The Golden State Warriors could consider moving Draymond Green and Klay Thompson to make room for multi-year contract offers to Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, who are both expected to hit free agency in the summer of 2017.
Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post broke down the possible scenarios the Warriors may face come July, when Curry and Durant hit the market. Bontemps predicted that if Durant takes a max deal from the Warriors, trading Draymond Green and Klay Thompson could be an option to create room for Curry's own max contract.
"Not only are both Green and Thompson terrific players, but they both are also on incredibly cap-friendly contracts under the new economic climate in the league," Bontemps wrote.
"Either would fetch a massive return, and even if one of them is traded, the Warriors would still have three All-Stars and then several more depth pieces around them moving forward - a more than enviable position to be in."
The Warriors are in a desirable position right now, holding the top spot in the West with a 23-4 winning record, while in possession of one of the most talented starting lineup in the league. However, things could get tricky for Golden State if the team fails to win a championship and the likes of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry become the most-sought after free agents in the summer of 2017.
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported in July that team's' salary cap for 2017-2018 is lower than expected. Instead of the cap being set at $108 million, it is expected to come in at $102 million, which, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, could have implications to the Warriors' hopes of keeping their new super team long-term.
"Kevin Durant is signing a contract Thursday that will allow him to re-enter the market as a free agent next summer. Because the Warriors will not have his full rights at that time, they will have to create $33.5 million in cap space if Durant wants a new max contract," Windhorst wrote.
To make things more complicated, Curry, the league's back-to-back reigning MVP, could triple his salary in 2017, from $12 million this season to $36 million next season, according to a recent report by Windhorst.
There were speculations before the regular season starts that the Warriors could trade one of their All-Star trio if Durant's presence disrupts the team's chemistry. So far, the Warriors are still playing remarkable basketball with Durant around, which may bar any trade talks involving Golden State's starting core.
Nevertheless, trading Green and Thompson would surely give the Warriors a load of key players to surround an All-Star pairing of Curry and Durant. But it is also worth noting that Green and Thompson have played very essential roles in the Warriors' success in the past few years, and trading them to make at this point seems highly unlikely.
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