Forget the forecasts of next year’s $500 million payroll. Bob Myers wants to get through this season first.
Barring a last-second roster move before Tuesday night’s opener, the Warriors will enter 2022-23 with a $359.7 million salary cap and luxury tax bill. That number will jump in 2023-24 following the four-year extensions signed by Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins this weekend, which will begin that season.
“It’s yet another example of our ownership being committed to winning at the highest level,” Kerr said. “(Team governors) Joe (Lacob) and Peter (Guber) have just year-in and year-out consistently put us in a position to win. Spent more money than any ownership group in the history of the league. The commitment starts from the top.”
But how high will Joe Lacob go? Back in June, he told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami that it wasn’t “remotely possible” to see roster spending exceed a $400-million threshold. Welp, that glass ceiling appears like it’ll be breaking next summer. There is no spending limit in the NBA and the Warriors don’t seem deterred by the looming luxury tax penalties, which are supposed to be guard rails against ostentatious spending.
“I’m well aware of what the numbers are,” Myers said, “but what I would say to everyone is that that’s next season. … A smart man once told me, never make decisions until you have to."
The Warriors have some astronomical salaries for their homegrown championship core for 2023-24, starting off with max players Steph Curry ($51.2 million) and Klay Thompson ($43.2 million). In the first year of his new deal, Poole ($31.2 million) will slot in as the third-highest paid player, one spot above Draymond Green. Wiggins is estimated to make a team-friendly $24.3 million in the first year of his extension.
While Lacob was fined $500,000 for his comments regarding the NBA’s luxury tax and repeater penalties applying to players drafted, developed and retained by the franchise, Myers took a more diplomatic approach Sunday.
“That’s been spoken of and I’m going to tread very carefully there,” Myers said. “I’m not gonna get what into what the rules should and shouldn’t be. The rules are the rules.”
Green’s situation is slightly different than his teammates’, as he holds a $27.6 million player option for 2023-24.
“It’s a great position for a player to be in,” Myers said. “You control your own destiny.”
Myers also added that Green punching Poole had no impact on any contract negotiations. Poole and Wiggins are locked up through 2026-27, though Wiggins' final season of his deal comes in the form of a $30.2 million player option.
The Warriors and Chase Center are a cash cow at this point. There’s a lot of hype around the reigning champs and a repeat doesn’t seem out of the question. Lacob is investing into his product and another deep postseason run would only deepen the pockets in 2023.
Not to mention the NBA is expected to have a new media deal in place before the 2025-26 season, which will give teams more money to spend. The current cap sits at $123.7 million and the luxury tax kicks in at $150.3 million. The 2025-26 cap could jump to $171 million, according to Forbes.
That’s a lot more wiggle room in the future. When it comes down to it, Lacob simply needs to bite the financial bullet as he invests into his team, and take heat from the league for his lavish spending the next two seasons before getting some air.
In other words, Checkbook Wins galore for Golden State the next few seasons.
“I’m lucky that we have very competitive owners that support winning at a high level,” Myers said.
