Golden State GM Myers addresses Warriors free agents

Share

They are favored to win it all, and maybe they will. Perhaps, as some speculate, they will flame out in the postseason.

Either way, watching the rebooted Warriors often leads to a nagging question:

Is this a one-and-done roster?

Not if general manager Bob Myers is able to work some summer magic.

“We’ve got 10 free agents; there are a lot of balls to juggle in the offseason,” Myers said Friday on the Warriors Insider Podcast. “That’s good, though, because I think we’ve developed a culture where players want to stay.”

Kevin Durant arrived last summer and can opt out this summer, though indications are he wants to stay. Though other free agents include Ian Clark, JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia and David West, Myers specifically addressed three core veterans: Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston.

After initially joking that he was “not sure” about the desire to re-sign Curry, Myers delivered the predictable answer: “For the record: We would love to have Steph Curry, going forward. Hopefully, he feels the same way. I think he does.”

Curry has consistently stated his desire to remain with the Warriors. Barring a shocking and catastrophic turn of events, that’s going to get done.

Iguodala and Livingston, however, are a bit trickier. Though both are key members of the team, neither is a starter. And both will be entering their 14th season.

“We’d love to keep them, and I’ve told them that,” Myers said. “We’d like to try to make it work. We have to approach it with what’s in our control, and that’s trying to find a way to keep them on the team. They’re not just really good players; they’re unbelievable people. So we’ll do everything we can.”

Myers conceded, too, that the unique skills possessed by Iguodala and Livingston make them difficult to replace. Even though the salary cap will rise slightly, along with the luxury-tax line, there are no guarantees.

“But you’re going to try,” Myers said. “But, conversely, there are times -- not with those guys -- but other times you’re looking at your roster, in any sport, and you go, ‘Yeah, we’ll probably let that guy go.’ That’s not the case at all.”

Perhaps foreseeing the summer -- or recalling the pursuit of Durant last summer -- Myers shifted into something that sounded like a recruiting pitch that could apply to players currently on the roster or those who might be on the market.

“They love playing for Steve,” he said. “We try to treat them fairly. We try to treat them as well as we can and provide them with all the resources to win and stay healthy and the environment of being in the Bay Area, and all the things outside of basketball that, shockingly, people may not realize players care about that are outside of the walls of the gym.

“This community, the diversity, the opportunity, the entrepreneurship, it’s a great place to sell to a player. But they really want to win. And I think we’ve shown we can win. So, hopefully, that gives us at least a good shot at keeping guys and then acquiring guys.”

Contact Us