AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez
Golden State Warriors longtime president of basketball operations and general manager Bob Myers has parted ways, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“It’s just a matter of time,” Myers said of his decision.
Wojnarowski added that Myers “refused offers to own a new deal that would pay him among the league’s top executives.”
With Myers out of the picture, Wojnarowski reported Warriors governor Joe Lacob “is expected to seek a more prominent role for his son, Kirk, an executive VP of basketball operations, and VP of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr.”
Wojnarowski first reported on Dec. 10 that the 48-year-old was on an expiring contract that was believed to expire in June 2023. He also said that talks between Myers and the Dubs appeared to be “on hiatus .”
“We love Bob and hope he’s here for a long time,” Lacob said. Myers declined to comment on the matter when asked, saying his focus is on the team and the current season.
The lack of a contract does not appear to be an issue related to any internal problems. Wojnarowski noted that Myers “maintains strong working relationships with all key members of the organization,” including Lacob, head coach Steve Kerr and the star trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
It also has nothing to do with performance, as the Warriors are coming off their fourth NBA title since 2015.
It may have something to do with money.
In January, Anthony Slater, Sam Amick and Marcus Thompson III of The Athletic examined the issues between the Warriors and Myers and noted that the GM is not one of the top-paid executives in the sport despite his great success.
“According to several people with ballpark knowledge of executive salaries around the league, Myers falls somewhere in the range of sixth, seventh or eighth on the base salary totem pole,” the trio wrote.
But it’s also possible that Myers just wanted a new venture.
The 2022-23 season ended with the Warriors losing in six games against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs.
Myers has served as the team’s GM since April 2012, when he was promoted from the assistant GM role he had held for the previous 12 months.
Previously, he worked 14 years as a sports agent, representing clients such as Brandon Roy and Kendrick Perkins. He played basketball at UCLA from 1993 to 1997.
Golden State already had a future NBA legend in Curry on board by the time Myers joined the team, and the Dubs added five-time All-Star Thompson when he was assistant GM.
But the Warriors made one of the best value draft picks in NBA history during Myers’ first year as GM when they added Green at No. 35 overall selection in 2012.
Myers continued everything and made other important moves, adding Kerr as head coach in 2014 and bringing in superstar Kevin Durant and key complementary pieces over the years such as Andre Iguodala, Andrew Wiggins, JaVale McGee, Shaun Livingston and Andrew Bogut, among others.
The two-time NBA Executive of the Year (2015, 2017) also drafted several key championship-winning talents, including Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole.
Myers’ run as the architect of the Warriors’ dynasty is over, but he has cemented himself as one of the league’s greatest executives of all time.
