The Bob Myers era in Golden State may be coming to a close very soon.
That’s the latest via The Athletic, who reported on Wednesday morning that Myers’ contract, which is up this summer, has a chance to not be renewed. Myers is not among the highest paid executives in the NBA according to the report, despite the four NBA titles won under his watch. He’d like that to change, but it’s unclear ownership, more specifically Joe Lacob, is willing to play ball.
According to the report, “many around Myers are wondering whether – and even predicting that – his days with the Warriors are about to run out.”
It comes as a bit of a shock that Myers isn’t among one of the highest paid executives in the league, especially because Lacob said a few weeks ago that he was in the top three. Reportedly, there are a number of teams willing to put Myers near or at the top of that list including Washington, Phoenix, and New York.
Also concerning is that it appears Lacob has become more involved in personnel decisions than ever. Via The Athletic:
Sources say Lacob is more involved than ever in the day-to-day personnel choices. He studies the draft, attends workouts and crafts big boards. He played an influential role in the franchise’s choice to use its five recent picks on upside teenagers instead of rerouting some of that capital into older and reliable help to maximize the present.
If Myers does indeed walk, it could be the first of many dominos to fall. His close relationships with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and especially Steve Kerr are well documented. The bad optics of letting one of the most successful executives in league history leave over money is one thing, but how that will affect other prominent figures within the organization internally is perhaps an even bigger concern.
There is a long track record of stories like this coming out only for deals to get done at the eleventh hour. It’s hard to imagine a Warriors fan out there who isn’t rooting for that outcome.