It’s somewhat fitting that the Sacramento Kings, specifically, were the team to knock the Golden State Warriors out of the 2024 postseason. For the bulk of their decade-long dynasty, the Kings were Golden State’s doormat. The Warriors went 23-7 against their neighbors to the north between the 2014-15 and 2021-22 seasons. The Kings never reached the playoffs in that span. They finally did a season ago, and they pushed the Warriors to the brink in a seven-game war. Golden State just barely survived. This time, in the Play-In Tournament, they weren’t so lucky.

Life comes at you fast in the NBA. Dynasties never live quite as long as you hope, and their deaths are often swifter and more brutal than you can possibly imagine. The Warriors lasted long enough for even the lowly Kings to catch up to them. Now, they’re at the end of their contending cycle, and for perhaps the first time in this entire run, the dynasty is truly at risk of ending, not because the Warriors will never contend again, but because the holy trinity of superstars that made it possible may finally break up.

Klay Thompson is set to become a free agent this offseason. For the bulk of Golden State’s tenure atop the league, the thought of a Splash Brother ever waiving goodbye seemed impossible. But things have changed. Thompson is no longer a superstar. He went scoreless in Tuesday’s season-ending loss and just averaged below 20 points per game for the first time since 2014. For a stretch earlier in the season, he wasn’t even a starter. He ceded that position to rookie Brandin Podziemski before ultimately claiming the spot back later on. Golden State reportedly offered Thompson a two-year, $48 million extension last offseason. It’s hard to imagine them going much higher with Podziemski waiting in the wings to replace him. Thompson has said he’s open to a smaller role if it means staying with Golden State. A smaller role and a smaller deal aren’t necessarily the same things.

Thompson obviously won’t command another max contract in his current state, but the market is breaking right for him to get a significant chunk of change. Grayson Allen just re-upped in Phoenix for $70 million over four years, establishing a market for shooters in the $20 million per year range. Removing Allen from the market also gives Thompson less competition in free agency. Malik Monk’s injury might do the same. Without another strong playoff performance, he appears somewhat likelier to re-sign in Sacramento using Early Bird Rights.

Seven teams are currently looking at $20 million or more in cap space this offseason. Most of them could use shooting. If Monk does indeed stay put, Thompson becomes the obvious target for anyone looking for an offensive jolt. The Orlando Magic have already been linked to him.

The fit is obvious. The Magic have pathways to over $45 million in cap space. They ranked 29th in 3-point attempts and 22nd in offense this season, but their No. 3-ranked defense is more than equipped to cover for his age-related deficiencies on that end of the floor. The Magic are about to begin their first playoff run of this era. Experience will be vital as they attempt to make the leap from playoff team to genuine contender. Thompson offers plenty of it.

Fred VanVleet set something of a model for this sort of free-agency pursuit last offseason when he landed what was functionally a two-year max deal with the Houston Rockets. That contract got the Rockets the short-term help they needed without exposing them to long-term risk, effectively setting VanVleet up as a bridge point guard until Amen Thompson would hopefully be ready to replace him. Orlando, with plenty of young guards in the pipeline and the trade assets to land more later, may be eyeing a similar path. The Magic wouldn’t go to the max for Klay, but their cap space gives them room to offer a shorter deal at a higher immediate cap figure that would make matching a deal particularly painful for Golden State.

The Warriors have racked up nearly $628 million in estimated luxury tax bills alone over the past four seasons, according to Spotrac. That approach isn’t sustainable no matter how much revenue Golden State’s fancy new arena generates. Owner Joe Lacob has said openly that his preferred plan for next season would be to avoid the luxury tax entirely.

Is that feasible? Well, maybe, but perhaps not sustainably. The projected tax line for next season is $172 million. At present, the Warriors have only $134 million or so committed in salary for next season. However, that only accounts for eight players, not including the impending free agent Thompson or Chris Paul, Kevon Looney and Gui Santos, whose deals are not guaranteed. The Warriors could conceivably fill out the roster while retaining Thompson and possibly Paul while staying below the line, but it’s hard to imagine them improving in any significant way while doing so.

