By signing Draymond Green to a one year contract rather than a multi-year deal on Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors have already set their sights on a big 2027 offseason where they project to enter free agency with significant cap space.
Franchise superstar Stephen Curry has a big say on that cap space, and the decision to sign Green for just one season gives the two-time MVP an even clearer path to sacrificing in a way we just saw with LeBron James' move to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
Stephen Curry has obvious path to LeBron-style sacrifice
If you take out Kristaps Porzingis' $20.5 million deal which is only guaranteed for $3 million, the Warriors currently have less than $45 million on their books for the 2027-28 season, and that includes player options for Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton which they may opt out of.
That's nearly $130 million below the projected salary cap, nearly $170 million below the projected luxury tax line, nearly $180 million below the first tax apron, and almost $195 million below the second apron.
In other words, Golden State could go on a shopping spree to completely reshape their roster. However, much of that will come down to Curry who, as of August 29, will be eligible for a two-year, $136.7 million extension. Taking the max will obviously eat significantly into the Warriors' cap room.
If Curry wants to remain with the Warriors and wants to be on a contender, he may need to follow the James route of taking significantly less. That's not to say he should completely go down to the minimum like James just did with the 76ers, but even taking half the max and taking $30-40 million annually could make a major difference on who Golden State could acquire.
Curry's potential sacrifice could make Warriors' fans nervous
This plan to offer the Warriors ultimate flexibility and cap space requires Curry to bypass an extension next month, and enter free agency next year where he could theoretically join another team.
We just saw that with James who departed the Lakers after eight seasons, before finally landing on Philadelphia as his next destination. Curry reaching free agency might make some fans nervous, and even some within the organization, but the key difference is that Curry has a much longer and stronger connection to Golden State than James did with Los Angeles.
Curry can take the money on a big extension next month and no one should begrudge him, but his best chance at winning another championship at the Warriors is to take a major paycut at by which point he'll be 39-years-old.
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