Having already gone through a franchise-altering last seven days, the Golden State Warriors now set their sights upon a free agency period that could ultimately make-or-break their championship hopes for next season.
The Warriors made their win-now intention blatant on Thursday, dealing youngsters Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr., Ryan Rollins and future draft capital for 38-year-old Chris Paul and the number 57th pick in the draft which they used on 23-year-old Trayce Jackson-Davis.
With only 10 contracted players so far for next season, NBA free agency shapes as a pivotal period for the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State must now double-down on their clear approach, firstly retaining one of their own key free agents before targeting cheap veterans who can contribute to next season’s title aspirations. Here’s everything you need to know from a Warrior perspective in the lead up to free agency.
Ins:
Chris Paul (trade to be confirmed)
Brandin Podziemski (Pick 19)
Trayce Jackson-Davis (Pick 57)
Outs:
Jordan Poole (trade to be confirmed)
Patrick Baldwin Jr.
Ryan Rollins (TBC)
Free Agents
Draymond Green
Donte DiVincenzo
Andre Iguodala
JaMychal Green
Anthony Lamb
Ty Jerome
Lester Quinones
Current Roster
Stephen Curry
Klay Thompson
Chris Paul (TBC)
Andrew Wiggins
Gary Payton II
Kevon Looney
Jonathan Kuminga
Moses Moody
Brandin Podziemski*
Trayce Jackson-Davis*
* Podziemski and Jackson-Davis are yet to sign contracts but General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. has confirmed they will both be on the 15-man roster.
Warriors’ own free agents
Draymond Green is without a doubt the most important free agent piece for Golden State, with all signs pointing towards the 33-year-old remaining at the franchise on a new multi-year deal. Losing the four-time champion would be a disaster given the Warriors have no capacity to replace his immeasurable impact.
Donte DiVincenzo has until July 29 to decide whether he’ll pick up his player option for next season or opt out and become a free agent. The latter is almost assured given the 26-year-old could command in excess of $10 million through the mid-level exception. The Warriors are limited to offering DiVincenzo just $5.4 million, meaning he’ll almost certainly depart the franchise after one season.
While not official, it’s expected that veteran Andre Iguodala will announce his retirement after 19 seasons in the league. The front office probably won’t challenge or lose sleep over the losses of JaMychal Green, Anthony Lamb, Ty Jerome and Lester Quinones if they find new homes, though the latter is still eligible for a two-way contract next season.
Acquiring rival free agents
As has been the case over the last few years, the Warriors are tightly restricted to what they can offer rival players when free agency opens. That’s even more so now with the front office limited to veteran minimums only, something that was confirmed by Dunleavy post draft.
Can Golden State convince a couple of worthy targets to take a paycut in order to try and win a championship? That will ultimately swing how we evaluate their free agency (assuming they re-sign Green), with the notion of ring-chasing vets certainly not hindered by the Poole-for-Paul trade.
Free Agency Window
Teams and players can officially start negotiations on Friday June 30 at 3PM (PT). Deals can be agreed upon in principle but cannot officially be signed until July 6.