Warriors Could Lose Key Piece Of Championship Puzzle: Report

Getty The Golden State Warriors celebrate their 2022 NBA Championship.

Over the last decade, the Golden State Warriors have risen to NBA royalty. The Dubs have won four NBA Championships and made six NBA Finals appearances, all with the same core group of talent. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green will all go down as Warriors greats when their playing days are over. Head Coach Steve Kerr and General Manager Bob Myers have also been driving forces behind the team’s success.

According to a recent report from the Athletic, it sounds as if Golden State may see one of those key pieces walk out the door.

On January 25, Anthony Slater, Marcus Thompson II and Sam Amick published a story that hinted at a possible exit from Myers over the summer.

The Golden State general manager’s contract is set to expire in July.

“As the clock ticks and extension talks remain flat, many around Myers are wondering whether – and even predicting that – his days with the Warriors are about to run out,” the group wrote.

Slater, Thompson, and Amick, explained that sources around the league said that Myers believes he is due for big pay day.

“For all the nuance that surrounds the situation, this much is clear: team and league sources, who like all of the sources in this story were granted anonymity so they could speak freely, say Myers believes he should be among the highest-paid front office executives in the league, if not the highest,” the group said. “He’s been the architect of four NBA title teams, was the lead recruiter in the Durant free agency signing, and has been the trusted conduit between players, coaches and ownership.”

Possible New Pastures For Warriors’ Myers

If Myers was to walk away from the Dubs this summer, it sounds like he’d have plenty of teams willing to open up the checkbook.

“According to sources close to the situation, Washington (Wizards), Phoenix (Suns), and New York (Knicks) are all worth monitoring as possibilities,” The Athletic reported. “Meanwhile, the recent focus in front office circles, where Myers’ situation has become a hot topic, is on the (Los Angeles) Clippers. They have the richest owner in all of professional sports in Steve Ballmer, the 66-year-old former Microsoft CEO with an $83 billion net worth who has taken the blank-check approach to his title pursuit since buying the team in 2014.”

The trio of writers then hinted that Myers’ post-Warriors life may not involve basketball at all.

“Bottom line: it’s far too early to tell where Myers might land if he leaves the Warriors, or if he’ll remain in the NBA at all. Sources close to Myers have also left open the possibility he could pursue opportunities outside the sport,” they hinted. “That would give credence to the idea Myers may leave the Warriors because of burnout.”

Chances Draymond Green Leaves Warriors Are ‘Pretty Strong’: Source

Myers may not be the only member of the Warriors championship core that finds a new home this summer. According to sources who spoke to Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports in December, the chances that Draymond Green leaves the Dubs when his contract expires are “pretty strong.”

“Pretty strong,” a Western Conference executive said of Green’s chances to leave the Warriors. “If they win a championship again this year, there will be pressure to keep things together, but the stuff with the punch [on Jordan Poole] in the preseason, that probably put the nail in it. There was already a good chance he would go just because his production is not what it was and he is getting older [32]. It would be hard to justify paying him $20-something-million a year.”