The Golden State Warriors are currently in a precarious position. The franchise lost Klay Thompson after tensions arose regarding his contract extension, their cap allocation for the next season has already gone way beyond the aprons set under the new CBA guidelines, and there is a significant age gap between the two top veterans on the roster and its rotation players. To top it all off, the future of their star player, Stephen Curry, also seems to be doubtful in light of the same issues that plagued Thompson. Therefore, looking to make things better before the 2024-25 season commences in a few months, head coach Steve Kerr is looking to make the best out of the situation.

An NBC Sports report confirmed that the Golden State Warriors are looking to hold their pre-season training camp at Brigham Young University, located in Oahu, Hawaii. The team plans to stay on the island for a week, conclude the trip with a pre-season game, and then head back home. Brandyn Akana, the director of BYU’s director of campus life, confirmed that practices are set to be held from October 1-5, immediately after the Warriors’ media day.

The Warriors used Hawaii as their training camp quite often during the early 2000s, even facing the Lakers there as part of the pre-season game in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007. However, after the training camp was restricted to the team’s facilities in the Bay Area during the recent years, other franchises like the LA Clippers decided to frequent the place.

The report notes that Kerr and members of the Warriors management believe that the four-day getaway is what is needed for a proper amount of healthy bonding. ‘Bonding’ is the key term, given that a lot has changed since the last time players from the franchise competed in the regular season. Both Steph Curry and Steve Kerr devoted significant time of their off-season preparing, participating, and then emerging victorious at the 2024 Paris Olympics. With Klay Thompson’s shift to the Dallas Mavericks initially leaving a huge gap, the same has been somewhat filled by the acquisition of Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton, and Kyle Anderson.

Furthermore, the player’s club isn’t the only one having undergone a drastic change, as two new assistant coaches, Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse, have also joined the Warriors. Therefore, a training camp far away from the confines of their known city to an exotic location may be the solution towards preventing a complete locker room meltdown. If team bonding wasn’t as big of a concern, then the relocation of the training camp may not even have happened.

After all, the Warriors are currently in a tight position in terms of money. Furthermore, if they want to hold any chance of retaining their star player and their star coach for the next few years, then now would have been the optimal time to close the purse.

Concerns rise over Stephen Curry’s contract extension

The 4-year, $215.35 million contract that Stephen Curry signed earlier isn’t set to expire until the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. However, the same contract allows him to sign on for a one-year, $62.6 million extension early by inking a deal prior to October 21. If the player chooses to not do the same, NBA reporter Marc Stein revealed that he could then be eligible for a two-year extension, the amount for which could go well up to $130 million. However, both scenarios are something that the Warriors will have to work hard to turn into a reality.

According to Spotrac, the franchise has committed over $201.4 million in salaries for the 2024-25 season. This puts them $11.4 over the Second Apron Limit. According to the latest CBA guidelines that went into effect from July 2023, crossing the luxury tax limits and the aprons not only places severe fines on the franchises, but also adds a couple of additional penalties to it. The Warriors find themselves in a tight spot, as they could be barred from trading a first-round pick up to seven years out, unable to bundle salaries in trades, and restricted from acquiring new players in sign-and-trade deals involving their own free agents. Given these constraints, their immediate priority should be lowering their payroll to stay within the limits. Offering Stephen Curry an extension under these circumstances would only complicate the situation further.

Fortunately, the 4x NBA champion has given some breathing room to the management. According to The Athletic reporter Anthony Slater, Stephen Curry is not expected to sit down to discuss any sort of extension “in the near future.” Having concluded a long and intense regular NBA season, along with a gold medal run at the Paris Olympics, Slater reported that the three-point leader now wants to “unplug from basketball-related business for a few weeks.” Therefore, having already found a solution to the ‘team-bonding’ issue, Steve Kerr and the Warriors management have ample time to decide the direction to go in terms of the extension.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.