Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
A day after potentially losing one guard from a shorthanded team, the Warriors added a replacement and a big man. They should be familiar ones.
On Wednesday, Golden State officially agreed to a three-year contract with Damion Lee, partially guaranteed for next season, as well as bringing Marquese Chriss back on a two-way deal.
Lee’s pact is an upgrade from his two-way deal, which ran out of NBA time as he established himself as a legitimate option, averaging a career-best 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 36 percent from deep.
Lee hasn’t played since Friday, sitting as his time expired and he and the team worked on striking a new contract. To free up room for the 27-year-old brother-in-law of Stephen Curry, the Warriors waived Chriss, but did not lose him for long.
The 6-foot-9 forward and 2016 eighth-overall pick has emerged as a lethal dunker whom the Warriors want to keep around. So after he cleared waivers — which Steve Kerr noted surprised him — he and Golden State hammered down a two-way deal, which will allow him to keep playing with the big-league squad until about mid-March. He can then return to the team when Santa Cruz’s regular season ends at the end of that month.
Both are expected to be ready to play Thursday at Chase Center against Denver, especially helpful after Jacob Evans left Tuesday’s matchup upon getting elbowed in the face.
With a two-way deal, the Warriors are making Chriss a restricted free agent after the season, meaning they can match any offer sheet thrown at him. And in locking up Lee, they believe they’ve found an effective wing off the bench for next season. In a season that’s all but lost, they have found a couple pieces.
