Ranking the Golden State Warriors’ free agents, from least to most important
Andre Vergara @DreDay613
Jun 15, 2017 at 9:28a ET
Do it again next year?
That's the question the NBA ponders after watching the Golden State Warriors win their second championship in three years, with Finals MVP Kevin Durant helping them conquer the Cleveland Cavaliers just as they planned (and the rest of us expected).
Can the Warriors keep this superteam together? Well, they could have as many as 10 free agents this summer. But that hardly means the death of a dynasty.
Durant already has hinted he'll opt out of his contract and accept less to help the Warriors re-sign some players. Owner Joe Lacob, meanwhile, says he'll do "whatever it takes" to re-sign Stephen Curry -- possibly to the tune of $200 million.
Here's a look at the Warriors' free agents, both restricted and unrestricted, and the difficult decisions the team may have to make.
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10
F Matt Barnes (UFA)
Barnes coming back to the Warriors for one last chance at a ring was a nice touch for longtime Golden State fans -- yes, they exist -- to connect the old wth the new. Mission accomplished.
But now the best thing for the team is for the 37-year-old Barnes to ride off into the sunset -- without
strangling any Cavs fans or making any TMZ headlines to detract from the good vibes -- and free the roster spot for a young player or another veteran with a little more left in the tank (and maybe chasing a ring, too).
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9
F James Michael McAdoo (RFA)
McAdoo is a restricted free agent, so the Warriors can match any offer to keep the third-year power forward from North Carolina, but there's not much reason to. Though he played a career-high 52 games this season, his paltry numbers didn't really improve.
Cary Edmondson
8
C Zaza Pachulia (UFA)
Pachulia was cheap ($2.89M) and enjoyed the best shooting percentage (.534) of his career. But he's 33 and not a great rebounder or shot blocker -- not the poor man's Andrew Bogut they might've hoped for. Maybe the Warriors can afford the real thing, if Bogut is willing to return on the cheap. Or maybe it's time for more JaVale McGee minutes.
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7
G Ian Clark (UFA)
It's Clark's time to get paid after backing up Curry for two years and developing a legit shot. He was the Warriors' fourth-most reliable three-point shooter this season (37.5%) -- and he made barely more than a mil.
Superteams are great, but baby needs to eat now. And the Warriors will break the bank for Curry, not Clark.
6
C JaVale McGee (UFA)
McGee, on a one-year prove-it deal, averaged the fewest minutes of his career (9.6) but enjoyed his best shooting percentage (.652). Could be time to turn his freakish athleticism loose for longer stretches and see just how great of a rim protector/finisher he can be. They have 7-footer Damian Jones waiting in the wings, too.
AP
5
F David West (UFA)
West upgraded from the Spurs to the Warriors to get that ring (after upgrading from the Hornets and Pacers), giving the Warriors great value (68 games, 53.6% shooting) for the veteran's minimum of $1.5M -- plus a little more toughness. He'll be 37 next season, and it's almost certain that he'll have some drop-off, but if he'll play for pennies again, it'll be hard to turn him down.
4
G Shaun Livingston (UFA)
Livingston, with his ninth NBA team, finally has found a home. But with the Warriors up against the cap, he may be a casualty.
Livingston has become the super-efficient point who posts smaller guards instead of taking threes and shoots better than 50 percent. He had six assists and just one turnover in 75 minutes during these Finals. And after three seasons in Golden State, making $5.78M last season, Livingston is due for a raise. The Warriors own his and Iguodala's Bird rights, so whether he gets that raise from Golden State could depend on whether KD takes max money if he opts out.
3
F Andre Iguodala (UFA)
The 2015 Finals MVP didn't steal the show this time, but he didn't look like he's lost a step either. He's 33 and made $11M this season, so the Warriors could be tempted to replace him with a younger stud (Jonathon Simmons, anyone?). But Iggy's clutch play is the kind that could make Kevin Durant leave some money on the table.
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2
G Stephen Curry (UFA)
Curry was incredible in these Finals, averaging a near triple-double: 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 9.4 assists. His 40 rebounds were one shy of Kevin Durant's total.
He's been the biggest bargain in the NBA, playing out a four-year, $44M contract. Now he's eligible to receive the biggest contract in NBA history -- a new Designated Player Veteran Contract of more than $200 million this summer. And you can bet he'll get it.
The good news for Warriors fans is they have his Bird rights, so Curry's potential deal would be cap-friendly.
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1
F Kevin Durant (player option to become UFA)
KD can opt out of his two-year, $54M contract this summer and become an unrestricted free agent, and the Finals MVP has plenty of reasons to do that. He averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the Finals, shooting 55.6 percent from the field, 47.4 on threes and 92.7 from the line.
That's right, 50/40/90 in the Finals. And he reportedly is willing to take less than the max to bring back some teammates. If the Warriors don't have to renounce the rights to guys like Livingston and Iguodala to fit KD under the salary cap, then they can exceed the salary cap to sign them.
If Durant can enable them to do that, he's the real MVP.
as an Bay Area resident and Oakland Athletics, Raiders, Sharks, GWS fan I'm appalled 
status at least the team we wanted to walk away champs did it in 5 games breh..
