Kevin Durant is reportedly set to do the Warriors a huge favor – forgo a maximum salary, which would allow them to re-sign Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston and use the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,192,000) rather than the room exception ($4,328,000).
Doing all that could get quite expensive, but the primary concern seemed to be keeping Iguodala, a key cog in Golden State’s death lineup.
But might that alone get too costly?
Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports:
Sources: Warriors' luxury tax moving forward is concern for Golden State and owner Joe Lacob in re-signing Andre Iguodala.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2017
With Iguodala open to leaving Warriors and league interest accelerated, he plans to field offers at midnight Saturday, league sources say. https://t.co/TVUs6GFwkz
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2017
This feels like Iguodala just trying to get leverage, but he’ll have plenty of real suitors. An attempt at leverage can turn into an intriguing outside offer quickly.
If Iguodala bolts, where would that leave Durant? Durant might not accept a lower salary just to save the Warriors money. I’d guess his willingness to take less than the max is based on the team building a stronger roster. Golden State refusing to pay for Iguodala wouldn’t be holding up its end of the bargain.
