after Klay and then Draymond sign their deals, then overpaying KD may be the best option.

He would be a 7-foot knock down shooter, who may never defend like he used to, either on ball or at the rim. He may have the handles but he may not easily separate or be able to go to the hole with the authority like he used to. He may end up only being a top 20 player instead of a top 3 player.

Still worth $40-50 million or more a year?

We can't offer a supermax; we did not draft him. The most we can offer is 5 years/$221M. The most another team can offer him is 4 years/$164M. This article breaks down the options:

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/26933637/durant-free-agency-options-means-warriors

[wco81]

Ok whatever is the max they could offer him.

[jaymo123]

Here's my lineup:

PG: Curry, Curry
SG: Thompson, Evans, Lee
SF: Ariza, McKinney; Iggy way off the bench
PF: Green, Jamychal Green
C: Robin Lopez, Looney, Jones

I made these choices because I think they will be the cheapest. Hoping Seth can be had on the cheap but he may not be an option. Ariza and Green could be had for the vet minimum as well as Lopez. Evans and Lee don't cost nothing, so put them in the backup role.
Iggy already said he is coming back, so you play Iggy 10 minutes to 15 minutes till late in the season. Use the 1 free spot to find a vet later in the season.

The dubs would add suitable starters or backup at the wing/PF position that bring toughness and shooting along with a starting center with who can finish around the rim, plays capable D especially on big's, passes and screens well, and has a 15 to 20 ft jump shot.

[wco81]

Doubtful those players will have to settle for minimum salaries.

[floppymoose]

Steph/Livingston/Cook
Klay/Vince Carter
Ariza/Iguodala/McKinnie
Green/Looney/Bell
Cousins/Robin Lopez/Jones

+ Draft Pick.

Trade the draft pick for Anthony Tolliver.

[Coxy]

Steph/Livingston/Cook
Klay/Vince Carter
Ariza/Iguodala/McKinnie
Green/Looney/Bell
Cousins/Robin Lopez/Jones

+ Draft Pick.

Trade the draft pick for Anthony Tolliver.

Trade anyone for Tolly Flop, ANYONE.

[Impuniti]

I'll take a shot...preference would be team 1 option. The basic premise is that Draymond Green's value is less next year and without Durant Warriors need more offense from that position.

Team 1 - Trade Draymond and Livingston to Cavs for Love....(Love has 4 years and Cavs will suck with or without him and want out from under contract....Draymond and Livingston are both 1 year left.
Find a way to keep Cousins one more year.

Curry, Klay, Love, Cousins as your core.

Team 2 - Trade Draymond and Iggy for Nick Batum and Tony Parker. Solves small forward and back up point spot.
As in team 1, get Cousins to stick around.

Curry, Klay, Batum and Cousins...move Looney to PF and Damion Jones at backup Center.

Lebron, is that you?

[Impuniti]

- KD leaves
- Boogie leaves
- Shaun retires
- Bell leaves
- Evans leaves

+ Ariza joins
+ Robin Lopez joins
+ Rudy Gay joins
+ a guard that can score
+ pull a Bell for another player during the draft


The team needs to have some scoring so teams get punished for making an entire system to let all 3 other people shoot except for Curry and Klay.

[Bandito]

Hoping KD signs the 5 year max. I think it gives us the best chance to win 2 or 3 more rings over the next 5. Even if he misses all of the 2019/2020 season.

Would love to see the Warriors trade up for Bol Bol if he slips to the mid 1st. With his shooting he can fill as a role player early on, has a lot of long term potential. And an Ariza type 3 and D wing in free agency would be great.

[superunknown]

what happened to all the "veterans willing to take a paycut to have a chance to win a title" ?
this doesn't work anymore nowadays?
for years, there've been players doing this for several contenders. out of a sudden nobody is willing to leave some money on the table to play for a contender like the warriors?