Summer agenda: Golden State Warriors

The Vertical Front-Office Insider Bobby Marks, a 20-year executive with the Nets, offers his thoughts on the offseason plans of NBA teams whose seasons have ended.

THE PLAN GOING FORWARD
Get the temperature of Kevin Durant
Leading up to July 1, Warriors management would be wise to do some back-channel research on free agent Kevin Durant.

Although the Warriors’ theme during the playoffs was “Strength in Numbers,” franchise players such as Kevin Durant only come on the market so often.

With Golden State falling short of an NBA championship, the questions surrounding Durant will only intensify as free agency approaches.

Golden State could afford to sign Durant, but it would need to make sacrifices to its roster.

Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli as assets
There certainly will be sticker shock when the contracts of restricted free agents Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli are finalized in July.

The question is whether the contracts will be with the Warriors.

Barnes, who turned down a $64 million extension in September, and Ezeli could combine for a $30 million cap hit for 2016-17. Although the $30 million does not equal the production for them, restricted free agency benefits teams that retain their own players, even if they have to overpay.

The goal for Golden State is to retain or use them as assets down the road. Barnes and Ezeli will have high values based on age and upside.

With $70 million in guaranteed contracts, Golden State would create $15 million in cap space by letting both go or not matching offer sheets. However, that route would not allow the Warriors to find a suitable replacement, unless they get Durant.

Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut are entering the final years of their contracts, so bringing Barnes and Ezeli back should be a priority.

As history has shown, restricted free agents rarely switch teams. Barnes and Ezeli should be no different.

Don’t touch Steph Curry’s contract
A popular thought is to rip up Stephen Curry’s contract and award him for his play.

But the best move for both sides is to play out the rookie extension Curry signed in 2012 even though he is entering the final year of the deal.

With the most cap-friendly contract in the NBA ($12.1 million for 2016-17), Curry is one of a handful of players who can renegotiate or extend his contract. Players who have signed a four- or five-year deal and are entering their fourth season fall under this umbrella.

Extending the contract would limit Curry to a salary increase to $13 million and allow the Warriors to add only three additional seasons.

Renegotiating Curry’s contract would allow the Warriors to change his compensation to reflect the max salary worthy of a MVP. However, Golden State would only be allowed to do so with cap space, something the Warriors do not have because of the free-agent cap holds of Barnes and Ezeli.

If Golden State cleared the books to drop below the cap and Curry renegotiated, the contract could look like this:

2016-17: $26.6 million
2017-18: $28.6 million
2018-19: $30.6 million
2019-20: $32.6 million
Total: $118 million

If Curry were to play out his contract, the overall compensation would increase $70 million and the Warriors would not have to sacrifice their own free agents or current players.

2016-17: $12.1 million (current contract)
2017-18: $30.6 million (new contract)
2018-19: $32.9 million
2019-20: $35.2 million
2020-21: $37.5 million
2021-22: $39.8 million
Total: $188 million

The new contract would also keep Curry’s $18 million free-agent cap hold for July 2017, giving the Warriors cap flexibility to retool their roster. Golden State would lose $9 million in cap space for the 2017-18 season if it were to renegotiate his current deal.

The free-agent game
The Warriors find themselves in a challenging position when it comes to their own free agents.

Projected to be over the cap, the Warriors likely will have the midlevel ($5.6 million), biannual ($2.2 million) and minimum salary if they let their own unrestricted free agents go. The $14 million combined cap holds of Barnes and Ezeli push Golden State over the cap.

Golden State will need to address Marreese Speights (full Bird rights), Leandro Barbosa (early Bird), and restricted free agents Ian Clark (non-Bird) and James Michael McAdoo (early Bird).

Golden State can keep Speights and go over the cap, but at what cost? With a rising cap, the soon-to-be 29-year-old unrestricted free agent could see his salary double from the $3.8 million he made in 2015-16. If Golden State lets Speights go, it will need to be diligent in finding a replacement with limited resources.

Clark’s restricted free agency is a bit more complicated. Although the Warriors have the right to match any contract, Golden State can only do so with one of its exceptions (midlevel or biannual). The Warriors’ flexibility is limited because of Clark’s non-Bird rights and Golden State being over the cap.

Clark, 25, has shown flashes this season that he can be more than an end-of-the-bench option.

With only eight players (including its draft pick) under contract, Golden State will face some big decisions on how it puts together its bench.

SUMMER CAP BREAKDOWN

CAP PICTURE

PROJECTED CAP SPACE
Free-agent cap holds totaling $29 million will push the Warriors over the $94 million salary cap. Until Golden State decides what to do with its own restricted free agents and its bench, the Warriors will not have cap space.

Golden State does have expiring contracts with Iguodala and Bogut if it needs to create cap space.

JUNE DRAFT PICKS
First round: Own pick

Second round: To Utah

FUTURE PICKS
First round
2017: To Utah

Warriors own their first-round picks beginning in 2018.

Key rights to: None

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