More importantly, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody become extension-eligible this offseason. Kuminga’s extension alone is likely to vault Golden State’s payroll back up into the stratosphere. That makes guaranteeing Thompson any long-term money potentially impossible. With both earning high-end salaries in the 2025-26 season couple with existing contracts for Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors would be right back in repeater tax territory. Good luck finding a trade taker for Wiggins after the season he just had or Green given his disciplinary issues.

Ultimately it’s just money. Joe Lacob has a lot of it. The Warriors earn plenty thanks to the Chase Center. If they want to pay Thompson what it takes to bring him back, they could probably find a way. Would it be worthwhile for a team that just finished No. 10 in the Western Conference?

Head coach Steve Kerr was part of a dynasty in Chicago. He saw it end after the 1998 championship, and the culprit was the same one that will likely bring down the Warriors. “I think ultimately the reason the Bulls were broken apart was that everyone’s contract ended in 1998,” Kerr said in a 2005 episode of ESPN Classic’s Top 5 Reasons You Can’t Blame… which centered around the end of Chicago’s dynasty. “I think it was unrealistic to expect the team to all of a sudden just say, ‘sure, we’ll put together a $100 million payroll and try to win one more championship.'”

If one more championship were on the table for Golden State, such a payroll (adjusted for inflation, of course) might be a worthwhile risk. It just doesn’t seem like there are any more championships left to be squeezed out of this group. Now that even the Kings have outgrown the Warriors, the reality of the dynasty ending may finally set in. There is a good chance Thompson just played his last game as a Warrior, but whether he has or hasn’t, the end of this legendary run is near.

For the third time in the past five seasons, the Golden State Warriors will not be participating in the playoffs. Their campaign came to an end on Tuesday night with an embarrassing 24-point loss to the Sacramento Kings in the 9 vs. 10 game in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament.

The defeat raises significant questions about the team’s future with an aging, extremely expensive core that no longer seems capable of competing at the top of the West. It appears, though, that they are going to forge ahead with Steph Curry leading the way.

They have “no interest” in tanking, according to Zach Lowe, and plan to “make the most of Curry’s remaining seasons.”

Curry, now 35 years old, showed some signs of slowing down this season. While he still had plenty of big nights and magical moments, he was more inconsistent than ever. He shot under 40% from the field in 28 of his 74 appearances, the most such games in any season of his career. He is signed through 2026, however, and is still too good to allow them to tank. They would have to trade him to truly sink to the bottom, and that is simply not going to happen.

The question, then, becomes how to build the best supporting cast to maximize Curry’s last few All-Star level seasons.

On that note, here’s what Lowe had to say about some of the key figures on the Warriors:

Draymond Green

The former Defensive Player of the Year missed 21 games through suspension this season for multiple on-court incidents, including choking Rudy Gobert and hitting Jusuf Nurkis in the face. It’s no surprise, then, that Lowe notes Green’s “volatility has worn on several within the organization.”

At the same time, Green is still a terrific defender and smart playmaker who understands, perhaps better than anyone, how to play with Curry. Even with all the antics, Green remains more valuable to the Warriors than any other team and is owed $77 million over the next three seasons. He does not appear to have much trade value and, thus, is likely to stick around.

Klay Thompson

If the Warriors’ big three splits up this summer, it will be because Thompson signs elsewhere. He is expected to draw interest from other teams when he hits unrestricted free agency this summer. Per Lowe, there have been “no substantive talks between the team and Thompson’s representatives about a new deal for months.”

Thompson’s age and injuries appeared to catch up to him in a major way this season. He averaged fewer than 20 points per game for the first time since 2014, and there were far too many nights where he simply didn’t have it. The Play-In loss to the Kings was a perfect example, as he scored zero points on 0-of-10 from the field, including 0-6 from behind the arc.

It’s one thing to keep franchise heroes who are already under contract. But will the Warriors be willing to give Thompson another big contract just for nostalgia’s sake? And will Thompson even want to return to the Bay Area? It would be strange to see Thompson in a new jersey, but a fresh start could be best for both parties.

