The Golden State Warriors feel they have an excellent window of opportunity to contend for more than just the NBA playoffs in the next few years, but one of the problems is keeping the current crew intact. One of the players they’ll struggle holding onto is Carl Landry, who is likely to waive his player option for next season and try and see what’s out there for him in the free agency market.
I mean, this is the best team I’ve ever played for on this level, especially as far as chemistry. And the scary thing is we’ve been together one year. The Warriors are home whether I opt in or out. Hopefully, I can spend the rest of my career here because this is a very special place. Everything here is what you want: the city, the fans, the front office, the coach, the teammates. You can’t ask for anything more.
So if everything is so great, why leave? Easy. Money. Landry has a player option for $4 million next season, his last on his current contract with the team. Most NBA players prefer a multi-year deal that might give them a little less per season than a one-year deal with more money on average.
But that’s not the only thing guiding Landry. Becoming a free agent in 2013 means more demand for him, in a much weaker class than the 2014 one, which might cost him some money. Playing his cards right, and Landry could wind up getting a deal worth between $15-20 million for the next three seasons. That’s something that won’t be easy to give up, and the Warriors, stuck with bad contract for Richard Jefferson and Andris Biedriņš, which could mean they might not be able to compete with other teams for Landry.
The 29 year old who has been in the league since 2007 came off the bench most of this recent season and had a strong performance in the playoffs, averaging 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds on 20 minutes per game. His per minutes numbers have always been very good, but Landry never seems to get the chance to play too many minutes, or stay in one place for too long, despite his ability to score a lot of points, and fast, in the paint.
Landry isn’t the only player facing a decision for the Warriors – Jarrett Jack also has a player option he might choose to waive because he had a strong season and knows he can get a better, multi-year deal based on his 17.2 points per game in the playoffs. The Warriors need both of them to keep and build on the impressive season they just, the best in a very long time. They’ve already indicated they’re willing to pay the luxury tax to keep this group competitive, hoping that a few bad contracts they inherited or are responsible for won’t suffocate their dreams before it’s too late.