While the Golden State Warriors are enjoying a roster filled with veteran talent and young superstars this season, general manager Bob Myers will have some tough decisions to make in the years ahead.
Those decisions were laid out nicely by Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle in a recent article, with the summer of 2023 as a focal point.
The Warriors’ salary cap number is sky-high, so not every player can stay on in Golden State. It seems likely that Myers will have to trade forward Andrew Wiggins before his contract runs out after next season. But might he want to keep Wiggins and jettison some of his young core instead?
In the spirit of considering all options, Letourneau raised a scenario in which Myers ships center James Wiseman and guard Jordan Poole out of town in order to keep Wiggins.
But given how ideal the Warriors-Wiggins marriage has been, Myers might prefer to look at other paths. Does he try to trade Wiseman before Golden State has to pick up his $12.1 million option for 2023-24? What about shopping Poole before he hits restricted free agency?
Whichever route Myers picks will bring an emotional toll.
Connor Letourneau/San Francisco Chronicle
As I mentioned, it seems likely that Wiggins will be the odd man out, given all the investment the team has put into its young stars. Plus, rookie forward Jonathan Kuminga looks primed to take Wiggins’ role in large part.
Wiggins just turned 27 years old, however, (his birthday is Feb 23) and he’s a newly-minted All-Star. The Warriors could feasibly make the choice to keep Wiggins and put him alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green for the remainder of their primes. Especially if they win an NBA title together this season.
For now, we can just enjoy the fun of this wonderful 2021-22 Warriors campaign. But summer 2023 is something to keep an eye on and a reminder that in the NBA, anything is possible when it comes to the salary cap and transactions.
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