An underwhelming offseason for the Golden State Warriors has somehow got even worse after a wave of rookie extensions were agreed upon by rival players and teams on Friday.
Already with an eye to next offseason where they're projected to have potentially $100 million in cap space, the Warriors have been dealt an early blow on those future plans with a trio of young players taking themselves out of restricted free agency.
Warriors' offseason just got worse as future free agency options shrink
In a flurry of moves around the league on Friday, the Utah Jazz agreed to a five-year, $157.5 million extension with Keyonte George, while the Miami Heat and Pelle Larsson came to terms on a four-year, $60 million deal.
But more notably and in recent hours, Ausar Thompson and the Detroit Pistons have come together on a five-year, $155 million contract. The 23-year-old joins twin brother Amen as the first pair of brothers to each receive a $100+ million deal in NBA history, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
With the Thompson brothers, George and Larsson all securing their futures at their respective teams, along obviously with former number one overall pick Victor Wembanyama, the restricted free agency pool suddenly looks far less appetizing for a potential cap space team like Golden State.
Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson, Anthony Black and Cason Wallace are all notable former top 10 picks who remain without contracts, while the Warriors still have a decision to make with their own fourth-year guard in Brandin Podziemski who could command $20 million annually on a new deal.
Warriors won't want to get stuck in free agency next year
This is where Golden State could get stuck in a situation where cap space is more of a curse than a blessing. With too much cap space and not enough desirable free agents, you can end up overpaying for rival players in an attempt to revamp an underwhelming roster.
This is why the Warriors will have to be very careful with how they balance free agency with their opportunities at the mid-season trade deadline, including evaluating which stars with player options could opt out and become realistically available in the summer.
Those veterans with player options could now serve as Golden State's biggest targets, particularly given young players now appear to be turning down the prospect of restricted free agency in favor of securing life-changing money with their current teams.
