Warriors mailbag: What will the Warriors do this offseason?

OAKLAND — Warriors fans have plenty of questions. Do the Warriors have the answers?

More clarity will emerge during Thursday’s NBA draft and when free agency begins on June 30 at 6 pm PT. For now, Warriors fans are unanimously wondering where the Warriors go from here after losing to the Toronto Raptors in six games in the NBA Finals. That made for a pretty full inbox this week, and I promise I will answer all of the questions you have! Or at least attempt to answer.

For now, keep the questions coming. For future Warriors mailbags, send questions to me on Twitter or through our free email newsletter, Warriors HQ. While you’re at it, sign up for a subscription. It’s only 11 cents a day for 11 months. While you sign up, I’ll empty out my inbox….

5 year max for both klay and kd, is that true!?

— johnson7days (@johnson7days) June 14, 2019

Yes, that is indeed true. KD might have a likely season-ending injury to his Achilles tendon. Klay might be out through the fist half of next season with an ACL injury to his left knee. The Warriors have not changed their interest in giving both KD and Klay max money. The reason? Well, KD and Klay are great players, obviously. There’s zero value in hoping either player accepts a paycut since the Warriors have enough cash flow to absorb luxury tax penalties. The Warriors could not use that cap space to sign another player. So best-case scenario: Steph and Draymond hold things down in the first half of the season, before the second Splash Brother joins them mid-way through the season. Then, maybe Durant joins them for the playoff run. Worst-case scenario: KD leaves anyway. Klay accepts the deal (he’s not leaving the Warriors unless they lowball him). And then the Warriors have to find role players to give some support for the three remaining All-Stars.

Which Warriors are most likely to stay and most likely to leave? Are we going to see a big roster change or not so much?

— Maureen (@momaureeeen) June 14, 2019

Who resigns?

— cdulaney (@cdulaney74) June 14, 2019

Most likely to stay: Klay – He’s a lock presuming he receives the max deal the Warriors say they will give him. The Warriors keep Kevon Looney because of his reliability through varying roles and injuries, and they can pay him. The Warriors like Quinn Cook’s professionalism, and he is unlikely to receive too many expensive offers elsewhere.

Most likely to leave: KD – Nothing will surprise anybody, but it appears he will want to show he can win on another team. DeMarcus Cousins – Both parties have kept the door open on a possible partnership, but Cousins will land more money than the $6.3 million the Warriors can pay him.  Jonas Jerebko – Great locker-room guy, but his production remained uneven.

Who is opening Chase next year? Jacob Evans, Damion Jones, Quinn Cook, Mckinnie and Jordan Bell?

Lord help us…..

— Dr. Funkinstein (@ValerianRootS) June 14, 2019

Now what???

— Griffin (@CognitoI) June 14, 2019

What plans do the Warriors have in terms of building a better bench? Also, which free agents might the team target now that KD is out for the season and Klay will miss most of next year?

— Jackson (@Jackson06218285) June 14, 2019

It’s scary to think if that is all the Warriors do. But they won’t. Add in Steph and Draymond obviously. They will have a No. 28 pick. They will use a taxpayer mid-level exception worth $5.3 million (my money is on Rudy Gay or Brook Lopez). There’s some decent guys who could be available on veteran’s minimum deals, including Malcolm Brogdon, Elfrid Payton or Reggie Bullock.

knowing now KD and Klay will be out next year, is it possible for Warriors to trade Draymond to probably get a young asset?

— BestNBATeamInLA (@BestNBATeamlnLA) June 14, 2019

That is an interesting question. I don’t think that would happen right away. The Warriors are talking about wanting to lean on their continuity in hopes they become the next generation of the San Antonio Spurs. I could only see that happening if the Warriors suddenly are having a significant losing season, and their other young players are not developing quickly enough. Other than that, Draymond is irreplaceable.

Draft prospect at 28 and 58 this coming NBA Draft?

