Warriors owner committed to winning regardless of cost

With stars Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson hitting free agency this summer, there's been an unusual sense of uncertainty surrounding the Golden State Warriors.

But regardless of what transpires this offseason, owner Joe Lacob is committed to putting a winning product on the floor, even if it could cost his ownership group more than $300 million per year in salary and luxury-tax costs.

"We can do whatever we want (financially)," Lacob told The Athletic's Tim Kawakami. "And you should expect that that’s not going to be a reason this team ... doesn’t stay great going forward. We have the capital to pay our players what they deserve. And we will. That’s not really the issue. The issue is more about people have to want to play here and it’s on us to make it a great environment."

The New York Knicks are reportedly interested in signing Durant and freed up a second max contract slot after trading franchise cornerstone Kristaps Porzingis. The Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, have been linked with Thompson.

Lacob remains confident in the culture that the Warriors have built during their dynastic run, but he is prepared to act if either superstar opts to depart the organization.

"I think we’ll continue to have a good team if not a great team and try to hopefully be a title-contending team for as long as we can," Lacob said. "We’ll be aggressive. Nobody’s going to outspend us. Nobody’s going to outwork us.

"I can’t control what a free agent might do. Logically, I know what they should do, which is stay with us, but I can’t say what they’re going to do, so they’ll do what they’re going to do. And we’ll have contingency plans; if somebody leaves, we’ll do what we’ve gotta do."