Bob Myers has stepped down as president of basketball operations and general manager of the Golden State Warriors, he told ESPN on Tuesday. Myers has spent the past 12 years with the Warriors, and became their general manager in April 2012. In that time, Myers hired Steve Kerr, drafted Draymond Green, signed Andre Iguodala, and eventually helped the Warriors execute their plan to sign Kevin Durant in the summer of 2016.
With those moves, the Warriors grew into the most successful team of the past decade of NBA history. Golden State won four championships with Myers at the helm and reached the NBA Finals six times. They set the regular-season wins record by going 73-9 during the 2015-16 season, and Myers won the NBA's executive of the year award in both 2015 and 2017.
"This is hard. I have so many different things, emotions that I'm still processing," Myers told reporters. "But the bottom line is this job, the one I'm in -- and I would say this for any professional coach or general manager -- requires complete engagement, complete effort. One-thousand percent. If you can't do it, than you shouldn't do it. That's the answer to the question of why."
"The bottom line is this job requires complete engagement and complete effort, 1,000 percent. If you can’t do it, then you shouldn’t do it. That’s the answer to the question of why.”
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 30, 2023
Bob Myers on why he decided to step away pic.twitter.com/3vI65FRG9s
But as Golden State's core has aged, it has become clear that changes were coming over the past several months. Myers worked this season on an expiring contract, and while he did reportedly have extension talks with Golden State, no agreement was ever reached. He ultimately decided to step away from the team in what could be the first of several significant changes for the Warriors.
Green can become an unrestricted free agent by declining is player-option. Klay Thompson is eligible for an extension, and he reportedly wants to earn a maximum salary. The Warriors re-signed Jordan Poole to a four-year, $140 million contract last offseason, but he underperformed that deal, and now stands out as a possible luxury-tax casualty with Golden State's payroll set to hit historic highs this season.
The Warriors lost in the second round to the Los Angeles Lakers this season, their first playoff loss before the Finals under Kerr. Stephen Curry is 35, and the teammates he won titles with are all nearing the end of their careers as well. They may still have one last championship push left in them, but it will be a new general manager figuring out how get them there now that Myers -- who hinted at a possible replacement during his press conference -- has stepped down in Golden State.
