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The Golden State Warriors still need to fill out the two remaining spots in their 15-man roster.
The Dubs were expected to make big moves in the 2021 NBA Trade deadline last week after trading Brad Wannamaker to the Hornets and sending Marquese Chriss to the Spurs to free up two roster slots.
However, they missed out on some of their targets as the deadline expired and must now decide on what best route to take to fill out their needs.
As we’ve seen all season long, the injury bug hasn’t been kind to the Warriors, making it a must to add two more players just in case they become undermanned once more.
Plus, the Steve Kerr-mentored team needs all the help it can get for a chance to return to the postseason in the 2020-21 campaign.
Let’s have a look at the two best options for Warriors' open roster spots.
Scraping out the buy-out market or G-League affiliate
While the Dubs can no longer chase their desired trade targets this season, the buy-out market is still their best option to fill those two spots.
Sure, the cream of the crop players has already been scooped up by other contenders, but there are still some serviceable ones they can pick up.
Otto Porter Jr. seemed like the most enticing one, but the Magic are reportedly finishing the season with him in their line-up. Banished big Myers Leonard could have been a perfect target, particularly with his ability to stretch the floor.
However, Dubs GM Bob Myers probably doesn't want to be associated with him right now following that controversial anti-Semitic Twitch rant.
Rockets' new recruits Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk also look to be nice pieces to add, but it seems they will also finish out the season with the team.
As far as needs go, the Warriors still want a veteran guard that can take away or even share minutes with their superstar Stephen Curry.
Thunder’s recently waived guard Austin Rivers is not on their radar but is someone the Dubs’ should be taking a gander.
Jabari Parker and Vincent Poirier are some bigs also probably worth considering, at the right price, of course.
NBA champion Jeremy Lin is also still available from the G-League, while Kaleb Wesson has also looked NBA-ready.
Promoting Toscano-Anderson and Mannion
Since there are really no more stand-outs in that buy-out pool, why not just promote from within? Juan Toscano-Anderson and Nico Mannion have both played their tails off for the Warriors this season, while splitting time with its G-League affiliate Santa Cruz.
Why not reward their efforts by promoting their two-way contracts to full-time deals? JTA has actually held his own and even played starting center for the team when Draymond Green, James Wiseman, and Kevon Looney were all out to injuries.
The 6-foot-6 forward won’t have to play center anymore, but he’ll still be a nice hardworking role player in Steve Kerr’s rotation.
In 32 appearances for the Warriors this season, JTA notched 5.1 points on 55.7 percent shooting from the field and 43.8 percent from deep along with 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 32 games.
Those numbers are not bad at all for someone they could bring in on a cap-friendly deal.
Mannion, meanwhile, will be a bit of a project for Golden State. Still, he’s already developed a tight bond with Curry. His development will no doubt be quicker if he can spend time on the court together with the two-time MVP.
The Italian playmaker is also a sweet-shooting guard that fits into the Dubs scheme of things. He tallied 5.3 points on 40 percent shooting from deep in 17 games.
