NBA All-Star free agents

THE back-to-back National Basketball Association (NBA) titlist Golden State Warriors have $127 million in salaries committed to eight players for the 2018-19 season.

Heading into the summer, the Warriors have six free agents at the moment and are certain to exceed the league’s projected salary cap of $101 million even if back-to-back Finals Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant declines his $26.25 million player option as he says he will do so.

Last summer, Durant inked a discounted two-year, $51 million deal with the Dubs – which was close to $10 million less than what he could have gotten on a maximum contract.

But now Durant has indicated that he’s not taking another massive pay cut and is seeking a max deal worth around $158 million over four years.

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Playmaker de luxe Chris Paul, who missed the final two games (both losses) of Houston’s 4-3 defeat to Golden State in the West finals due to a hamstring injury, is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Paul is unlikely to take a pay cut to remain with the Rockets – even if it costs them a chance to land LeBron James.

Paul, the two-term president of the NBA players’ union, is seeking a maximum contract worth around $46 million-$47 million annually.

The Rockets are $19 million over the salary cap.
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Oklahoma City forward Carmelo Anthony owns a $27.9 million player option to remain with the Thunder that he can either pick up or reject by June 29.

He has already stated that he won’t accept a reserve role with the Thunder in 2018-19.

This past season, the 6-foot-8, 34-year-old Anthony struggled with his shooting while in a Big Three partnership with ball-dominant guard Russell Westbrook, who averaged a triple-double in points, rebounds and assists for the second year in a row, and forward Paul George, who is also eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.

As the third wheel, Melo hit at a 15-year career-low 16.2 points per game on .404 field goal percentage, another career-low.