Draymond Green seems bound to return to the Golden State Warriors, and Donte DiVincenzo is already good as gone. Just a few hours before free agency officially tips off on Friday afternoon, the Warriors' plans with outside free agents have begun taking shape, too.
Free agent big man Dario Saric “has generated strong interest” from Golden State, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports. It was subsequently reported by Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area that the Croatian star is “likely” to sign with the Warriors.
Saric topped our list of five realistic targets for the Dubs with minimum contracts, a versatile, experienced interior player who quietly thrived late last season after the Phoenix Suns traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a salary dump.
The Warriors will enter free agency armed with minimum contract offers. @ArmstrongWinter takes a look at some top targets.https://t.co/6XoqHyBZkS
— Warriors Nation (@WarriorNationCP) June 30, 2023
He's a perfect fit for Steve Kerr's offensive attack, boasting natural playmaking chops and shooting 39.1% from deep with the Thunder. Age and injuries have sapped Saric of some mobility, but he's still not an abject minus at center defensively, and would give Golden State another big body to throw at Nikola Jokic in a potential postseason matchup with the defending-champion Denver Nuggets.
Still, it's not shocking that Saric would be willing to sign on the minimum. Bigs are always undervalued on the open market, while his rock solid play over the last two months of 2022-23 went easily overlooked in Oklahoma City and came in wake of Saric tearing his ACL in Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals.
Shake Milton settling for a minimum contract, on the other hand, would no doubt raise eyebrows across the league. Golden State is nevertheless interested in the former Philadelphia 76ers guard, with Fischer noting Milton has “drawn the eye of several Western Conference contenders,” including the Dubs.
Milton would slot in nicely as a reserve in Golden State's backcourt, providing adequate floor-spacing and extra playmaking next to Stephen Curry and Chris Paul when one of the future Hall-of-Fame floor generals is on the bench. Though no defensive ace, the 6'5 Milton has good size for a combo guard, too.
Golden State, only armed with minimum contracts to offer available players, has three open roster spots to fill in free agency assuming Green re-signs. Could Saric, and perhaps Milton, soon put pen to paper with the Warriors? The minimum market normally emerges after the first couple days of free agency, but Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Golden State's revamped front office clearly aren't satisfied waiting for it to materialize.
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