Retaining Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant would cost Lacob $155 million

The Golden State Warriors will be well into the luxury tax if they opt to give both Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant max contracts.

There’s no denying the fact that Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant played huge roles for the Golden State Warriors this past season. Without them, the Warriors weren’t able to claim the NBA Championship for a third-straight season.

That said, the current plan is reportedly to re-sign both. That’ll be difficult to do, assuming they both want max contracts. For majority owner Joe Lacob, that could mean opening the checkbook to numbers the NBA has never before seen.

Per ESPN’s cap expert Bobby Marks, re-signing both Thompson and Durant would add $155 million to the team’s tab. They’d owe $168 million in payroll and then the $155 in luxury tax.

Re-signing Thompson and Durant would keep the Warriors big-four core in the Bay. While it would come at a cost, majority owner Joe Lacob’s net worth is $3 billion, and if he desires to keep this team together regardless of cost, more power to him.

We don’t even know if re-signing is in Durant’s plan. He is expected to have other long-term, max-contract offers as well. We do know what Thompson, according to his father, will ‘no question’ sign with Golden State if they offer a long-term max contract which they’re expected to.

The Warriors are at a crossroads.

Durant has already been ruled out all of next season.

The Warriors would theoretically be surrendering next season for the sake of the future if they re-signed the four-time scoring champion.

Durant’s Achilles’ tear is expected to be an 11-month rehab which could mean he comes back late in the playoffs if Golden State makes it that far. For Thompson, his torn ACL is expected to be an 8-month rehab which means he’d likely come back following the All-Star break.

WIth Curry and Green still in their primes, wasting the year to be surefire champions in 2021 may be worth it.