Crucial weeks lie ahead as the Golden State Warriors try to keep their glorious NBA dynasty alive, with key players facing uncertain futures and the man who makes things tick behind the scenes edging towards the exit.
The Warriors battled their way into the playoffs during a challenging regular season, but they fell well short in defence of their NBA title, being eliminated by LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the Western Conference finals.
With their season over, attention has turned to the future of the franchise and things could soon look very different on and off the court in the Bay Area.
Of head coach Steve Kerr’s most important players, Draymond Green is the man most likely to depart. Despite declaring his allegiance to the team after their playoff exit, the power forward has a $27.6million (£22.2m) player option that would allow him to test the free agency market this summer should he choose.
The Warriors face an ever-increasing salary and luxury tax bill heading into next season and with Klay Thompson nearing the final year of his contract – with $43.2m (£34.1m) due in 2023/24 – awkward conversation and difficult decisions are likely to take place in the weeks and months ahead.
However, the man involved in those crucial matters could be on his way out of the organisation, too. The Athletic reports the Warriors and Bob Myers, the president of basketball operations, are no closer to agreeing a contract extension and there is a growing sense that his time with the team is coming to an end.
Myers joined the Warriors in 2011 before being promoted to general manager in 2012 and he has overseen the creation of one of the best NBA rosters in history, with Steph Curry, Thompson, Green et all delivering four NBA titles over the past decade.
With 48-year-old Myers’ contract expiring on June 30, he may well be into his final weeks with the franchise, and it could be a hugely significant period with Green and Thompson’s long-term futures among the most pressing issues.
There are also question marks over Jordan Poole, who performed well in the regular season but went missing in the playoffs, with suggestions he could be moved on to get the Warriors’ wage bill in check.
And then there are Kerr and Curry, who will both want to have their say on how the team proceeds after a disappointing year by their incredibly high standards.
So while Myers’ days as the main man behind the scenes in the organisation may be numbered, he could still have one more defining impact on a team he has built expertly over a glorious decade.
