[Source Article by The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, Marcus Thompson, & Sam Amick – “Why the Warriors are in danger of losing Bob Myers”](https://theathletic.com/4123595/2023/01/25/warriors-bob-myers-contract-extension/)
–
### Bob Myers’ Extension Talks Remain Flat
> How long will Bob Myers be part of this brain trust? In his 12th season as head of the Warriors basketball operations, he’s the second-most influential voice in that room full of organizational power brokers, but his contract runs out in July.
> As the clock ticks and extension talks remain flat, many around Myers are wondering whether – and even predicting that – his days with the Warriors are about to run out. That outcome would present some critical questions: Why? What could be next? What kind of ripple effects would it have on the Warriors?
–
### Steph Curry, Among Many Other Key Individuals, Would Not Like Bob Myers Leaving
> **Myers’ departure would assuredly be unsettling to Curry. Myers is the Warriors’ executive with whom Curry is closest. The reigning Finals MVP has become increasingly vocal about his win-now perspective and Myers has been the primary voice easing Curry’s concerns regarding the franchise’s direction and commitment to the present. Curry’s bent is for Warriors’ management to maximize the championship window, insistent it’s still open.** One has to wonder how the face of the franchise would respond to losing the face of the front office — whose signature moves for Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant and Andrew Wiggins were pivotal to winning rings.
>In addition to Curry, Steve Kerr’s and Draymond Green’s close relationship with Myers are well known. Green has a player option for next season and could opt to walk. Kerr’s current contract expires after next season. Dunleavy is Myers’ right hand and was brought on to be his confidant. Several key figures in the organization have strong ties to Myers, which is why **his departure has the potential to be the first domino in the transition to the next era.**
–
### Bob Myers Believes He Deserves to be Paid
> **Team and league sources, who like all of the sources in this story were granted anonymity so they could speak freely, say Myers believes he should be among the highest-paid front office executives in the league, if not the highest**. He’s been the architect of four NBA title teams, was the lead recruiter in the Durant free agency signing, and has been the trusted conduit between players, coaches and ownership. Myers also has served as chief problem solver, the coolant in an ecosystem that periodically overheats.
> Myers, who declined comment for this story, would strongly prefer his contract situation stay out of the spotlight as the Warriors try to defend their title. He has managed to keep all of his past negotiations largely behind the scenes.
> According to several people with ballpark knowledge of executive salaries around the league, **Myers falls somewhere in the range of either sixth, seventh or eighth on the base salary totem pole.**
> While front office salaries are typically kept even more private than those of coaches, executives such as Philadelphia’s Daryl Morey, Toronto’s Masai Ujiri, Miami’s Pat Riley, Minnesota’s Tim Connelly, San Antonio’s R.C. Buford and New York’s Leon Rose are considered by industry experts to be among the highest paid, and likely above Myers, when it comes to annual salary. **The upper echelon of executives, league sources say, make upwards of $10 million. Incentives are often added to these deals. Myers reached an incentive for the Warriors winning this past title.**
–
### Bob Myers as a Free Agent Would be Highly in Demand (Ex Sixers in 2018)
> Considering some of the opportunities that have come Myers’ way, who could blame him for wanting an elite offer from the Warriors? Most notably, the Sixers’ recruitment of Myers in the summer of 2018 spoke volumes about his value beyond the Warriors’ walls.
> **In the wake of the public relations disaster that was the Bryan Colangelo firing, the Sixers, sources say, went to extensive lengths to woo Myers. Philadelphia was prepared to put him atop the league’s payscale, or at least really close to it.** Ultimately, Myers chose to stay put with the Warriors. If he were to leave Golden State this summer, he’d likely be the most sought after front office free agent on the market.
> But where might he go? **According to sources close to the situation, Washington, Phoenix, and New York are all worth monitoring as possibilities. Meanwhile, the recent focus in front office circles, where Myers’ situation has become a hot topic, is on the Clippers.** They have the richest owner in all of professional sports in Steve Ballmer, the 66-year-old former Microsoft CEO with an $83 billion net worth who has taken the blank-check approach to his title pursuit since buying the team in 2014.
