On April 17, Beijing time, the NBA play-offs officially began, with the Lakers narrowly defeating the Pelicans 110-106, while the Warriors lost to the Kings 94-118. At home, the Kings showed a more high-spirited fighting spirit, and the Warriors were caught off guard as soon as they came up, leading by 9 points in the first quarter, and the Warriors narrowed the gap slightly in the second quarter, but the third quarter was completely broken, and the Kings scored 37 points in a single quarter, and the Warriors did not continue to firepower, and the point difference was widened. In the final quarter, the Warriors only scored 18 points, and their best three-point shot was 0 of 6, and they were unable to narrow the gap and had no choice but to accept the loss.
After this game, the Kings will play the Pelicans one more time, and the winner will advance to the playoffs in eighth place in the West, while the Warriors will lock up 10th in the West, losing all three playoff games in four years and ending the season early twice. The Warriors missed the playoffs, triggering a 4-chain reaction: Paul or buyout, Klay leaving Golden State?
The Warriors' salary this season has reached a staggering $227.7 million, at least 20 million more than any other team, and the luxury tax is as high as 172.8 million, and the two combined, the cost of player salaries alone is close to 400 million, which is 2-3 times the expenditure of other teams. It is undoubtedly a huge loss to pay so much and not make the playoffs. So the management will definitely make a move, either to strengthen or to give up some players and reduce their salaries.
Paul may be the first person to be dealt with, not because of disrespect to Paul, but because his contract has been decided and it is impossible to stay with the Warriors. Next season, Paul's contract is not guaranteed, so there is no price for the Warriors to cut it directly. His salary reached 30 million, but he can only contribute 9.2 points and 6.8 assists this season, which is long gone, and he only played 58 games in the regular season, and it is to be expected that no one will keep a backup at such a high price. Of course, Paul still has gas in the tank, and as long as he is willing to take a low salary, he can join a promising team and continue to compete for championships.
Clay may not be able to keep it, or he may not want to keep it at all. His contract with the Warriors expires this summer and will become a full free agent, a big contract of 5 years and 190 million, Klay only played for 2 and a half years, and has never been selected as an All-Star, even if he is a meritorious player for the Warriors, this is a proper premium contract. If Klay still wants to pursue a relatively high salary, it will definitely not be able to stay, according to previous reports, many teams are interested in Klay, among which the Magic team has the space to sign Klay directly, because the Magic is now the worst three-point shot in the league, and will definitely find a way to make up for it. If other teams offer an annual salary of more than 20 million, it will be difficult for the Warriors to match.
Kerr just signed a two-year contract extension with the Warriors, but it should be noted that this contract will end with Curry's contract in the 2025-26 season, which shows that the management is intentional to keep the master-apprentice duo until retirement. But to be honest, Kerr also has a feeling that he has exhausted his talents, this time he was defeated by his former assistant coach Brown, and he lost his underwear, and his tactical embodiment has long been thoroughly studied by the opponent, becoming more and more ineffective. Next, the Warriors will continue to let Kerr develop young players, but when Curry retires, it will be time for Kerr to step down.
The aging roster is the main reason for the Warriors' losses in the past two seasons, because everyone is the team's hero in building a dynasty, and they really can't lose face and abandon them directly. But the opportunity has been given again and again, and now it's time for the Warriors to think about the future and start a new round of rebuilding. Young people such as Kuminga, Podemski, and TJD are worth developing, and the team does not have a first-round pick this year, so it should trade some veterans who are still valuable in exchange for more draft picks or young players, and Wiggins and Dream may be put on the shelf.