Warriors GM Bob Myers: Klay Thompson, Draymond Green Aren't Driven by Money

Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers said creating a championship environment helps the franchise save money despite its star-studded roster.

On Sunday, Tim Kawakami of The Athletic provided comments from Myers, who discussed the willingness of Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant to make financial sacrifices to keep the team together following back-to-back NBA championships.

"I'll tell you this, Klay's not driven monetarily," he said. "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."

The Warriors are still spending a lot of money. They are $41.8 million over the salary cap and $19.9 million over the luxury-tax threshold for the 2018-19 NBA season, per Spotrac.

Nevertheless, they've maintained some financial flexibility, which allowed the Dubs to add All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins on a one-year, $5.3 million deal during free agency.

Golden State could face a crossroads in the coming years, though. Thompson and Cousins are eligible to become unrestricted free agents next summer, and Durant could utilize a player option in his contract to also hit the open market. Green has two seasons left on his deal.

Whether the Warriors can navigate those situations to keep the core together is uncertain, but Myers is hopeful players will keep buying in because of their consistent success.

"Look, we know the numbers," he told Kawakami. "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."

The Athletic report noted the end result of keeping them all together could cost the team $300 million in total player expenditures by 2019-20 or 2020-21.

That could be considered the price of success in the superteam era, where there are a limited number of teams with a legitimate chance at winning the title each year. The Warriors lead that list after winning three of the last four championships.