> Bottom line: **it’s far too early to tell where Myers might land if he leaves the Warriors, or if he’ll remain in the NBA at all. Sources close to Myers have also left open the possibility he could pursue opportunities outside the sport.** That would give credence to the idea Myers may leave the Warriors because of burnout.
–
### Joe Lacob Being More Heavily Involved in Day-to-day Personnel Choices:
> Same constant ambition that makes the Warriors an elite franchise is the same constant ambition that grinds on those in direct orbit. **Sources say Lacob is more involved than ever in the day-to-day personnel choices. He studies the draft, attends workouts and crafts big boards.** He played an influential role in the franchise’s choice to use its five recent picks on upside teenagers instead of rerouting some of that capital into older and reliable help to maximize the present.
–
### Importance of Bob Myers as the Lead Mediator
> Myers is the leading mediator of this high-stakes clash. **When ground-level concerns arise from Kerr or the All-Stars on the roster, Myers is the trusted ear.** **When agents wonder why their young clients can’t gain career traction, Myers is the explainer.** When Durant tore his Achilles, when James Wiseman missed an entire season, when Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole, it is Myers who faces the public. **When Lacob turns the temperature up, Myers is closest to the fire and the staff’s buffer.**
> This summer is trending toward a culmination. The Warriors’ increased luxury tax concerns and rising salary numbers are creating wrenching personnel decisions. That could involve a choice between whether to part with Green or Klay Thompson, two living franchise legends who have both voiced a relative unease about their future with the Warriors beyond their current contracts. Myers can’t be thrilled at the prospect of making that call, especially considering he’s going to have to break that news to No. 30.
by NokCha_
46 Comments
Pay the man already Bob’s more than earned it 🤬
We’ve always known a lot of this which why Myers is extremely important to the franchise. The article says Myers is the mediator between ownership, players and coaches and has great relationships with everyone. Myers balances Lacob’s arrogance and keeps Kerr and the core players minds at ease. Curry, Kerr and Lacob all have very strong relationships with Myers and they’re the 3 most important people in the franchise. Myers manages Lacob’s antics and keeps Curry, Kerr and Draymond from lashing out. This article is coming from Myers’s camp and throwing darts at Lacob. We’d be a very dysfunctional franchise if Myers wasn’t around.
The article also says Dunleavy would be the front runner to replace Myers if he left.
I just wish our stars, coaches, and FO folks weren’t too nice to really throw Lacob under the bus.
Lacob should try to keep Myers and Kerr together while Steph is still around.
After that we could definitely use some changes in the FO and coaching staff.
>That could involve a choice between whether to part with Green or Klay Thompson, two living franchise legends who have both voiced a relative unease about their future with the Warriors beyond their current contracts. Myers can’t be thrilled at the prospect of making that call, especially considering he’s going to have to break that news to No. 30.
To be honest, I fully understand if Myers didn’t want to hang around for that, especially if Draymond leaves. Imagine telling the greatest player the Golden State Warriors will have ever known that you have decided to shut the current window of contention permanently in the hope of being a contender five years from now (when said player is 40).
Not a suprise that the man has huge Jerry Jones/Krause vibes.
My man bob wants a super max extension. 20 mil a year or I’m out , get your money !!!!!!
But in all seriousness in my opinion the person that ties in this situation is Draymond. Draymond was bob first draftee the year he was promoted in 2012. The relationships he has with the core legends can’t be denied, they’re a family, he’ll do whatever it takes to help them succeed. If the front office is skeptical or hesitant to keep any of the core members particularly with Draymond and let him walk, Bob is gone. It’s leverage imo he’s creating to keep the ship a float.
it’s fine if Lacob wants a return on investment* when he writes big checks, but if he’s gonna make himself part of basketball operations then he needs to be accountable for his successes and failures. only, who’s gonna hold him accountable? not like you can fire the dude.
very few sports things are more frustrating than a meddling owner.
(*as far as a return on investment, his share of the team is currently worth nearly 17 times what he paid for it, which is a *pretty good ROI*. feel like that should give you some wiggle room when it comes to year to year profitability!)
