Image via Complex Original
Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant. After all the Twitter smoke clears and the faces are Crying Jordan'd and the Russell Westbrook loneliness memes have run their course, that's the reality. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant. On the same team. For years to come.
So what's your move, League?
Let's forget for a moment the responsibility NBA commissioner Adam Silver has over ensuring even the loosest possible semblance of parity and competitive balance (word to David Stern vetoing Chris Paul's Lakers career) and let's consider what opposing players and GMs now face. In order to beat a team that won more games in NBA history than any other and now just added the second or third best player on the planet, you're going to need more than a single superstar or even a duo of superstars.
You're going to need at least three top-15 NBA players. And lots of prayer.
Let's look ahead to next summer. Let's pretend the Steph Curry and Kevin Durant-led Warriors are coming off a 70-ish win regular season that culminated in an NBA championship.
The arms race now continues. Where do the 29 other teams go from here?
Trade for / sign Russell Westbrook.
Russell Westbrook does not want to play basketball games in Oklahoma. No offense to Oklahoma, but you're Oklahoma. You know that. We know that. Russ knows that. Oklahoma may have been bearable when he was playing next to Kevin Durant and going deep in the playoffs. Without KD? Oklahoma isn't where a dude who dances and dresses like Russ needs to be.
The Thunder will be smart to trade him to make sure they at least get something in return. In fact, in the absence of a contract extension, the trading of Russell Westbrook already seems to be in motion.
Use those cheap rookie contracts.
While considering which forces may team up where, it's important to remember that not all of the great players of tomorrow are known today. Who's to say Andrew Wiggins doesn't look like a supercharged Jimmy Butler in two years? Or that Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons don't become one of the best front court tandems in basketball? Things change in the NBA, but the one constant is the constant pipeline of high-level talent.
Getting All-Star talent while it's still on a cheap rookie deal allows teams to pile up max players without piling up luxury tax payments.
Make a play for Chris Paul.
CP3 aka Lil Yachty is the one member of the LeBron superfriends who will be contractually available come this time next summer if he exercises an early termination option. Would Bron prefer to play with his fellow 30-plus love stepper/banana boater instead of Kyrie Irving? How about a team with younger stars in need of a stabilizing presence at the point to get them over the top? Cliff Paul's bro is still an elite PG who can fit on almost any squad.
Don't forget about Blake Griffin.
Chris Paul isn't the only Clipper who could escape from L.A. Blake's name was already tossed around in trade talk this past season, and with the Clippers unable to land KD and the uncertainty over their aging core, Blake might be wise to join in on a newly-forming trio or assemble a crew of his own. His early termination clause at the end of this season only makes things more interesting.
Make (smart) use of the new cap space.
The cap keeps rising, having gone from $94,143,000 last year to $107,000,000 in 2017 according to Spotrac. Lots of teams will have the ability to fit multiple max deals, although teams with young promising players on team-friendly contracts AND lots of cap room (looking at you, Timberwolves, Lakers, and Sixers) might have the advantage over teams who blow stacks on mediocre players (or ex-stars) with high cap figures.
See which superstars are on the market.
Did Indiana's experiment with Jeff Teague and Thad Young fall flat on it's face thus making Paul George unhappy / available? Is Daryl Morey through trying to build around James Harden in Houston and ready to make a deal? Whatever happened to Anthony Davis; is there any way to pry him from New Orleans should he have another so-so season?
Opportunistic GMs should be asking all of these questions over the next 12 months; somebody is going to be the home of the next big team.
Become the home of the Superfriends.
What has changed since LeBron professed his love for Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade?
Nothing, except a championship which gives King James a free pass to leave Cleveland and form the superfriends whenever he so pleases. If ever there was a time for The Chosen One to get his friends Chris and Carmelo a chip before their careers are over, it's now. If you're a team with one of these players or a team with infinite cap room and/or assets to trade, you could find yourself home of the 2003 draft class (+ Chris Paul).
Keep an eye on Steph Curry.
Flying under the radar is Steph Curry's impending unrestricted 2017 free agency. Right now dudes like Timofey Mozgov are making almost $4 million more a year than the reigning MVP, so naturally Curry will want to get somewhere close to his real value.
Of course he'll be alright with taking less so that the team can fit Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, right? And of course he'll be okay with taking less shots, breaking less records, getting less credit, and possibly playing the background while KD runs the show, right? Even if it means Durant's Nike brand getting more shine off the Warriors' success than the Under Armour brand Curry's currently invested in, right? Of course he'll be alright with all of this and sign again with Golden State...
...right?