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NBA’s newest format may not particularly motivate the Golden State Warriors

By Peter O'Keefe

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 18: Andre Iguodala #9, Stephen Curry #30, Draymond Green #23, and Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors pose with their championship rings in front of a championship banner during a ceremony prior to the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center on October 18, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 18: Andre Iguodala #9, Stephen Curry #30, Draymond Green #23, and Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors pose with their championship rings in front of a championship banner during a ceremony prior to the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center on October 18, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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The NBA will introduce the new In-Season Tournament next season, with the Golden State Warriors drawn in Western Conference Group C alongside the Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.

There’s plenty of question marks surrounding the validity of the new format, one that will see a round-robin group of games before the top teams of each group and two ‘wildcards’ advance to the knockout Quarter-Finals.

Will the Golden State Warriors be incentivized by the prize money of the NBA’s new In-Season Tournament?

The prize money will begin at the Quarter-Final stage where each player on a losing team will win $50,000. Players whose team are knocked out at the Semi-Final stage will win $100,000, losers of the championship game will win $250,000, and a $500,000 prize will be awarded to members of the tournament-winning team.

With no other incentive involved, what sort of pull is the In-Season Tournament going to have for the Warriors’ veteran players? Four of the Warriors’ top six — Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Chris Paul — will enter next season at least 33-years-old. Each of those players have also made, or will have made by the end of their current contract, in excess of $250 million.

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The quartet aren’t going to be motivated by money at this point of their career — for Curry, Thompson and Green, it’s about further cementing their legendary careers with a fifth NBA title. For Paul, it’s about adding that piece to complete his indelible résumé.

The Warriors’ younger players — namely those on rookie contracts in Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis — are likely to be more incentivized by the prize money on offer. However, they’re also bench players who aren’t necessarily going to have a great say in how far Golden State go.

Group games will take place on Tuesday and Friday nights between November 3-28. Sure, they’ll double as regular season games to go towards the win-loss record, but any player with a slight injury issue, particularly as a veteran, isn’t about to push through pain for the sake of the In-Season Tournament.

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This is an ultra-competitive group of players — perhaps the tournament format is more than enough to motivate them. Still, rest assured that the prize money, and the tournament as a whole, won’t be taking precedence over the ambitions of winning the championship at the end of the season. The Warriors won’t be alone in that mindset, making the tournament an interesting subplot to the season in how it’s received among teams and fans.

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