When Kevin Durant announced his decision to join Golden State this morning, the Warriors executives quickly turned their attention from acquiring mode to dissembling. General manager Bob Myers now faces a tough task, building a team around a core of four superstars (Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson) with very tight cap space.
To begin this process, the Dubs are expected to renounce the rights of restricted free agent Harrison Barnes. The small forward spent three years with the Warriors, but in free agency, Barnes is expected to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, who reportedly offered the former ACC rookie of the year a four-year max contract.
In addition to Barnes, Golden State is expected to renounce the rights of center Festus Ezili as well as trade away Andrew Bogut, their two centers this past season. While Ezili will become a free agent and open to choose from different offers, Bogut's new relocation will be tougher. In a quasi-statement earlier today, the Warriors starting center deleted anything indicating his affiliation with Golden State on his Twitter page.
However, for all the moves that the Warriors will have to make this offseason, many NBA executives will have to finalize these moves and ultimately help Golden State in their pursuit of achieving nirvana in cap space. Yet, with the nastiness felt around the NBA, especially the animosity towards this stacked Warriors team, there is a reported push back from at least one NBA front office member, who is abstaining from negotiating deals with the Warriors. ESPN's Sam Amico tweeted earlier that an interested party in the Dubs' center will no longer chase after him.
One NBA team exec who says he was previously interested in trading for Andrew Bogut texts he's no longer interested. "I'm not helping them."
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) July 4, 2016
The Mavericks were clearly not the team with that executive; they're finalizing a deal to land Bogut (can't be completed until July 7th).
Ultimately, KD's decision to relocate to the Bay Area has enticed many fans around the league, but it has left a sour taste for a couple of franchises and their front offices. While the Warriors will most likely find a way to work their cap flexibility and acquire Durant, how many NBA executives refuse to deal with the 2014-15 NBA champions will be interesting to see in the near future. Either way, the Warriors new acquisition marks a new era for the NBA and franchises around the league.
[button width=”full” button size=”bigger” color=”custom” align=”center” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthcolor=”#ffffff” bgcolor=”#8b0000″ link=”https://clutchpoints.com/breaking-kevin-durant-announces-hell-sign-with-the-warriors/”]NEXT: Kevin Durant announces he’ll sign with the Warriors[/button]
Follow Us
Subscribe