Bob Myers is confident the Golden State Warriors will be able to afford a roster and luxury tax bill that hits $300 million in 19-20.
“I feel like we’ll do whatever we can to keep winning,” Myers said. “And I think the players will do whatever they can to keep winning — not knowing what that will exactly look like.
“I guess it helps going into a new arena — the revenues. We’re lucky we’re supported by the fan base we are. … Working with Joe Lacob, Peter Guber, Rick Welts, all the people I work with and work for, they all want to win. ..
“Our players — Draymond Green has won at every level. Klay Thompson just wants to win. Steph Curry, he goes out and recruits a guy like Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant comes here under a lot of scrutiny and faces it and overcomes it. So I think with all that combined, I’m confident we can work it out. I can’t sit here today and mathematically show you; but based on all the things I’ve seen, we’ll find a way.”
The Warriors will open their new area in San Francisco in 19-20.
Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson will be eligible for max contracts in 2019 while Draymond Green becomes a free agent in 2020.
It is not inconceivable that Thompson and Green could take less money as Durant has in the recent past, while Curry was on a contract extension he significantly outplayed.
“Look, we know the numbers,” Myers said. “I don’t think we’re running from those things. … (But) we’ve got a group of players and an ownership group that wants to keep it together. That’s very competitive. Both sides. You’ve heard Klay’s comments (saying he might take less than his max to stay with the Warriors). You’ve been around Draymond. He wants to keep winning. …
“We’ll keep talking about it (with Thompson). We talked about that last year (during preseason) in China, we’ll continue to talk about it. For those guys, it’s their choice. We’ll try to pay them what’s fair. And it takes two. I know and understand, they’ve gotta like the deal, too. …
“I’ll tell you this, Klay’s not driven monetarily. I think he wants to be paid fairly. I think Draymond’s the same way. And obviously Kevin, he’s shown it, that he doesn’t have to have every last penny. … I feel like if we can create a place that gives them a chance to win a championship, get paid well, enjoy going to work every day — and people think an NBA player loves going to work every day. That’s not true; maybe it should be, but it isn’t. If we can create a place where players enjoy it, the hope is they want to continue to do that.”