After the most successful season in more than two decades, the Golden State Warriors have plenty of reasons to be optimistic. The young and talented perimeter group of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes should grow together and the surprisingly strong rookie class of Barnes, Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli produced three rotation players early on.

The challenge this summer for Bob Myers, Jerry West, and the rest of the front office is how to maximize the assets the team has presently while also keeping an eye on the potential cap space the organization should have in 2014. Unfortunately, while both Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson have huge contracts with only one season remaining, the aforementioned young players will be ready for big pay raises in 2015 and 2016. That reality necessitates a frank discussion with ownership about how far they are willing to go into the luxury tax at that point in order to keep the key pieces together.

If Joe Lacob and Peter Guber are reluctant to hit the repeater tax for a few seasons, it impacts the construction of the team in the immediate since much of that space would be effectively unusable on long-term deals. Should they be willing to bite the bullet, the Warriors can use the next few summers to build up a nice supporting cast around the already-established players.

Before getting into this offseason, the looming possibility of cap space for the Summer of 2014 dominates the landscape and it feels necessary to clarify some of the misconceptions about what the Warriors will actually have to work with. [Note: Much of this was covered in more detail in a piece I did earlier in the summer.] While some look at the massive amount of expiring contracts that the Warriors have as proof that they will have tons of money to spend that summer, the truth looks somewhat different.

While we do not know exactly where the salary cap will be in 2014, I will use $60.5 million which is $2 million more than the most recent NBA estimate for 2013-14. From there, we take off the salaries that the team already has committed to on the books: David Lee, Stephen Curry, Harrison Barnes, Klay Thompson, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green. Removing their combined $33,795,136 leaves $26.7 million in space, further reduced to $23.16 million after minimum holds and a 2014 first round pick. That money gets reduced by any player that signs this summer or the Warriors retaining Andrew Bogut after next season. Put differently, the franchise would have to let Bogut, Jarrett Jack, Carl Landry and Brandon Rush go without almost any compensation in order to get a max-level player next summer unless they trade someone under contract.

That understanding makes this summer so pivotal because any longer term contracts signed in 2013 directly weaken the team’s flexibility next summer. Naturally, that can be worth doing in the case of true difference-makers but it should temper their desire to make big offers for less pivotal pieces. Golden State could also elect not to use their 2014 space for free agents and use expiring contracts (likely Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson) to acquire someone already signed for future seasons more like what Toronto did for Rudy Gay at the deadline. Interestingly, one option there could be DeAndre Jordan depending on how the Clippers fare this summer.

Keeping all of that in mind, here are a few key parts of the Warriors’ 2013 off-season:

1. Buy at least one draft pick

Front offices around the league are finally realizing the value of late first round picks, so acquiring one for just cash may be harder than in previous years. After all, the Warriors “bought” theirs last year for Richard Jefferson’s massive $11 million 2013-14 salary in the deadline deal. The more likely option would be getting at least one second round pick, potentially in the 31-40 range and potentially a cheap draft and stash in the final ten picks.

If the team can pull a late first, I would look at big man projects Rudy Gobert, Tony Mitchell and Jeff Withey, along with guards Ricky Ledo and Dennis Schroeder if either makes it that far.

The second round guys include Pierre Jackson (a nice fit skill-wise as a backup for Stephen Curry), Archie Goodwin (high potential shooting guard who needs good coaching and time to develop) and Tony Snell (potential all-around swingman who could go too early for the Warriors to grab him).

2. Save a roster spot for a young third point guard

Despite this draft’s weakness at the top, this group contains a nice class of Point Guards who have potential to become rotation players in the league.  Two of my favorites who may be available should actually be pretty well known in the Bay Area: Matthew Dellavadova, the Aussie who had a great run at St. Mary’s and Seth Curry, Stephen’s brother. While both of them have weaknesses that likely prevent them from being starters in the league, having a point guard with an injury history makes having three players who can handle the point an absolute necessity. I am a big fan of Nemanja Nedovic (an athletic European combo guard) as well, though he likely goes in the second round.

Bringing in a hungry young guy on a cheap deal could pay major dividends for this team like it could have if the team had taken the time to wait a few extra weeks on Jeremy Lin in 2012.

3. Avoid making long-term offers to Carl Landry and Jarrett Jack

As I said earlier, any contracts longer than one season eat into the $25 million or so the Warriors can use in 2014. The extra minutes at power forward should go to Harrison Barnes and a more smallball lineup and there are always plenty of lower rotation-level PF’s that will take a one-year deal due to the oversupply at the position.

While Jarrett Jack played an important role on this year’s team, we learned in the playoffs that playing Stephen Curry off the ball next to a PG is an unnecessary crutch that hurts the team on the defensive end.  While having a player who can step in and start at point guard when Steph gets hurt should be a priority for the front office, it would be prudent to have that player be one who fits Curry’s skill set more closely- someone who can spell and replace The Baby-Faced Assassin rather than play with him.

If either player wants to return to the team, a generous front-loaded two year offer with the second season functioning as a team option should be as far as they should go.

4. Without looking to trade any of them, actively solicit deals for the players on roster not named Stephen Curry

One of the fringe benefits of a longer playoff run comes in the form of extra eyeballs on your players. That increase in viewership around the league can lead to a broader trade market and a greater possibility for some team to overvalue a player on the roster. While the team should be happy keeping players like Klay Thompson and Festus Ezeli around for at least the next few seasons, another franchise offering a crazy good deal could make the team better in the long run. The same concept applies to potential sign-and-trades for Dwight Howard should he and the Lakers actually be interested.

5. Try more actively to find a trading partner for David Lee

As much as the Warriors publicize their first All-Star since 1997, he does not fit well with the strengths and weaknesses of this team at his salary. While his game is not built on athleticism, at 30 years old it appears unlikely that he will be getting better as the young core that will propel this team into the future matures and improves. On top of all that, his $15 million in both 2014-15 and 2015-16 plays a major role in limiting what the Warriors can do in terms of free agents before Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes get extended.

I am not saying that the team should be just trying to dump him (though I absolutely believe that his salary could be better spent next summer), rather the team should be on the lookout for a franchise in need of what Lee brings to the table that looks a little desperate after missing out on some free agents in the first month of the off-season.

After a few successful drafts and the deft trade for Andrew Bogut, the Warriors find themselves in an incredibly good position, particularly relative to recent almost two decades of futility. With a few proactive moves, they can solidify a more consistent presence in the playoffs and possibly more if they utilize their 2014 cap flexibility to its maximum effect.