The Golden State Warriors just completed a dominant, record-breaking 73-win campaign and are the heavy favorites to repeat as NBA Champions this year. Though Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are Golden State's biggest stars, there's no doubt that the Warriors' deep roster of talent has made a significant contribution to this historical season. However, one small piece of that puzzle has a murky future with the team.
Backup point guard Shaun Livingston is signed through the 2016-17 season, though his $5.78 million salary is only guaranteed for $2 million. He's not in danger of being released for financial reasons right now. On the contrary, general manager Bob Myers wants him back next season. But Livingston may be looking for something more long-term.
"It's a good deal for us, and we see him in our future," Myers said earlier this week. Myers is right, it is a great deal for the team as Livingston is a very valuable rotation piece on an affordable deal. However, that's part of the problem.
Livingston's salary becomes fully protected if he is still on Golden State's roster after June 30, but the former top-five pick would prefer to score a new deal with the Warriors altogether.
"I want to stay here as long as I can," Livingston said in a recent interview. "It's a unique and special situation. A lot of guys including myself, I want to be here for as long as I possibly can depending on the contract situation."
Despite his positive comments, you can understand why Livingston may be pushing for a new contract behind the scenes. The 30-year-old guard suffered a gruesome knee injury back in 2007 that threatened his NBA career. However, Livingston painstakingly worked himself back into basketball shape and back into the pros (with some D-League stops along the way) to become a key player off the bench for the NBA championship Warriors. This is likely to be his last significant contract in the NBA, and there's nothing wrong with him trying to maximize his value while he still can. It's clear that he's committed to the Warriors for as long as they'll have him.
Livingston appeared in 78 games this season and averaged 6.3 points, 3.0 assists and 2.2 rebounds while playing quality defense.
