Just when it looks like the Golden State Warriors were heading towards laying a goose egg on the first day of free agency, something strange happened. Monday night, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported the Warriors signed free agent forward Otto Porter Jr.
Haynes also said that Porter turned down multiple teams who offered him the mid-level exception.
Otto Porter played with the Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic last season. He averaged 9.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting a respectable 37% from deep. For his career, he's shooting 48% from the field and 40%.
Having Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the floor gives you two of the best shooters in the world. Why not add a little more? Otto Porter Jr. is more than capable in that department. The game is now live and die by the three, and the Warriors are setting things up to be the best three-point shooting team in the NBA.
At 6-feet-9, Porter can play both forward positions. Rookie Jonathan Kuminga, who has a similar body type, could learn a lot from the 28-year-old veteran. Kuminga's shooting is something people question when evaluating the rookie. But playing on a team full of shooters, the art of shooting can be contagious.
Fitting in is essential when going to a new team and city. This season will be Porter's fourth team in his career. Every team Porter has played on so far gets about the same production. Consistency was an issue that Porter can help with next season. Reliability is harder to find than most would think. Porter has been a player where what you see is what you get, and that's a good thing.
Taking less money to be in a Warriors jersey shows how selfless he is. A large reason the Warriors won championships or competed at a high level were due to players' acting unselfish.
Still, Porter isn't what you would call a perfect fit since health has been an issue. Over the past two seasons, he's played a total of 42 games. And the injury bug has not been friendly to the Dubs as is. Even with that being the case, if Porter can stay healthy, signing him at the veteran minimum could be a huge steal.
It's going to be hard for this to turn into a bad deal, especially at the price tag the Warriors are paying to sign Porter. But if the basketball gods are on the Warriors' side, this season could end up special. Maybe Otto Porter plays a role in that.
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