The offseason is here and the free agency market is about to begin, so there are all kinds of trades and signings. For the Warriors, there is a good chance that they will have a big change this summer, and the roster will also change a lot.
As of now, the Warriors have basically decided to drop the two veterans of Thompson and Paul, which will greatly reduce the salary pressure on them next season. It is worth mentioning that Thompson and Paul alone have an annual salary of more than $70 million this season, of which Thompson is more than $40 million and Paul is also more than $30 million.
In addition, Curry, Wiggins, and Green are all highly paid, so the Warriors' total salary this season exceeds $200 million, ranking first in the league, so they also have to pay a high luxury tax, reaching $176.9 million, which also leads the league. The Warriors, despite paying a big salary price, have had a terrible record, not even making the playoffs, the worst of the eight teams that have paid the luxury tax this season. The other 7 teams, in addition to the Green Army, which won the championship, the other 6 teams were basically out of the first round, but at least they all made the playoffs.
In addition to the Warriors, the Clippers also paid $142.4 million in luxury tax and ended up in the first round. The Suns paid $68.2 million in luxury tax and were swept out of the first round. The Bucks paid $52.5 million in luxury tax, also a first-round exit. The Green Army paid $43.8 million to win the championship and become the biggest winner of the season. The Nuggets paid $20.2 million in luxury tax and exited in the second round. The Heat paid $15.7 million in luxury tax and exited in the first round. The Lakers paid $6.9 million and were also out of the first round.
The Warriors paid so much luxury tax and didn't even make the playoffs, which is really hard to be satisfied with. With several key players entering the end of their careers, the Warriors' competitiveness is also declining, and it is becoming more and more difficult to win championships. In such a situation, the Warriors are likely to choose to avoid taxes or even rebuild completely.
After giving up Thompson and Paul, the Warriors' total salary will drop significantly next season, and the luxury tax will also be cut significantly. Of course, if there is no additional reinforcement, the Warriors' strength next season is also average, and it is very likely that they will miss the playoffs again. After a decade of glory, the Warriors are now at a crossroads and are bound to go through a period of pain.