The Warriors will reportedly offer Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson max contracts - and it could cost them more than $200 million in taxes

Alexandra Licata

Jun 29, 2019, 01:38 IST

The Warriors will reportedly offer Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson max contracts - and it could cost them more than $200 million in taxes

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Kevin Durant is expected to receive a five-year $221 million max contract this offseason.

The Golden State Warriors are expected to offer both Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant full five-year max contracts.
If the team signs both players, their payroll for the 2019-20 season could exceed $375 million, including $200 million in luxury taxes, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks, making the Warriors the most expensive team in NBA history.
The Warriors' new Chase Center, which opens later this year in San Francisco, is estimated to bring in more than $200 million in new revenue, which could help ease the blow of their potentially record-setting luxury tax.
Both Thompson and Durant are expected to miss most of the 2019-20 season due to injuries sustained in the 2019 NBA Finals.
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The Golden State Warriors have massive plans for the offseason that involve their star players and a lot of cash.

The team is expected to offer both Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant full five-year max contracts despite the injuries they sustained during the NBA Finals.

Thompson, who tore his ACL, would receive $190 million. Durant, who is recovering from an Achilles tear, would receive $221 million.

Both are expected to miss the majority of the 2019-20 season.

Securing both players would give the Warriors three contracts worth $190 million or more, as Stephen Curry signed a five-year $201 million extension in 2017.

On top of that, keeping free agent Kevon Looney is also a priority for the Warriors, meaning they could potentially reach the salary cap off of just four players' annual paychecks.

It would be the third consecutive season the Warriors go above the luxury tax and the fourth time in five seasons. With the introduction of the repeater tax in 2011, it would put the team on a record-setting pace. According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, the total payroll for the 2019-20 season could exceed $375 million, including over $200 million in luxury taxes.

The most expensive team in NBA history

That sum would make the Warriors the most expensive team in NBA history.

"We can do whatever we want (financially)," Warriors owner Joe Lacob told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic in February. "And you should expect that that's not going to be a reason this team … doesn't stay great going forward. We have the capital to pay our players what they deserve. And we will."

One reason the Warriors are able to put so much money towards their players is because of the new Chase Center, which opens later this year in San Francisco. The arena is estimated to bring in more than $200 million in new revenue, making the team also the highest-earning in the NBA, sources told ESPN.

If the Warriors do offer Thompson a max contract, both sides are expecting a quick agreement, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. But if the team refuses to do so, Los Angeles Times reporter Brad Turner said Thompson will take a look at both the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers recently agreed to a three-team deal with the New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards to create another max contract slot, making them a contender for Thompson.

Durant is also expected to explore free agency.

As a result, the Warriors are reportedly preparing for a scenario in which Durant decides to play elsewhere. The team may look to arrange a sign-and-trade option, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst on "Get Up!".

But Anthony Slater of The Athletic also reported that early indications are that it isn't something the Warriors are seriously considering at the moment.

It could eventually become something they bring to the table if needed, but for now, the Warriors appear invested in keeping their core together and making yet another run at the title.

Many believed that the Warrior's dynasty may have ended with the injuries to Durant and Thompson, but it remains clear that the team intends on doing whatever they can to have it continue.

If the Warriors can pull off the offseason they hope to, and Thompson and Durant return without issue, perhaps their reign isn't over just yet.

Sources: If the Warriors don't offer guard Klay Thompson a max $190 million deal on Sunday when free agency opens, he will listen to both LA teams, the Lakers and Clippers. Lakers back in the runnings because they now have max slot of $32 million after today's trade.
- Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 28, 2019