Who are the Warriors’ upcoming free agents?
If you haven’t heard by now, the Golden State Warriors are your 2017 NBA champions (and I’m impressed with you).
The party will rage on in the Bay Area for a while, but Warriors brass has a few immediate items to manage over the next month or so. The NBA draft is next week, and free agency opens July 1, when the new collective bargaining agreement will also go into effect.
The Warriors have several critical free agent situations on tap this summer, and though their key players are expected to stay put, here’s a quick breakdown. The majority of the team’s veteran role players will hit the open market.
Upcoming free agents
Kevin Durant: Durant, the Finals MVP, holds a player option for next season worth around $27.7 million. He can opt out and become an unrestricted free agent, or re-negotiate with the team. He’s probably not going anywhere, regardless.
Stephen Curry: Curry just finished the final season of a contract that was widely considered the biggest bargain in the NBA (he made just over $12 million last year) — and enabled Golden State to sign Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to long-term deals, not to mention maneuver enough to add Durant last year. Curry’s expected to receive a significant raise, and likely a max contract. Under the rules of the new CBA, Curry will be eligible for a contract worth more than $200 million.
Andre Iguodala: Still a pivotal role player for Golden State at age 33, Iguodala seems likely to re-sign following another Warriors title, but the team may have to get creative in order to settle on a contract number. Given how much he’s meant to the team, it would be a surprise to see him elsewhere next year, although he’s likely to have other suitors who could offer him more money.
Shaun Livingston: At age 31, Livingston remains a big part of the Warriors’ success given his smarts and defensive versatility. He made nearly $5.8 million this season. There’s incentive for him to stay put, but like Iguodala, he should have other suitors who can offer more than Golden State.
Zaza Pachulia: The oft-maligned center is also 33, and took considerably less money to play for the Warriors this season.
David West: At age 36, West will have another decision to make about his future. He could conceivably stay on a one-year deal.
JaVale McGee: The 29-year-old McGee will hit the open market after a season that rejuvenated his career.
Ian Clark: Clark signed a one-year-deal last season and at 26 looks like a candidate for a bigger contract somewhere.
James Michael McAdoo: The little-used bench piece is still 24 years old, but it’s difficult to project what the market would be for him at this stage.
Matt Barnes: Now 37 years old, Barnes remains one of the league’s true journeymen and could really wind up anywhere.
