The future of the Warriors
The Golden State Warriors don’t need an introduction anymore, because we all know how great they were these past years and how much of a dynasty they created in the Bay Area… even those who don’t necessarily follow the NBA on a daily basis know that. But, given the fact that every beginning has an end at some point, so will be the success of the best team in the history of NBA. This season, this is all they’ve got left in their tank with this roster, and maybe they will make the three-peat happen, but coming into the next year, things will look very different, as it may be the first year after many in which the Warriors will not be the number one favorites by a mile to win the championship by the start of the season.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will likely stay there long term, as they self declared that they are committed to play their entire career in San Francisco. Klay will get the max contract this summer and that’s a lock, but the question that still remains there is what’s Draymond going to do. He still has a contract until 2020, so when it will end, he is going to want that max contract too, and many are thinking that he will not get what he wants, at least not from Golden State. This week he signed with Klutch Sports, a new agency that have LeBron James and Anthony Davis as their clients, and this is not necessarily saying that he will make a move in the near future, but it may be a hint that he wants to try something new, or explore other possibilities. We all saw in this week of action that clip with Steve Kerr saying to an assistant coach that he is “tired of Draymond’s ****” and I don’t think that is something that comes as a shock, because we all know what type of a player Green is. This isn’t a reason why Draymond is likely to leave, as things like that happen very often between teams, but they are not caught on camera. Demarcus Cousins won’t be there also, as he wants to be paid much more money than he is at the moment. This was a very good opportunity for him, though, to recover from an ugly ACL injury… there’s no place better than in Golden State to come back after a season ending injury, because the load management isn’t that high, as he don’t have to be the main go-to guy. Andre Iguodala will be 36 years old coming into next season, while he will enter in his last year of the contract, likely being his last one with the Warriors. The biggest loss though will be Kevin Durant, without a doubt, as he was and still is a major factor for their success in the past two years, winning two NBA Finals MVPs. When the moment will come and he will reportedly choose his next team, whether it’s New York or any other team, the Golden State Warriors dynasty will officially come to an end, and that will be a very happy day for a lot of fans and people around the league, not to mention the players.
So the Warriors will remain with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and maybe, just maybe, with Draymond Green, but given their recent success and the unselfishness of their star players, the odds are high that they will pick up another great superstar if they have to. It will be kind of satisfying to see the West open again for the NBA Finals spot, and hopefully the game will be more balanced, as “the villains” will become part of the history.
