Bob Myers leaving his post as GM of the Golden State Warriors marks the first sign that their era as a dynasty is ending. Myers has been in the role for the last 11 years and has overseen the evolution of the Warriors from a bright young team in 2012 to the four-time champions they are today.
The highlight of Myers’ tenure as GM was the signing of Kevin Durant, which brought the franchise back-to-back championships in 2017 and 18. Myers revealed in his exit press conference that Durant called him after the news of his departure broke.
“Durant called me today, he’s in Monaco. What he did for us, showing up here, knowing what he would hear about in the media. For him to have the courage, I remember Joe and I were on the phone with him, right before he signed, you could tell he knew what was coming down the road. For him to do it and completely deliver on everything you’d want. Two Finals MVPs, took us to the Finals three years in a row, two championships. If you like basketball, watching him and Steph and these guys play, I’d do that for free.”
Durant also shared an image of him and Myers holding the NBA Championships they won together on his Instagram story.
What the Warriors achieved can never be taken away. Joe Lacob will have a task on his hand replacing Myers after one of the first clear indicators that having Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green on the court and healthy might not lead to championship success anymore.
Re-Tooling Golden State Without Myers
Whoever replaces Myers will be under pressure from the day they get the job. Moving pieces around the roster to not only brace for the new cap rules that start in 2024 but to keep the roster a championship contender with one of the greatest players of all time in Stephen Curry.
Next season will also have questions about the contracts of Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. If Green accepts his player option this summer, he and Thompson will both be free agents in 2024 and with their playoff production, it’s unclear if the Warriors will reward their veterans with expensive new contracts given the messy cap situation the team has been operating in.
Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga are likely going to be the primary trade assets that allow the Warriors to get pieces that they need to keep their dynasty alive.