Jonathan Kuminga

This was a strange season for Kuminga, who was so frustrated by his lack of playing time early on that he or his camp leaked to the media that he was “losing faith” in Warriors coach Steve Kerr. In the end, he won that battle, as Kerr gave him a chance, and he averaged 18.7 points and 5.4 rebounds on 54.2% shooting after that report.

Of all the Warriors’ young talent, Kuminga has the most potential. While that gives the Warriors an incentive to keep him around, it also makes him the player other teams would be most interested in should the Warriors investigate the trade market. Furthermore, the Warriors do have depth at Kuminga’s position, which could make him expendable.

He is eligible for an extension this summer and the Warriors “brain trust remains very high on his potential.” This is probably the most fluid situation. The Warriors might like to keep him, but you never know what could emerge on the trade front.

Chris Paul

Thompson wasn’t the only veteran who struggled in the Warriors’ Play-In loss. Paul finished with three points and two assists on 1-of-3 shooting in 18 minutes on Tuesday night. That brought a frustrating season to a close for the veteran, who remains without a ring. A broken hand cost him nearly two months, and he had to adjust to a bench role for the first time in his career.

Paul’s $30 million contract for next season is non-guaranteed, and the Warriors have plenty of options. They could guarantee that deal and bring him back, use the big cap number to trade him, or release him before the guaranteed date of June 28. At this point, it’s unclear what the Warriors will do with Paul.

Where he suits up next season remains to be seen, but he will be playing somewhere. Paul said following the loss tot he Kings that he has no plans to retire.

As managing director for Team USA, Grant Hill has had a busy schedule surprising players with their jersey for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

His first stop was Philadelphia, where he surprised Joel Embiid. The 76ers center became an American citizen in September 2022, but he also had the chance to represent France or his homeland Cameroon, if they qualified. However, Embiid said last October he would compete with Team USA in honor of his son, Arthur, who is American.

Hill has long known Embiid’s commitment, but he still wanted to make a formal invite in person.

“I came to you almost two years ago, you were the first guy I went to, and you are the first guy now that I’m reaching out to,” Hill told Embiid. “We would like to formally invite you to play this summer. I know we’ve talked a bunch, but I wanted to come in person.”

He stays repping the red, white & blue!

Welcome to the 🇺🇸 #USABMNT @JoelEmbiid! pic.twitter.com/IH90pkGU6C

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) April 17, 2024
After Philadelphia, Hill also headed to Boston to surprise Celtics’ Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum.

“Are you good? Are you with us?” Hill asked after showing up at Tatum’s doorstep and showing him his Team USA jersey.

“Hell yeah,” Tatum replied.

Hill then found himself in Holiday’s kitchen. The point guard’s daughter, J.T., ran to his room to get him.

“Jrue, I know you don’t like surprises but I wanted to come on behalf of USA Basketball and ask you to be a part of things this summer at the Paris Olympics,” Hill said.

J.T. helped out by handing her dad his jersey.

“I think to represent my country and my family is the most important thing, so I’m super honored and very humble,” Holiday said.

Along for another Olympics!

Let’s go get another gold @Jrue_Holiday11 & @jaytatum0 🤝

🇺🇸 #USABMNT pic.twitter.com/SxuFhu5rmx

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) April 17, 2024
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo’s special moment was also captured on camera when, in front of his teammates, he was given his jersey by head coach Erik Spoelstra.

“I feel like I’m going to look real swole in it,” Adebayo said.

We had to bring some Heat to Paris 🔥

Welcome back @Bam1of1!

🇺🇸 #USABMNT pic.twitter.com/KMCCIHDZ8S

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) April 17, 2024
The full roster is made up of Embiid, Tatum, Holiday, Adebayo, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Devin Booker, Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards and Anthony Davis. Team USA will be led by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. His staff includes Spoelstra, Gonzaga men’s basketball’s Mark Few and the LA Clippers’ Tyronn Lue.

The team will start their preparation with training camp in Las Vegas on July 6, then follow with five exhibition games in Vegas, Abu Dhabi and London.