Even with Stephen Curry in the final stages of his career, the Golden State Warriors are still expected to look for veteran star talent.
After all, both the Warriors and Curry have been upfront about their desire to remain competitive for the rest of his NBA tenure.
With that in mind, Golden State could emerge as a candidate to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns next summer. That is, assuming he opts out of his player option with the New York Knicks.
In a recent article from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Golden State was named as a team that would ‘get in line’ for the championship-winning big man, should he opt to test out free agency.
“If Towns isn’t extended, he could opt out and enter free agency,” Windhorst detailed. “There definitely are teams — starting with the Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers and Atlanta Hawks — that would probably line up to make big offers. This is what other teams are studying with the Knicks.”
The Warriors would need to get creative in order to open the cap space for Towns. It’s worth noting that Jimmy Butler is in the final year of his contract with Golden State. The Warriors could also look to move on from Kristaps Porzingis to create the necessary cap space for Towns.
Towns And Knicks Remain At An Impass
Towns is eligible for a contract extension worth up to $276 million. However, given the Knicks’ current roster and James Dolan’s directive to avoid the second luxury tax apron, negotiations have stalled.
Interestingly, the Knicks have decided to pause extension discussions until after the season. While that wouldn’t normally be an issue, the fact that Towns learned about that choice through the media adds another wrinkle.
“It was news to me,” Towns told reporters upon learning of the Knicks’ decision. “Very disappointed to say the least. Let’s state the obvious: It’s business, but there is business on the court for us to handle.”
If New York and Towns can’t reach a middle ground, opting out to explore free agency might be his best bet. Of course, that’s where the Warriors could swoop in to partner Towns with Curry moving forward.
Warriors Value Jimmy Butler
It will be interesting to see how the Warriors navigate Butler’s impending free agency, too. Especially if Towns is on the open market. According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the franchise still values the veteran forward, despite his recent ACL injury.
“Though the market views an injured Butler as a negative value on an expiring $56.8 million deal, general manager Mike Dunleavy still sees him as an essential part of the next few years,” Slater reported on Thursday.
The NBA is still a business. If parting ways with Butler leads to landing Towns, Mike Dunleavy would likely do what needs to be done.
Of course, all of this is speculative.
Until Towns and the Knicks sit back down, no one knows how any of this is going to play out. It is fun to think about a Curry-and-Towns tandem, though.
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