NBA teams grumbling about Golden State Warriors' spending advantage
First Published Jun 8, 2022, 10:00 PM ISTTeams are grumbling about NBA's Golden State Warriors' spending advantage, as it will likely spend a historic tax bill soon.
Teams are grumbling about NBA's Golden State Warriors' spending advantage, as it will likely spend a historic tax bill soon.
According to NBA cap expert bobby Mark, Golden State Warriors is projected to have a payroll of nearly $500 million after including luxury-tax penalties. According to ESPN's NBA Insider Zach Lowe, some of the Warriors' rivals have been "grumbling" about the "competitive spending advantage" over other teams. The Warriors dynasty was made thanks to some wise financial decisions by the front office combined with a hint of luck. The Warriors signed Steph Curry to a four-year extension after an injury-riddled season and gave the guard $44 million for four years. A contract he would swiftly outperform by winning two MVPs and a championship in the first three years of the deal.
Curry being on such a bargain deal and a cap spike enabled the Warriors to sign Kevin Durant. With many Warriors players taking pay cuts, the Warriors signed all of their core players to max or near-max contracts in the next 2-3 years. After losing Kevin Durant, the Warriors still managed to get Andrew Wiggins and Johnathan Kuminga from his departure indirectly.
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Per Lowe, the Warriors will soon have to consider contract extensions for Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, and Gary Payton II. While the salary cap is $120 million, the Warriors may spend nearly $500 million. The NBA cap space rules are such that there is a cap on the money you can pay in free agency.
However, keeping players has significantly more leniency though there is a penalty for every million a team spends. The financial aspect for the Warriors is not as significant an issue as it is owned by billionaire Joe Lacob, who is committed to the team. This is probably where there's a point of contention as many NBA teams, especially those in smaller markets, cannot sustain to run their team on such a high budget and the point of a "capped" league is to ensure a semblance of parity when it comes to spending power.