The Golden State Warriors’ off-season of uncertainty has begun.
One day after the Toronto Raptors on Thursday eliminated Golden State from the NBA Finals, Warriors coach Steve Kerr and general manager Bob Myers met with the media, although few answers are readily available for a dynasty that faces multiple key questions.
There were no guarantees that stars Klay Thompson (unrestricted free agent) and Kevin Durant (US$31.5 million player option) would return for next season — and that was before each sustained major injuries in the Finals.
Durant ruptured his right Achilles tendon in Game 5, while Thompson tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in Game 6.
“Everything that happened up until five days ago was just basketball and people and bumps in the road,” Kerr said. “But when you’re talking about two career-altering injuries to two of your best players in back-to-back Finals games, unheard of. It will probably never happen again. We’re in new territory now.”
Thompson and Durant could miss all or most of next season, although they would still have ample suitors in free agency.
“We value those guys at the highest level,” Myers said. “Those are guys you do everything you can to keep within your organization.”
If Durant declines his player option, he could resign with the Warriors on a maximum deal worth about US$220 million over five years.
“The injury throws everything for a loop, so I have no idea what Kevin is going to do,” Kerr said. “I know that we all want him back.”
A five-year maximum deal for Thompson would come in at about US$190 million.
Thompson’s father, Mychal, on Friday told the San Francisco Chronicle that there is “no question” his son would resign with the Warriors.
However, Kerr seemed resigned to losing center DeMarcus Cousins, who last summer signed a discounted US$5.3 million one-year deal coming off a torn Achilles.
“I think there’s a chance,” Kerr said of Cousins’ potential return to Golden State. “I think the hope is, frankly, that he can do a lot better financially than what we could offer him, but who knows?”
The Warriors can count on the tandem of stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green next season, but almost everything after that is something of a mystery.
“We talk often about how lucky we are to play basketball for a living, coach basketball for a living ... but it can be taken away quickly,” Kerr said. “This week has been proof of that.”
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