“We Kind Of Blew a Hole in the System”: Golden State Warriors Owner Admits the Franchise Being in Trouble

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob has brought the Larry O’Brien Championship trophy to the Bay before, having done it four times in the past eight seasons. However, it doesn’t lessen how amazing each occasion is. Lacob really had a different impression of the Warriors’ 2022 title for a number of reasons.

Last season, the Warriors broke payroll records with $346 million in total payroll, $176 million in compensation, and $170 million in luxury tax. Next season, Golden State’s expenses are expected to increase even more. However, the Warriors’ payroll may significantly soar in 2023–2024. Jordan Poole’s rookie-scale deal will result in a significant pay increase.

Golden State Warriors Joe Lacob 1
Credits: Stanford University

Andrew Wiggins, an All-Star and significant NBA Finals participant, could ask for a raise from his rookie-scale maximum agreement. Their current contracts include hefty increases for James Wiseman, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Stephen Curry. Warriors owner Joe Lacob is worried about the same.

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Golden State Warriors owner explains problems to the franchise

“Your numbers are kind of messed up. I will just say that. You were throwing numbers out like 400 and 500,” Lacob said on the TK Show.

“Those numbers are not even remotely possible. It’s just not. I’m already in trouble with the rest of the league. We are in trouble for being where we are. In fact, in Vegas, I’ll be at – we’re going to be at – the Board of Governors meeting Tuesday. Let me tell you, they’re not happy. It’s not just us. Other teams are going into the luxury tax now, as well. We kind of blew a hole in the system, and it’s not a good look from the league’s perspective. They don’t want to see it happen. And there are limits. I’m not going to say what they are. But there are limits on what you can do.”

Perhaps Lacob was making light of the way other clubs whine when they claim to be “in trouble” with the rest of the league. It’s possible that the “limits” Lacob mentioned are solely internal and unrelated to the NBA. However, a complaint may be made by the National Basketball Players Association.

In this year’s free agency, Otto Porter and Gary Payton II received lesser re-signing offers from Golden State than from other teams, and they may submit complaints. Lacob has enjoyed a great deal of success with the Warriors over the years, and there is no indication that this will change any time soon.

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