— JM Monilla (@MonillaJm) June 14, 2019

That is indeed correct. The Warriors have had mixed success with a late first-round pick in recent years. Four years after selecting Looney at No. 30 in 2015, he has become a dependable rotation player that the Warriors will spend to keep. The Warriors then selected Jacob Evans last year at No. 28, but he barely cracked the rotation. The main takeaway? It’s incredibly hard to determine which late first-round prospects will blossom. Those players also need to be given time to build their foundation.

Any chance we can get Damion Lee, Austin Rivers & Seth next year? We desperately need to upgrade our bench depth, defense & shooting. This bench wasn’t good or trustworthy enough in the playoffs, imo.

— Kim Chau (@KimChau28) June 14, 2019

Does Damion Lee have a legit shot to make the team next year? I like his game from what little we saw; he’s aggressive, a shooter, and is athletic enough to learn how to play passable defense.

— It’s A Great Time Out! (@AGreatTimeOut) June 14, 2019

I could see Damion Lee returning because he is a two-way player just trying to land somewhere, and the Warriors like his trajectory. The Warriors have plenty of roster spots to fill on their bench, and they partly to fill that with players they trust. Austin Rivers would be a great fit, but he is out of the Warriors’ price range (Rivers made around $15 million last year). Seth would be a great pickup for so many reasons. Yes, he’s Steph’s brother. But Seth is a dependable shooter and would not be an expensive pickup. And the Warriors need plenty of those kind of players.

Interested to know who was the locker room leader who most helped keep the team together through the challenges. Also would like to know what guys who have been on other teams feel makes this team, this combination of people, special or different from others.

— C GALL (@GallFAM4) June 14, 2019

It’s always going to be Steph Curry. Beyond his obvious shooting talent, his selfless demeanor helped the Warriors navigate various speedbumps that included the KD-Draymond argument, integrating DeMarcus and empowering the team’s bench. The Warriors might have sparked plenty of resentment for acquiring Durant in 2016 and Cousins last summer. Other than that, though, the Warriors are strongly respected for they drafted and developed Steph, Klay and Draymond as well as Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Warriors general manager Bob Myers having a collaborative leadership style. It helps that Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob spends money to pursue the great things he wants to achieve.

What about the injury exception in KD case ?

— ¡Enzo! (@Enzosoares88) June 14, 2019

If Kevin Durant re-signs with the Warriors, they can apply for the Disabled Players Exception. The Warriors would have to establish that Durant would definitely be sidelined for the entire season (that is expected, but not official). If that is the case, the Warriors can sign a free agent using the equivalent of a non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($9.2 million). Or the Warriors could make a trade for a player at that amount so long as that player is in the final year of his contracts. First things first. KD needs to agree to go re-sign with the Warriors.

Who are they going to draft? Anyone getting/been worked out?

Are they targeting Tomáš Satoranský (MLE?) for free agency? I know he worked out for Warriors. Any comments.

Klay injury sad timing – sure they'd have won G6 and G7 ??? back Nov/Dec

— Stuart Waugh (@sg2waugh) June 14, 2019

The Warriors plan to have another workout this week, and had various workouts during the NBA playoffs. As of now, the Warriors have not said who they worked out. But I’ll keep you posted. Still, it is pretty clear that Alen Smailagic would be a possibility. He had played for the Warriors’ G-League team in Santa Cruz, and has a diverse skillset as a big man. As for Klay’s injury, I’m convinced the Warriors would’ve won Game 6 if he had not gotten hurt. I would give the edge to Toronto in Game 7 because of home-court advantage and the Warriors running on fumes. But anything can happen in a Game 7.

What was Steph's reaction when he learned the extent of Klay's injury? It looked like they didnts know during the post interviews

— buzzerbitter (@buzzerbitter2) June 14, 2019

I was not at Steph’s press conference since I was among a few reporters outside the locker room hearing what Lacob had to say. I also had waited to talk to Myers. But that shouldn’t be surprising that Steph did not know the full extent. Klay left in the middle of the game, and the remaining players on the floor often know less than the general public at that time for a simple reason. They are playing. The Warriors also had not confirmed at that point Klay had torn his ACL since he had already left the arena to receive an MRI.

What time are games 7 and 8?

— Kevin Curry (@c23peeezy) June 14, 2019

JOKE TWEET

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