In this series, I am looking to highlight the play of under-the-radar players who will be free agents in the 2021 offseason. These are players that could turn their current play this season into big paydays in the offseason. The first player of the series is Sacramento Kings starting center Richaun Holmes.

​State of the Union
The Golden State Warriors are coming off of a 15-50 season, which was the worst record in the league. The Warriors are coming off of a gap year, after having made 5 straight Finals. With their big three of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green missing a combined 147 games, the season was basically a throwaway. The team was able to tank and ended up with the 2nd pick in the upcoming draft and flipped D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota for Andrew Wiggins and a future first.
 
The team enters the 2020/2021 season with much bigger aspirations than last season. With the big three coming back, the team should be back in the playoff hunt. Curry, Thompson, Green should all be rested and have a lot to prove. The rest of the roster, however, is where the issues are. The starting lineup is rounded out by a max contract Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney. The bench, as it currently stands, is in shambles with the only players under contract being Jordan Poole, Eric Paschall, Alen Smailagic, Damion Lee and Ky Bowman. If the team wants a realistic shot at a title chance, they need to seriously overhaul their bench.
 
The biggest decision facing the Warriors this offseason is what to do with the 2nd overall pick in the upcoming draft. Should they flip the pick in a win now trade, or take a cornerstone player that could be the face of the future in the Bay area? The team has serious depth issues and is built to win now. Ultimately, this could push the team into flipping the pick for one or more role players that can help the team contend.
 
One sneaky issue that could hamper the Warriors ability to make moves this summer is the luxury tax. As the roster currently sits and assuming no change in the luxury tax line year over year, the team is slated for a luxury tax bill over $70 million dollars. If the Warriors were to flip the second overall pick plus Andre Iguodala’s traded player exception for a player or players while also using the tax payers mid level exception, that tax bill could balloon to over $130 million. That would mean paying over $260,000,000 for this roster. With no fans in the arena next year, revenues could take a steep drop and there could be questions about ownerships ability to afford such a tax bill.