Bob Myers fires back at critics of Warriors high payroll: ‘You should be allowed to spend on your own players’

The Golden State Warriors It’s not just the NBA’s most expensive team. They are the most expensive team in the history of professional sports in North America. The Warriors pay players about $ 176 million, but as a luxury tax violator, they are obliged to pay more than $ 170 million in taxes. This is a total spending of $ 346 million. The Los Angeles Clippers This season, it’s the second most expensive team in the NBA, joining for about $ 250 million. Clippers only, Net, Lakers When Bucks The Warriors have spent half of what they did this season, but the rest of the NBA isn’t excited about it.

ESPN’s Zack Low Earlier this week, he reported that “rivals have already complained about the competitive spending advantage of the Golden State,” but as Warriors general manager Bob Myers sees, his team They are simply working within the rules. “In that respect, I think you should be allowed to spend on your own player,” Myers said. Said 95.7 The Game “Morning roast“.” So we drafted and developed a lot of these guys. We didn’t go out and sign all these people as free agents and team up that way.Larry Riley is a drafted man [Steph] I was here when I drafted Curry, Clay [Thompson]Draymond Draymond [Green]Drafted [Jordan] Pool, we exchanged [Andrew] Wiggins. Nobody wanted Wiggins, that is, no one was saying anything at that time. “

Myers is technically correct. His warrior is built around three homemade superstars. There is a fourth major payroll slot belonging to Andrew Wiggins that first came when Kevin Durant joined the team thanks to the 2016 Cap Spike, but that spike could have been present either way. The Warriors were able to hold Harrison Barnes on a maximum contract as a restricted free agent with full bird rights, and they were actually Andrew Bogut (in Durant’s case) and Andre Iguodala (D’Angelo Russell). It should be noted that (in the case of) had to consume the main salary, changed to Iguodala for certain additions). The Warriors are not the New York Yankees of the George Steinbrenner era. They cannot surpass the stars of other teams through pure financial strength. They usually find their players and simply choose to keep re-signing them.

However, Joe Racob’s willingness to pay to do so is rare by NBA standards. Look at the four teams spending at least half of the Warriors. The Clippers saved about $ 30 million in payroll and luxury tax payments by trading with Serge Ibaka on the deadline. Nets has made a number of financially-led decisions in recent years, including avoiding mid-level exceptions for taxpayers in 2020 and abandoning the draft topic for trading DeAndre Jordan in 2021. The Lakers let Alex Caruso hand over the money. Bucks did the same with PJ Tucker.

The Warriors make a lot of money through their new arena, Chase Center, but many teams just put that money in their pockets. Others make less money in their arena, but make up for it through huge local television deals (where the Lakers serve as a notable example). The Golden State may have a significant source of income, but the willingness to reinvest that money back to victory is commendable. Other teams can and can choose not to.

Things will be more expensive for the Warriors after the NBA Finals match against the Celtics. Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr. and Kevon Looney will all be free agents this offseason. Jordan Poole is eligible for a contract extension. Wiggins will expire after next season. ESPN’s Bobby Marks estimates that the combined salary and tax could reach $ 475 million for the entire team. Other NBA teams won’t get close to that number, but it’s worth noting that there are no rules that prevent the Warriors from actually doing so. There are specific mechanisms that can trigger a hard cap, but there is no defined upper limit on salary spending. Warriors can basically spend as much money as they like, just by keeping their players and adding expensive new players through trading, as long as they don’t violate other rules of the CBA.

And it’s like the way they’re moving forward.Myers Recently revealed it The Warriors planned to re-sign the pool. Who else they choose to keep is more mysterious, but Racob has revealed that he is willing to pay the best for his talent. Well, if other teams aren’t willing to do the same, it’s their problem.