Before any business can be done this offseason, the Warriors need to know who their general manager is.
Bob Myers’ contract expires this offseason and while there has been talk of Myers not getting the offer he wanted from Joe Lacob, there are other, more human factors at play.
Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle joined Murph & Mac on Monday to discuss Myers’ status.
He said he’s been offered at least “two or three” contract extensions by Joe Lacob that would make him near the highest-paid executive in the league.
But the thing with Myers is his interest level.
“I think, more than anything, it’s just does Bob want to keep doing this? Just kind of reading the tea leaves, it feels like he’s kind of at a point in life and his career where he’s like, I’ve done this,” Letourneau said. “I’ve gotten a lot out of this experience, but maybe I’m ready for the next thing. So I think that’s what he’s evaluating right now and I think every human being can understand that. I’m sure we’ve all gone through that in our own professional careers where you just maybe feel ready for the next phase of your career.”
Letourneau said Myers needs to give the Warriors an answer on his future at some point in the next week or two and that if he does leave, they would “100 percent” promote internally.
Mike Dunleavy Jr. is the most prominent, clear-cut, and “logical” option from a group that includes Shaun Livingston and director of team development Ryan Atkinson.
But the implications of Myers’ departure could be seismic given the decisions that need to be made.
“If Bob leaves, the odds of the dynasty truly being over to me would spike a significant percentage, because there’s just so many sensitive conversations they need to have and so many important things they need to navigate to keep this thing going,” Letourneau said. “And I really feel like Bob is the only one in the world capable of navigating those things. You need to ask Draymond to take a major pay cut at some point. You need to ask Klay Thompson to take a massive pay cut at some point. No one’s going to be able to handle those conversations better than Bob.”
The other question is if Myers leaves, would Steve Kerr? Or would Kerr move into the front office? Kerr has one year remaining on his deal.
Given the sour taste in his mouth from his time as general manager in Phoenix and his love for coaching, Letourneau doesn’t believe Kerr would make that switch. But his contract will have to be looked at.
“My gut tells me that Steve will probably be around as the worst coach at least until Steph’s done, but I don’t know,” Letourneau said. “Steve also only has one year left on his deal and so he’ll need to start having conversations with the Warriors about his future pretty soon here, but Bob is obviously much more pressing.”
Golden State has about a month before the NBA Draft on June 22, when they’ll own the 19th overall pick. Free agency begins June 30.
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