NBA Cup money could entice Warriors to step into another gear

Steve Kerr is overseeing a Golden State Warriors resurgence to begin the 2024-25 NBA season. 

The veteran head coach has implemented a deep 12-man rotation, allowing the team to play on both sides of the floor at a break-neck pace. The Warriors currently sit second in a loaded Western Conference.

It's unlikely Kerr will get ahead of himself after missing the playoffs last season. He knows that there will be difficult points in the season and that, sooner or later, he will have to shrink his rotation. 

The good news is that neither has to happen this side of the New Year. As such, Golden State could lock in and begin chasing success in the NBA Cup. The $500,000 per player prize money should be enough of a motivating factor for a young roster.

“It would be an amazing thing for our young players to get the financial reward that comes with winning the NBA Cup,” Kerr told Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s a lot of money. It may not be to Draymond [Green] and Steph, but it’s a lot for the guys on the back end.”

The chances of Golden State making it to the NBA Finals this season are slim. However, you can never count out a team with Steph Curry and Draymond Green leading the way. Yet, the number of inexperienced talents on the roster will likely be a significant obstacle for the franchise.

Chasing the NBA Cup is a smart way of giving some of the team's younger players a taste of playoff-style basketball. Once it reaches the quarterfinals, the tournament becomes a knockout competition, and that pressure is highly valuable to first, second or third-year players.

Golden State will have bigger dreams than winning a cup competition. It will want to give Curry a shot at his fifth championship. Nevertheless, this season, a $500,000 bonus and some invaluable experience may be their best bet. The Warriors are more than capable of winning the competition if they lock-in.