Bob Myers of Golden State, a two-time executive of the year and the Warriors’ chief architect of four NBA titles, has announced his resignation as the team’s president and general manager, he told ESPN on Tuesday.
“It’s just time,” Myers said to ESPN. Myers, whose contract expires in late June, reportedly turned down ownership offers on a new agreement that would have placed him among the top executives in the league in terms of pay. Myers stated that a number of things other than money played a role in his decision to depart the organisation after 12 years.
Myers, 48, claimed he is undecided of his professional future, but if he ever decides to return to the team side, he is predicted to attract the biggest interest among executives in the history of North American professional sports.
Myers is a very enticing addition to a possible ownership group or front office due to his combination of leadership, talent evaluation, and the respect he enjoys at every level of the business, including coaches, players, agents, and front office.
Myers will present at a press conference in San Francisco on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
Myers, who grew up a fan of the Warriors in the Bay Area and later played basketball at UCLA, developed a Hall of Fame resume during his twelve years with the team. He has close personal and professional ties to the Warriors’ star players, including Steve Kerr, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Stephen Curry. According to insiders, he recently informed each of them that it was a potential he may leave his position.
Following Myers’ departure, Warriors owner Joe Lacob is anticipated to promote his son Kirk, an executive vice president of basketball operations, and Mike Dunleavy Jr., a vice president of basketball operations, into positions of greater responsibility.
If tough decisions are not made about the future of important players, like as Green and Thompson, the Warriors might approach a historic $500 million payroll and luxury tax in 2023–2024.
Thompson is approaching the final year of his contract, and Green has a player option on his 2023–2024 agreement. Both players want to stay with the Warriors Jr. and are hoping for hefty deals.
Before falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference playoffs this spring, the Warriors had won four championships in the previous eight seasons. In Myers’ eleven seasons as general manager, the Warriors made it to the NBA Finals six times but lost to Cleveland (2016) and Toronto (2019). Kevin Durant, who joined the Warriors as a free agent in 2016 and helped them win two championships before injuring his Achilles tendon in the 2019 NBA Finals, was the target of the Warriors’ chase under Myers.
With the exception of Curry joining the team before Myers did in 2012, Myers has been in charge of the draughts, trades, and signings that have shaped one of the league’s recent dynasties. Prior to working in the Warriors’ front office in 2011, Myers was a well-known player agent.
