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The Warriors are back at the top of the NBA.
This status, once unimaginable for this organization, has become so commonplace that forward Draymond Green called the NBA Finals the “Warriors Invitational” Thursday night after Golden State’s fourth title, and sixth appearance in the championship round, in eight years.
Because this year’s Warriors championship was not expected, every reason will be given between now and next June as to why the Dubs will be title winners for a period.
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But there’s no reason to believe the Dubs can’t win again next year.
“I feel like next year we’re going to be even better,” Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins said Saturday.
You are probably right.
Let’s start with the surprising but verifiable fact that when Green, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry start every game of a playoff series, the Warriors have never lost.
No, not a series.
That’s a streak that goes back to the 2015 playoffs. And until that streak ends, you’d be crazy to pick against the Warriors.
With the veteran core of this team, an impressive young core, and Wiggins emerging as one of the best forwards in the NBA, the Warriors are poised for success, not just for next year, but for many years to come.
Still, while the Warriors are built for perennial success, building in the Bay is expensive, and prices continue to rise.
How the Warriors handle this upcoming offseason will go a long way in determining whether they can get back together or return to the group.
The main impediment to the Warriors repeating as champions next year is green. No not the player, I’m talking cold hard cash.
The Warriors have seemingly infinite funds, but we may be getting closer to the moment we find the limit. They’re likely to set an NBA record for payroll next season, above $350 million this season, and that will be the case even if they don’t bring back every member of this championship team.
As of today, Golden State is well over the NBA’s luxury tax threshold with just the contracts they already have on the books for next season. They’re so deep into the tax that they’ll probably have to pay $6 on top of every $1 they spend this off-season.
So buy all the hats, t-shirts and trinkets you can find, Warriors fans. Joe Lacob, the CEO of the Warriors, will rely on that additional income to keep this team together.
Curry, Green and Thompson are locked in for a few years yet, no need to worry about that.
But there’s a good reason Wiggins and Jordan Poole shot a video in the Warriors’ locker room after they won the title in which they proclaimed they were about to “get a bag.”
Of money, that is.
And they are not wrong.
Wiggins, 27, is entering the final year of his five-year contract, signing with Minnesota and being traded to Golden State in 2020. A fair extension would keep Wiggins on his current salary, but after this exceptional performance in the playoffs and finals, he wouldn’t be out of line to ask for a raise.
“I would love to stay here,” Wiggins said. “Being here is top notch.”
Negotiating a new deal could be tricky for the Warriors because Jordan Poole, who broke out last season, also owes a contract extension. The Warriors have until Oct. 17 to agree on a new deal with the rising point guard. Otherwise, he will become a free agent in a year.
Poole had a historic postseason run for a 22-year-old and, as such, could make up to $20 million per year under the new deal. The Warriors shouldn’t have to choose between the two, but that doesn’t mean paying off both players will be easy.
With the Warriors’ luxurious tax situation, you can see exactly how much it costs to win.
One would have to imagine that the Warriors’ property, even with all the additional revenue from the playoffs and the Chase Center being an ATM for the team, will hit a spending cap at some point.
Anyone can guess when that day will come, but every off-season, deals are handed out for the next five years. We may get our answer soon.
In the meantime, addressing Wiggins and Poole’s contracts should be the team’s top priority. But regardless of what happens with those negotiations, they are also not in danger of losing for next season.
The same can’t be said for Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II and Otto Porter, who were crucial in this postseason and deserve raises.
Maybe those raises will come from other teams. Perhaps the Warriors are helped by a less-than-robust free-agent market.
The good news for the Warriors is that even if they lose any of those top three players, they have three young players who could theoretically take those jobs. Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody both played positive minutes for the Warriors this postseason. They both have a bright future.
The Warriors also expect James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, to play in 2022-23 after missing last season with a nagging knee injury.
The Warriors organization could have created a perpetual winning machine.
Whatever the Warriors’ veteran core loses in the next few years, the Warriors’ young players will get it back. All while Wiggins and, hopefully, Looney (26) and Payton II (29) remain the team’s constant metronomes and eventually become the veterans.
It costs a lot to maintain, but if this is the price of winning championships, the bills will be paid.
So the question isn’t whether the Warriors can win another title next season.
No, the real question is how many more can they add before Curry and company hang up their shoes?
I wouldn’t put a limit on it. Not yet.
Because the Warriors could pay. Betting against them doesn’t.