© Kelvin Kuo | 2018 Feb 5
The Warriors enter the free agency period with a number of variables affecting how they’ll approach things.
First are the unknown futures of free agents Nick Young, Zaza Pachulia, David West, JaVale McGee, Kevon Looney, and Patrick McCaw. A few of those players (Pachulia, Young) are long shots to return next season. Others (Looney, McCaw) the Warriors would like to keep, but may be enticed by more lucrative offers from other teams.
It stands to reason that whatever happens, Golden State will have at least one or two available roster spots for free agents this offseason. If that is indeed the case, another decision looms: Do they use the mid-level exception — worth $5.3 million against the cap, but which will actually cost around $21.6 million due to luxury tax penalties — or sign a lower-level player for the veteran’s minimum, around $2.4 million.
Evan with an open spot, the Warriors could do nothing, and save money by entering the season with less than 15 players, something that has been previously been implied by general manager Bob Myers.
What follows are 10 free agents the could fit with Golden State next season, broken up into three tiers. The first are “best fits” that might be willing to come aboard via the mid-level. The second comprises of players more likely to sign for the cheaper veteran’s minimum. The final tier consists of centers, who the Warriors may want to add if West, Pachulia, McGee, and Looney all go elsewhere.
Best Fits
Avery Bradley
What he brings: Elite perimeter defense
Bradley is probably the best fit of any player on this list, making him also the least likely to be willing to sign for the mid-level exception. Still, it wouldn’t be crazy for Bradley’s market to shrink. He looked lost after being traded to the Clippers mid-season, before an abdominal injury cut it short at 46 games.
Still in his prime at just 27 years old, when Bradley is right, he’s one of the best defensive combo-guards in the league, and an average to above-average three point shooter (36.6 percent for his career). Bradley is also a solid ball handler, making him versatile enough to be thrown into nearly any Warriors lineup.
Bradley could likely increase his value next season on a one-year deal with the Warriors, where he would be a solid contributor on a championship favorite. The acquisition would improve Golden State’s bench significantly, and set Bradley up for what could be the last big-multi year deal of his career next offseason.
Tyreke Evans
What he brings: Scoring in bunches
In danger of a career flame out, Evans looked reborn with the Memphis Grizzlies last year, averaging 19.4 points in just over 30 minutes per game, while shooting 45.2 percent from the field, and 40 percent from deep. Evans ranked 26th amongst all players in real-plus minus, and third amongst all shooting guards (behind only Jimmy Butler and Victor Oladipo). If acquired, he would be the Warriors best scorer off the bench since Jarrett Jack in 2012-13. A 6-foot-6 guard, Evans also has the size to switch onto larger wings defensively.
All this points to Evans, 28, earning a nice deal. But Evans has played for a winning team just once in his nine year career (2014-15 Pelicans) and if a week goes by without a lucrative offer on the table, a partnership with the Warriors could prove mutually beneficial.
Trevor Ariza
What he brings: 3-and-D
Another ideal fit stylistically for the Warriors, Ariza has been one of the more underrated wing-defenders in the league for years, and shot 36.8 percent from 3 last season. As an added bonus, acquiring Ariza would also weaken the Rockets, Golden State’s biggest threat in the Western Conference.
Ariza is certainly worth more than the five-plus million Golden State could offer, but at 32, it’s questionable that the 14-year veteran will be offered a big money, long-term deal. However, even if Ariza’s market shrinks, it’s unlikely that the Rockets — who own Ariza’s Bird Rights — would allow him to sign with Golden State for the mid-level, and would probably take the tax hit to bring him back.
Veteran minimum options
Jamal Crawford
What he brings: Scoring, locker room guy
Of all the players on this list, Jamal Crawford has received the most buzz of late, with The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson reporting on Thursday that Draymond Green and Kevin Durant have lobbied Bob Myers to bring the veteran guard aboard this offseason.
