Golden State Warriors: 5 free agency targets for 2020-21
By Drew Taylor
With limited cap space, the Golden State Warriors will look to sign key role players to join their stars returning from injury in the 2020-21 season.
It is well documented that the Golden State Warriors are currently in turmoil.
Just one year removed from their fifth straight Finals appearance, the Warriors won just 15 of 65 regular-season games in 2019-20 and were on pace to have one of the worst seasons in the organization’s history.
They currently have one of the worst cap situations in the league with three max deals on their salary, not including the four-year, $100 million extension given to Draymond Green last summer. Yes, Draymond, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are all expected to return healthy. And sure, they could trade away Andrew Wiggins and offload his salary this summer. Who knows if their stars will return instantly playing at a high level and who knows how easy it will be to find another team willing to take on Wiggins’ contract.
In 2020-21, the Warriors are expected to have an active cap just under $149 million, $34 million over the cap maximum and $10 million over the luxury tax threshold. If they can somehow trade away Wiggins without taking on another absurd contract, they would sit at an active cap of $120 million, just $5 million over the cap maximum and $19 million under the luxury tax threshold.
Either way, the Warriors are extremely tight with money. And even if all three stars return from injury playing at a high level, the talent after that severely drops, which means the Warriors need to find low-paying, productive players in 2020 free agency to help a squad hoping to return to contending form.
Now, we look at five players set to hit free agency this summer all currently making less than $8 million with strengths that could very well take the organization to the next level in 2020-21.