NBA champs braced for 'seismic change' next season

The NBA championship-winning Golden State Warriors are bracing for a ‘seismic change’ to hit the organisation after the conclusion of the current season.

The Warriors, who have one three of the last four NBA championships, are favourites to win their third in a row this season.

Things aren’t that simple in the Bay Area though - this season is a crucial one for many reasons.

First of all, this current squad - led by Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green - is fighting to cement their legacy as one of the great teams in modern basketball. A third NBA title in a row will do the trick.

Unfortunately, chemistry concerns have dogged them throughout the season.

Durant, notably crabby at the best of times, is a free agent after this season and has publicly bristled after repeatedly being linked to a move to the New York Knicks.

While Durant joined the Warriors in 2017, foundational pieces Thompson and Green are free agents this season also - presenting the Warriors with an almighty dilemma.

According to veteran ESPN NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, the Warriors do not believe Durant will return for another season in San Francisco, preferring to go it alone.

“We all know that KD is All-World, but Golden State is not really prioritising him,” he said.

“Because KD’s his own man, he’s going to make whatever decision he’s going to make. And they believe whether he elects to stay or go, what else can they do for him? They’ve got a first-class organisation. They’re moving into a state-of-the-art new facility.

“They know that he commands the max, so they’d give it to him.

“He’s going to make the decision. But I also have been told that they have been advised, strongly I might add, by some of the elite in the game, Hall of Famers as executives and players: Prioritise Klay Thompson.

“In other words, offer Klay Thompson every penny that you can. If you short-change him in any way in free agency, he will consider departing. Probably for the Clippers more so than anybody else.”

The Warriors were already a dominant team before Durant joined them - it took a historic comeback from LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to prevent them from winning the last five seasons in a row.

The off-season then, marks a critical juncture in the team’s history.

How far do they try to push this historic run? According to Wojnarowski, the Warriors have been doing their best to leave these problems for after this season.

“Even internally in Golden State, there’s a sense of ‘let’s try to put aside what’s coming in July, we have a chance to do something very rare in sports, to three-peat, let’s try to keep our focus there, win a title, and then let July play out the way it’s going to.'” he said.

“But I think the Warriors are bracing for possibly a seismic change within that organisation.”