Golden State Warriors’ Free Agency Silence Signifies Changing Times

There was once a time not long ago when NBA free agency would be a brief period of hope for Golden State Warriors fans.

However unrealistic, it represented an opportunity, a chance for the forever mediocre Warriors to add new, better players, land a prized free agent, and dig themselves out of misery.

Most of the time, the hope was short-lived — like a bipolar patient going through a period of mania before falling into depression — as the Warriors would either overpay (Corey Maggette, Derek Fisher, Ronny Turiaf) or come up just short (Elton Brand, Gilbert Arenas, DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard).

Doesn’t it feel good — for once — to think that if the Warriors did absolutely nothing in free agency this offseason, they would still be considered the top team in the West?

That’s the beauty of winning a championship, the envious ability to sit back on your heels and say, “Why change what works”?

For once, the Warriors don’t have to look at their roster and wonder what they have to change to match Team X. For once, everyone is looking at the Warriors and wondering how they can emulate or match up with them.

May 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors players celebrate with the western conference championship trophy after defeating the Houston Rockets in game five of the Western Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Strange feeling, huh?

For once, the rest of the Pacific Division is in disarray while the Warriors are sitting pretty, like Kermit the Frog sipping tea.

The Clippers, the Warriors’ biggest division rival, just lost DeAndre Jordan and now are desperately trying to cobble together a starting big man in the likes of JaVale McGee or Amar’e Stoudemire. So much for the charm of GM Doc Rivers.

The Suns, who risked it all in their pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge, trading away Marcus Morris, Reggie Bullock and Danny Granger just to clear cap space, signing Tyson Chandler to appease Aldridge and even going so far as putting a gigantic billboard of the former Blazers’ big man in downtown Phoenix, were ultimately out-wooed by Gregg Popovich and the Spurs.

Now, they’re left with second-tier free agents, overpaying an aging Chandler, and won’t be serious contenders in the Pacific anytime soon.

The Kings are like the Warriors of old, desperately flinging money at any free agent of value, and, to their dismay, watching several (Wesley Matthews, Monta Ellis) turn them down despite Sacramento offering more than other teams. They settled with signing Rajon Rondo to a one-year, $10 million deal that will only end with Rondo bolting town next season and overpaying second-tier free agents Marco Belinelli and Kosta Koufos because, well, nobody wants to play in Sacramento.

What’s more, we haven’t even mentioned the lopsided trade of the decade in which the Kings gave up two formidable veterans, last year’s lottery pick Nik Stauskas, and a future first round pick for cap space — cap space that they happily threw at anybody with a pulse.

Mar 7, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (right) walks back to the bench after head coach George Karl (left) called timeout against the Miami Heat during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won in overtime 114-109. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Good luck working with that, George Karl — if he even lasts 10 games before DeMarcus Cousins pushes him out. What a mess.

And the Lakers, once proud owners of the mecca of basketball on West coast, where free agents would once beg to play, are suddenly striking out on target after target. They failed miserably to make an impression Aldridge, lost out on Greg Monroe to the freaking Milwaukee Bucks (seriously, when a free agent chooses Milwaukee over Los Angeles, that’s when you know you have issues), and sheepishly traded for Roy Hibbert, who Indiana was desperate to dump anyway. Three years may not be enough job security for Jim Buss.

Warriors GM Bob Myers, meanwhile, has plenty of job security. The work he’s put in the last few years have allowed him to prop his feet up this time around, and merely watch as literally every other team in his division has self-imploded and gotten worse.

He’s definitely still making calls — rumors had the Warriors interested in Belinelli and they are linked to Wayne Ellington — but it wouldn’t be a big deal if they wound up with no offseason acquisitions.

That’s the beauty of being NBA champions, the beauty of being the hunted instead of the hunter. By virtue of not doing anything in the first three days of free agency, the Warriors have already seen their chances of running away with the Pacific Division for the second straight year increase measurably.

Yep, times have changed for the once-miserable Golden State Warriors.

Next: What This Championship Means