2016 Offseason Priorities for the Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors fell short in their quest to capture back-to-back NBA championships, but the offseason shouldn't see major reform.
Most title contenders are forced to take a hard look in the mirror upon postseason elimination, but the Warriors are still in a position of superiority. They won a record-breaking 73 regular-season games, overcame a 3-1 deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals and were five points away from lifting the Larry O'Brien trophy once again.
That's a successful season by most standards and won't lead to a panic-inducing conclusion. Golden State should march into the 2016-17 campaign as one of the title favorites, regardless of what happens this summer.
However, team general manager Bob Myers still has some riddles to solve. Certain members of the core are entering free agency, and keeping the entire crew together will be a challenge.
Bring Back Shaun Livingston
The last year of Shaun Livingston's $5.8 million contract is non-guaranteed, per Spotrac, but the backup point guard has to be retained next season under almost any circumstances.
The Warriors are on Kevin Durant's short list of six teams he is planning to meet with once the free-agency doors open on July 1, according to ESPN. Golden State would have to clean out its roster by dumping some key rotation cogs and renouncing cap holds of its impending free agents to create room for Durant.
That's the only circumstance under which Livingston should conceivably change uniforms this summer, but if he isn't waived before June 30, $3 million of his deal will be fully guaranteed. Even if the Warriors want to maintain some flexibility, dumping him simply isn't cost-effective at that point.
Livingston has established himself as one of the league's best backup point guards, and he steps up in big moments. As Stephen Curry crumbled in the Finals, Livingston was calm and collected, while Golden State was 10.3 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court, according to NBA.com.
Beyond a stellar post game that changes up the Warriors' motion offense, Livingston's length (6'7") and versatile skill set on both ends makes him an excellent fit in any small-ball alternatives head coach Steve Kerr experiments with.
Make a Decision on Harrison Barnes
Harrison Barnes declined the Warriors' four-year, $64 million extension offer last summer, likely hoping to sign a max contract during this offseason.
It was a fair gamble—Barnes is an instrumental part of the Warriors' small-ball identity, filling in as a versatile wing who can switch onto bigs and perimeter players. Even if Golden State wouldn't be willing to max him out, he had little reason to doubt another team wouldn't dangle an enticing offer sheet during the impending cap boom.
He didn't do himself any favors in the postseason, however, which makes the Warriors' decision even tougher. Barnes shot just 38.5 percent in the playoffs, going 5-32 from the field during the last three games of the Finals. SB Nation's Tim Cato detailed the struggle prior to Game 7:
"Although Barnes hasn’t been any worse in the Finals than he’s been the rest of the playoffs, the Cavaliers have all but stopped guarding him. Tristan Thompson opened Game 6 liberally sagging off Barnes to defend the paint every time the Warriors drove the lane. It’s a trick straight out of Golden State’s playbook, but it’s usually reserved for non-shooters like Tony Allen. Instead, Barnes is getting the humiliating treatment and can’t make the Cavaliers pay.
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It's almost comical how open Barnes usually was, and it was baffling how badly some of those shots missed. Seeing him so devoid of confidence when playing for a new contract can't have been encouraging for any team looking to acquire his services.
That said, there should be franchises with sufficient courage to throw a max deal at a versatile combo forward who is just 24 years old. It's practically inevitable with an abundance of cap room around the league, and the Warriors likely have no choice but to match.
If Livingston stays, the Warriors' salaries will add up to $75.4 million, leaving less than $16.6 million in cap space to spend on free agents (new rookie deals not included in calculations). Finding a serviceable replacement for Barnes with that money could prove challenging and risky.
Let Festus Ezeli Go
Festus Ezeli filled the starting center's shoes nicely during Andrew Bogut's brief early-season absence. A hot start provided plenty of optimism—if Ezeli could stay healthy, he'd be a terrific long-term replacement for Bogut.
His future with the team has become cloudier since then.
With Bogut out, Ezeli didn't offer the Warriors anything of significance during the Finals and was held scoreless in Game 7. The Cleveland Cavaliers constantly sought him out on defense, forced switches and punished him on the perimeter. Those empty minutes hurt immensely.
Myers chose to defend Ezeli and Barnes, remaining adamant that a couple of games shouldn't overshadow a whole season, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Rusty Simmons:
"I know we’re all measured in those (NBA Finals) moments, but both of those guys have been great for us and have helped us get where we are. You can’t forget all the things they did to get us here. We’re going to be careful how we evaluate things and not evaluate things on one game or four games or six games.
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Even though the Warriors GM is right, Ezeli is still not worth bringing back. The Toronto Raptors' Bismack Biyombo is expected to receive offers starting in the $15 million-per-year range this summer, and Ezeli, being a similar type of player, should go for something in that vicinity as well.
Even though Ezeli posted career-high numbers across the board (7.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.1 blocks), his health issues are still major concerns. He has appeared in just 170 regular-season games since being drafted (52 percent of all contests). Bringing him back at that price tag, especially if Barnes is retained, seems impossible given the risk.
Golden State utilized its 30th pick on Damian Jones in the draft, a 245-pound, athletic 7-footer. He may not be as good as Ezeli, but he's also a lot cheaper and will provide Kerr with another rim protector.
Maintain Depth
If Durant signs elsewhere and Golden State retains Barnes, the team will already be capped out. That means very little wiggle room to add depth, which makes the Warriors' own bench cogs that much more important. In this scenario, the focal point should be to run it back and maintain the current roster.
Leandro Barbosa, Marreese Speights, Brandon Rush and even Ian Clark all filled rotational roles this season, and even lower-tier "upside" free agents are bound to get lucrative offers. Golden State has a better chance to negotiate discount deals with familiar faces than outsiders, and that should be the goal, though it's also not impossible to find veterans willing to accept cheap deals to contend for a championship.
David West opted out of his contract with the Indiana Pacers last summer to sign with the San Antonio Spurs, essentially taking an $11 million pay cut. Few veterans are willing to make financial sacrifices of that magnitude, but guys like Amar'e Stoudemire or Jason Terry are worth a phone call.
The Warriors don't need much production from their bench, but depth helps everyone get through the season and is important to address.
All salary data is courtesy of Spotrac unless otherwise noted.
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