Is this why our latest moves are so… Meh? Lacob being more on hands in decisions… This is the type where we’d look back and pinpoint that this the starting point where the dynasty falls apart.
Hope lacob doesn’t go full Jerry Jones
Seems like an inevitably the longer this gets reported and there’s no resolution
No reason for Myers not to be the highest paid exec in the business.
I’ve played the role of “lead mediator” and that job is toxic AF. You are constantly on edge because you are the first person everyone brings their rage, negativity or fear.
I totally get why Bob would consider something outside of the NBA. Here’s hoping the Dubs work it out with Myers.
What goes unsaid in the article is that Lacob’s kids are all in the background. I’m not looking forward to the lakers 2.0 where the (Buss) kids presence has a strong influence. Let the professionals run the show! And Pay the man!
Look, I’ve been critical of how Bob Myers has constructed this year’s roster.
He’s also the best in the business and deserves to name his price.
Get it done, Joey Lightyears.
Joey Krause over here. Gonna be a mighty downfall into irrelevance.
I’m starting to get Jerry Jones vibes with Lacob. Just pay Bob and let him do his job. Please
Fuuuuck. The scariest part of that article is Lacob making big boards. Would not be the first dynasty that an owner’s hubris has sunk.
Can somebody give Bob some fucking credit?
We don’t need any article or discussion about this. Man deserves to be paid top dollar.
omg, please joey, don’t turn into Jerry Jones
if they lose curry over this ish, I’m done
where there is smoke there is fire. mike dunleavy jr was promoted pretty quickly up the ranks in the front office. joe wants him to be the next GM. doesn’t his sons have a good relationship with dunleavy or something?
I firmly believe that Myers leaving would be the first domino to fall that would ultimately lead to the collapse of the warriors dynasty.
And this article’s statement that Lacob has been a major voice in the day to day personnel choices confirms a worrying suspicion I had for a long time. They tried to cover this fact up in the past by saying all decisions made were as a group. As history has proven, nothing good ever comes out of an ownership heavily involved in daily affairs.
I always found it odd that Warriors always drafted smart, or highly skilled in one area players prior to the dynastic run. After 2015, the focus seemed to have shifted from drafting players who could contribute to winning, to high upside players. Damian Jones, Jordan Bell, Jacob Evans, Wiseman, Kuminga. Out of all of the high upside players, only one of them had proven to pan out somewhat. Granted, they had some great picks like Poole and most recently, PBJ. And I also can’t be upset at the Moody pick. But I firmly believe this team would be looking a lot different had Lacob not played a role and the team instead focused on drafting high IQ winning players, or even trading picks to acquire those types of players.
For those of you saying that the bench isn’t the issue right now, I agree. But looking at the entire season as a whole, the bench really only turned it around in the last few weeks. For the most part, they’ve been terrible and I think that the terrible start affected the starter’s mentality.
He shouldn’t be “among” the highest paid. He should be “The” highest paid. At least if performance matters.
Is there a cap for nba FO execs? Or can they be paid w/e they want?
Bob’s roots are in Alamo/Danville. His entire family and support system lives there. No chance in hell he moves
Opening sentence of the article is haunting.
> The six huddled, in open view, in the equipment area of the Warriors’ locker room: Joe Lacob, Bob Myers, Kirk Lacob, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Kent Lacob and Shaun Livingston.
6 people huddled… 3 of them Lacobs? I don’t like it.
How is this not an open and shut case? Bob got us 3 rings, Kevin Durant, Wiggins and Kuminga, and then a 4th ring. Like this should be the easiest contract extension since Steph’s in 2021.
What was most concerning to me was in that noted huddle of the 6-7 primary brain trust members of the organization, 3 are named Lacob.
Someone hold me. I don’t like the path this team is headed down. Just let the GM do his fucking job, Joe.
It’s the same shit. Teams have success. Overtime the success is taken for granted, especially among personnel where the team/owner thinks “I can do it without you.” This is how the downfall starts
Can’t believe lacob is going to burn this whole thing to the ground.. learned ABSOLUTELY nothing from the MJ documentary. Who cares if you suck for 3 seasons after steph,klay and dray are finished? Your more likely to be mid with the young core than to ever go on the type of run these generational talents have given you. Shit like this doesn’t happen often and it will not happen with the young guys. STEPH is special and you maximize tf out of that when you have it period.
