Warriors named landing spot for Lakers’ Carmelo Anthony

The Golden State Warriors will repeat next season with the same core that has won the franchise four titles in eight years, but the team could also add a legend of the game to the rotation before the year kicks off.

After factoring in an exorbitant luxury tax that annoys Joe Lacob so much that he was willing to pay $500,000 in fines last week to publicly complain about it, the Warriors are on track to own the most expensive group of players in NBA history. 2022-23 on the list. , according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe.

Their numbers could become even more prohibitive if the Dubs find a way to expand both Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins within the next year, which the team has said it plans to try before new contracts for Draymond Green and Klay Thompson in the not-so-distant future. Steph Curry is also entering the first year of a new contract that will pay him more than $215 million over the next four seasons.

Translation: The Warriors can really only eat around the edges this summer to improve their roster, even after they defeat Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja let Bjelica escape free. In other words, the team must work with players who both have something to contribute and fit into the roster, but who are also willing to play on minimal contracts.

Luckily for Golden State, there’s still one such player floating around in the free agent market who fits the bill in every way: former Los Angeles Lakers forward and 10-time NBA All Star Carmelo Anthony.

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Warriors on short list of destinations for Carmelo Anthony

Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney spoke to sources around the NBA, including a general manager who said the Warriors are on the shortlist of franchises that will be interested in beating Anthony as he enters his 20th year in professional basketball.

“It would be a great story if he could win a ring there to end his career,” the GM told Deveney on Tuesday, July 26. “Golden State has the space for him. He can make shots and they can hide his defense, which is one of the big problems with adding him. He would take the minimum. They have a lot of young guys on that roster, they would could use another veteran, and those guys all know Carmelo from Team USA. I don’t know if they would really take that plunge on him, but it makes sense.”

A return to the Lakers roster for another year in conjunction with LeBron James, or minimum contracts with the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets, are also possibilities for Anthony, according to Deveney’s reporting.

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Kevin Durant Trade Deal Now Off the Table for Warriors

Anthony, a former superstar, now appears to be the monster name most likely to join the Warriors’ roster after trade talks with the Nets for current superstar and former Golden State player Kevin Durant appear to have broken down for good.

The Dubs asked Brooklyn what it would take to close a deal. However, the Nets’ asking price proved simply too high and the Warriors were reluctant to give up their future for Durant, which would have included draft picks and young players like James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga.

Golden State CEO Bob Myers more or less shut down the idea of ​​a transaction during an interview with the ESPYs last week.

“I love our team and where it is,” Myers told Mark Medina NBA.com. “I want to give the guys a chance to do it again. It’s a good group. We’re lucky. It’ll be fun to watch.”