The 5 Golden State Warriors Who Will Earn More Than MVP Stephen Curry Next Season
OAKLAND (CBS SF) - Anyone who just watched the Warriors break a 40-year title drought knows that the team has a ton of players who deserve to get paid. But, thanks to contract timing and existing long-term deals, the team will take the court in 2015-2016 with a starting five - in terms of top salary - that does not include the reigning NBA MVP.
Here's a look at who will be making more than the game's most lethal shooter (values Via USA Today Sports):
Klay Thompson
Steph's splash brother will lead the Dubs in the paycheck stat. He's due $15,501,000 next year. That number climbs about a million every year through the 2018-2019 season. That certainly is all-star money.
David Lee
Once in the running for face of the franchise, Lee was relegated to a reserve role after the emergence of Draymond Green last year. He'll be in the last year of his deal this season, and his expiring $15,493,680 could be attractive in trade for teams who want to clear cap space while getting a solid statistical player next season. Rumors of a possible Lee move surfaced even before the draft.
Draymond Green
The runner up for NBA Defensive Player of the year just inked a 5-year $85 million deal. That puts him at $14.26m next year, according to published reports. The number isn't really important because the Warriors said they would resign the versatile two-way player at any price.
Andrew Bogut
Despite his limited role at the end of the Finals, the big man remains an elite defensive force. Bogut will never again approach the nearly 16 points a game he once averaged in Milwaukee, at least not on this team. But you won't hear many complaints about his $12,000,000 paycheck for next year.
Andre Iguodala
At 11,710,456, Iguodala seems pretty highly paid for a defensive stopper off the bench. But he just won the NBA Finals MVP. If titles can wash away the sting of Barry Zito's monster contract for the Giants, surely Iguodala is in the clear after that performance.
Curry is currently the 6th ranked player on the team - in terms of paycheck - at $11,370,786. That's enough that you probably don't have to feel sorry for him. He'll jump to the top of this list in two years, when he works out a new deal.