The Golden State Warriors have made a series of moves ahead of the NBA trade deadline that sends James Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons nets them Gary Payton II from the Portland Trail Blazers, but the motivation to make the moves do not just have to do with the players, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The Warriors will save about $7 million in luxury tax money this year due to trades, but it also saves $30 million in luxury tax money for them in the 2023-2024 season, according to Wojnarowski.
The Warriors are helping route Kevin Knox from the Pistons to the Trail Blazers by sending five second-round picks to Portland, according to Wojnarowski.
James Wiseman is due $9.6 million this season and $12.1 million season, while Gary Payton II is due $8.3 million this season and $8.7 million next season.
Payton II spent the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons with the Warriors, winning the NBA Finals with the team last season. He played 10 games in his first season, but 71 in the championship season a year ago.
There was much talk about the Warriors paying an exorbitant amount due to the luxury tax during the 2021-22 season due to the home-grown players they have retained, like Steph Curry. The team paid $354 million that season, and it was estimated to be at $372 million coming into this season according to Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports.
The team is still over the luxury tax threshold of $150,267,000, but the estimated luxury tax bill for this season is now $162,023,088.
With the struggles the Warriors have faced lately and the injury to Steph Curry, it makes sense for the team to cut down on the luxury tax bill, as it might not expect to make another championship run this season.
Follow Us
Subscribe