After the blockbuster acquisition of Jimmy Butler on Wednesday, there was significant speculation that the Golden State Warriors could use their mid-tier salaries for another major move prior to Thursday's trade deadline.
Instead, the Warriors chose to preserve the rest of their roster, and perhaps most notably veterans Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney who are playing out the season on expiring contracts.
Re-signing Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II should become easier for the Warriors
There's a very real argument that Golden State should have utilized that $17.1 million in expiring salary (and another contract) to make another significant upgrade, perhaps most likely in a move for Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic.
Even if the Warriors had traded one or both of Payton and Looney before the deadline, they could have tried to bring them back as free agents in the offseason. Of course, re-signing the pair should now be easier if there's mutual interest -- which you'd imagine there would be given the front office's decision to retain the pair at the deadline.
While the veteran duo remain regular members of Steve Kerr's rotation, it's hard to see them getting bigger deals in free agency given the state of the NBA and so many teams deep into the luxury tax.
There's actually a strong chance that Looney and Payton are minimum contract players, particularly after what we saw last offseason when the likes of Tyus Jones and Gary Trent Jr. were forced to take minimum deals.
There's a chance Golden State won't be able to afford much more anyway. They just extended Butler to a two-year, $112 million contract that will see him make $54.1 million next season, while Jonathan Kuminga's restricted free agency could easily see an extension beyond $30 million per year.
The Warriors will therefore have to find value on minimum contracts, and bringing back Looney and Payton may be a start in doing that. At 29 and 32-years-old respectively, the duo may be looking for another reasonable payday, but their connection with the franchise may ultimately override making a few extra million dollars.
Needless to say the offseason will be incredibly important for Golden State, starting with what they decide to do with Kuminga who's expected to return from injury later in the month. Looney and Payton will both be unrestricted free agents, but the remaining Warrior main roster players are all signed for next season.
