Free agent shooting guard Antonius Cleveland has agreed to a deal with the Golden State Warriors, according to ESPN's Ian Begley. If this deal isn't a two-way kind, his acquisition would fill the last remaining spot in the roster, squandering the chances of a potential return for crowd favorite JaVale McGee.
Despite the ironic last name, Cleveland is one of the three rolls of the dice that the Warriors organization has made this offseason after acquiring Oregon products Jordan Bell by buying the 35th overall pick from the Chicago Bulls and Chris Boucher, who was signed to a two-way contract to develop with their G-League affiliate Santa Cruz Warriors.
A four-year college player at Southeast Missouri, Cleveland is another multi-positional prospect like UNLV's Patrick McCaw — one the organization hopes to mold into a reliable role player. He averaged 16.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game in his last season with the RedHawks.
The 6-foot-6 guard shot 54.3 percent from the floor and 38.4 percent from deep — a must-have asset for a team that has led the way in efficiency throughout the last three years.
Golden State is betting on its underrated farm system, one that has seen the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green become what they are at this point in their careers with the help of a dedicated player development team.
McCaw saw valuable minutes as a rookie in the postseason, making this a prime opportunity for Cleveland to develop within the system.
The Warriors have opted for youth early in the offseason, expecting their All-Stars to be the proven, veteran influence to lead the way for these rookies throughout the course of the season.
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