SAN FRANCISCO – Amid champagne baths that flooded the Golden State locker room at TD Garden, Jordan Paul and Andrew Wiggins shared a portion of the celebration with their followers on Instagram Live.
On the live broadcast, Paul looked at Wiggins and stated, “You’re going to need a bag.”
An uncontrollable smile spread across Wiggins’ face before he answered, “No, we’ll need a bag.” Paul repeated the same words to the camera.
Wiggins, who is in the final year of his 2017 rookie extension of $147 million with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Paul, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal, is set to extend his contract before he becomes agents. Free until next season. They have until October 17 to negotiate a new contract with the Warriors.
“I’d love to stay here,” Wiggins said Saturday afternoon in the Warriors’ exit interviews. “Being here is top notch. The way they treat the players… We’re all one big family. I feel like a lot of places say that, but they show it with their actions.”
Wiggins came to Golden State on a trade that stemmed from the departure of Kevin Durant in 2019. Initially, there were questions about how effective that trade would be.
Wiggins left Timberwolves with a reputation for being lazy. Not many believed that he was a hardworking worker or could have a real impact on the Warriors, especially one that would help them win the title.
But at the end of the year, the message from within the Warriors was that they would not be victorious without Wiggins. He became the first player to get his first star and win his first title with the team he did not debut with.
“There was a lot of talk, people had something to say about every little thing, but now I’m glad I got here,” Wiggins said. “People didn’t think I could be in this position or even be useful in the championship team. But I’ve proven the skeptics wrong and will continue to do so.”
Like Wiggins, there were many questions about Paul’s future. After his rookie year in 2020, there have been questions about whether he will have a future in the league. But this season, not only did he hold the shooting guard position when Kay Thompson returned, he also started in Stephen Curry’s place for the final month of the regular season and the first few games of the playoffs, before making for his. The role of the sixth man.
“It is definitely worth it [un nuevo contrato]”Jordan is someone who works hard and makes his teammates better and can go out and take control,” Wiggins said.
Poole wasn’t as final as Wiggins when asked if he’d like to return to Golden State, but it wasn’t as if he was eager to go elsewhere.
“If I’m going to be completely honest, I won’t be able to understand anything about this process yet,” Ball said. “I was very focused on the championship. We know it’s going to happen, we put ourselves in positions to be successful and everything else will take care of itself.”
While Wiggins and Paul signing the extensions contract would be a move to prevent them from becoming free agents next summer, the Warriors have several free agents this off season.
Gary Payton II, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Looney, Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bellica, Damion Lee and Chris Chiusa will all be unrestricted free agents. Only Juan Toscano Anderson and Quindari Witherspoon agents will be restricted.
Of the many incoming free agents who were available for exit interviews, all of them expressed a desire to remain in Golden State.
Payton, who became a regular for the Warriors after finishing 15th on the list at the start of the season, said he would “absolutely” want to stay with the Warriors.
Payton, the officer who has spent most of his career in the G League and removed from five different teams, said he hopes this summer will be the first time he picks where he will end.
After a looney breakout season that saw him play in both regular season and playoffs, he said he “definitely” wanted to return to the team that drafted him.
“I always want to come back here,” Lonnie said. “I want to go back and try to defend what we just won and be part of something special again.”
Porter signed a one-year deal with the Warriors to bring a veteran presence to the team. When he joined last summer, Porter saw winning a title as a possible outcome, and now that that has happened, he has also expressed a desire to come back for more.
“Now I know this team can compete for another championship again and it would be a great opportunity if I stayed here,” Porter said. “It would be great to be here with that group of guys again and do it all over again.”
It remains to be seen whether or not the Warriors can keep all of these players. They are already the biggest spenders in the league, but there is a mutual desire between the front office and the players for a similar roster from this championship year into next season.