Whether or not Crawford is a good fit for the Warriors depends on your perspective. On one hand, Crawford, 38, is an older player that would be joining a Golden State team looking to get younger. Crawford is not a good or versatile defender, and shot just 33.1 percent from 3-point range last season.
On the other hand, Crawford can still score, averaging 10.3 points in 20.7 minutes off the bench last season. Reliable bench scoring has been a problem for the Warriors for nearly the entire Kerr era. Crawford is also known as an excellent locker room guy with high character, who is respected by a number of current Warriors. Crawford won the Teammate of the Year award in 2018.
Luc Mbah a Moute
What he brings: Defensive versatility
A bargain bin pickup by the Rockets last offseason, Mbah a Moute proved to be a solid piece for the 65-game winners, especially on the defensive end. At 6-foot-8, Mbah a Moute is extremely versatile defensively, with an ability to switch and hold his own against 2 though 5. Mbah a Moute also proved to be decent offensively, shooting 36.4 percent from deep, after shooting 39.1 percent with the Clippers in 2016-17.
Mbah a Moute’s season hit a snag when he dislocated his right shoulder in early April, and was rendered largely ineffective (and unplayable vs. the Warriors) when he returned in the postseason. It’s unclear how that will affect Mbah a Moute’s value this offseason, but he signed for the minimum last year, and it stands to reason that the Warriors could entice him for something close to that once again.
Seth Curry
What he brings: 3-point shooting
As pointed out by Anthony Slater, the Warriors were last in the NBA in bench 3-pointers made last season. Curry shot 42.5 percent from deep in 2016-17, before missing the entire 2017-18 campaign with a stress fracture.
The younger Curry, 27, is essentially a one-dimensional player, and won’t provide much on the defensive end. Still, it’s a dimension the Warriors bench could use, and while Curry could probably earn more than the minimum, spending a year shooting wide-open 3s for Golden State is a great way to increase your value.
Lance Stephenson
What he brings: Defensive intensity, passing, entertainment value
While he’s an absolute wild card from a personality standpoint, Stephenson certainly fits the criteria of a “16-game (playoff) player” that Draymond Green talked about earlier this offseason. You can always count on Stephenson to bring it every night from a defensive standpoint. The point guard is also an underrated passer, averaging over four assists in under 20 minutes during the 2016-17 season.
Stephenson struggles shooting the ball, especially from deep (30 percent career average) and can cause spacing issues as teams sag off him defensively. The Pacers declined Stephenson’s $4.3 million option for next season, so there is reason to believe he’d join Golden State for the minimum. But Stephenson isn’t a perfect fit, and his unpredictable personality, while entertaining, may not work in Golden State’s locker room.
Reserve center
Anthony Tolliver
What he brings: Shooting from the center spot, respected veteran
A teammate of Stephen Curry’s during the 2009-10 season, and one of his close friends, Tolliver would check off multiple boxes for the Warriors.
He would instantly become Golden State’s best shooting big man, knocking down 3s at a 43.6 percent clip last season. At 6-foot-8, Tolliver isn’t exactly a lock down defender, but can hold his own against most 3s and 4s. Tolliver finished last season as the 25th ranked power forward in the league according to real-plus minus.
Ersan Ilyasova
Very similar to Tolliver from a skillset perspective. Ilyasova is a career 36 percent 3-point shooter and average defensive player (6-foot-10). After signing with Philidelphia for the minimum last season, Ilyasova should be avaliable if the Warriors want to add a stretch big.
Kyle O’Quinn
What he brings: Rebounding, toughness
A player the Warriors apparently had interest in at the trade deadline, O’Quinn is stylistically the opposite of the other centers on this list. O’Quinn’s frame (6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan) makes him an excellent rebounder and rugged defender. O’Quinn has also showed an aptitude to hit the midrange jumper, knocking down nearly 50 percent of his attempts last season.
O’Quinn is coming off a career year (14th among all NBA centers in real-plus minus) and apparently has interest in joining the Warriors.