Resigning Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson could be the Warriors’ biggest gamble

Financing three max contracts and more

Should both Thompson and Durant extend their deals that would take the Warriors luxury tax payments flying past $350 million (per Yahoo Sports) and committing long-term deals to the duo would leave the Warriors cap strapped with a potentially declining roster.

In normal circumstances, there would be few complaints that keeping Durant and Klay is the right call. But both players are searching for long-term contracts in a combined region of $400 million that’s without factoring in a potential Draymond Green extension in 2020.

Achilles and anterior cruciate ligament injuries are often believed to among the worst injuries an athlete can suffer. It is hard to envisage a scenario where both Thompson and Durant can return to the peak of the powers, especially after missing an estimated year of action.

The Warriors were cap strapped in the 2018-19 season as shown by their lack of free agency activity and inability to avoid the luxury tax by paying five All-Stars. This left many holes in the roster and those deficiencies were exposed to the fullest by the Raptors.