Pay the man Joe, this isn’t rocket science
Could we get another GM and be ok? Probably, but Myers/Kerr combo is such a huge part of the warriors culture. Can’t find another guy with that kind of mentality
> Joe Lacob Being More Heavily Involved in Day-to-day Personnel Choices:
> Same constant ambition that makes the Warriors an elite franchise is the same constant ambition that grinds on those in direct orbit. Sources say Lacob is more involved than ever in the day-to-day personnel choices. He studies the draft, attends workouts and crafts big boards. He played an influential role in the franchise’s choice to use its five recent picks on upside teenagers instead of rerouting some of that capital into older and reliable help to maximize the present.
This is how the dynasty dies btw. Look at any team this happens for, how does it go? I swear it’s a billionaires ego vs Steph/Dray/Klay/Kerr/Myers all giving everything to be great and we all might lose. Embarrassing stuff.
Imo, nothing after Steph/Dray/Klay should even be thought about by the FO or ownership. Maximize the now, and figure it out after. Sure, don’t trade a young guy with huge upside if you don’t want (this only applies to Kuminga btw), but holding on to a bunch of young guys just bc they’re young bc you’re trying to be good in 5 years is straight up dumb. Especially sacrificing legit title chances to do it. Lacob needs to set aside his ego and be smart about this. All I’ve ever heard about how this guy is a good leader is that he delegates well, if that goes away and he starts thinking **he’s** the one who’s smart about basketball… we’re all cooked.
I think Myers’ role in building this team is a little overrated. He drafted Draymond but his predecessor drafted Steph and Klay. He’s missed on a fair amount of picks over the years and it wasn’t exactly rocket science to sign KD.
BUT if he’s important to Steph, he’s important to the team. Pay the man.
Would it be crazy to think that if Myers, Kerr, Draymond and Klay leave, Steph might end his career elsewhere ? 😫
fucking pay the man, Joe.
Welp, this article got me a bit concerned lol. Myers potentially walking and Lacob getting more and more involved, things could definitely turn rancid.
Hoping it all gets sorted. Warriors aren’t the Warriors without all of Steph, Myers, and Kerr (…and Dray/Klay).
> Sources say Lacob is more involved than ever in the day-to-day personnel choices. He studies the draft, attends workouts and crafts big boards. He played an influential role in the franchise’s choice to use its five recent picks on upside teenagers instead of rerouting some of that capital into older and reliable help to maximize the present.
> Same constant ambition that makes the Warriors an elite franchise is the same constant ambition that grinds on those in direct orbit. Sources say Lacob is more involved than ever in the day-to-day personnel choices. He studies the draft, attends workouts and crafts big boards. He played an influential role in the franchise’s choice to use its five recent picks on upside teenagers instead of rerouting some of that capital into older and reliable help to maximize the present.
Sounds like the disease of more aka the beginning of the end
Make him the highest paid GM we can’t afford to lose him i don’t understand why the owners isn’t willing to pay
> Joe Lacob Being More Heavily Involved…
Ah there it is…got a little dose and now mans thinks he can do it himself. Andre has mentioned this several times lol…This is probably how it ends…
Enjoy it while it lasts I guess
Lakers better give him a blank check
Why I hope he will stay in bold:
In the NBA world, what the Warriors have is considered elite living,
driven by an unquenchable desire for rampant success. This is why some
insiders believe, if presented with a deadline and must-match dollar
amount to keep Myers, Lacob will pay what it takes to keep him around.
**Executive salaries don’t count toward the luxury tax.**
I don’t remember if it was the parade or championship night, but Lacob being all over the trophy before the players rubbed me the wrong way. I get you’re the owner and excited in the moment but he was basically “ALL UP IN THE VIDEO”.
Joe Lacob is gonna be in for a rude awakening when this team becomes a perennial bottom feeder after all the key guys are gone.