The Golden State Warriors enter 2023 NBA free agency effectively armed with three open roster spots and only minimum contracts to offer players available on the open market.
Draymond Green’s return is a foregone conclusion by now, but even his stunning departure wouldn’t garner the financial flexibility needed for the Dubs to add a big-name free agent. There isn’t another star coming before 2023-24. Golden State, propelling past the super tax once Green puts pen to paper, would be lucky to add an impact role player with its extremely limited means of spending in July.
But the regular season is a relentless 82-game grind and the Warriors are one of the oldest teams in basketball. Veterans hungry for a ring could be enticed to play in the Bay on the cheap, too. Steve Kerr’s deep bench rotation is hardly set in stone, even after a draft that brought in a pair of win-now contributors.
Easily overlooked as it is on the surface, how Golden State fills those remaining roster slots could ultimately loom large to Steph Curry and company’s hopes of winning another title come 2023-24. As free agency opens on Friday, here are five players — not including Ty Jerome, just extended a qualifying offer — the Warriors should target with minimum contracts in free agency.
Dario Saric
Saric quietly thrived late last season after being moved to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline in a salary dump by the Phoenix Suns. He shot 39.1% from deep and put up a scorching 65.0 true shooting percentage with the Thunder, playing center exclusively for Mark Daigneault — where the Croatian star should spend the rest of his career after tearing his ACL in Game 1 of the 2021 Finals.
Needless to say, Saric isn't the same dexterous athlete as when he entered the NBA, perhaps driving down his value across the league. That's no deal-breaker for the Warriors, though, whose incumbent frontcourt players all have the defensive versatility to check perimeter-oriented bigs and try protect the rim through team defense. Saric is a natural ball handler and passer, too, the type of snug on-paper fit with offensive feel that could flourish in Golden State's system.
Saric is on-record as wanting to remain with the Thunder, who have the financial resources to retain him. A smart team with extra spending room could lure Saric with the bi-annual exception if Oklahoma City, strapped for roster spots, opts against bringing him back.
But Saric has barely tasted the NBA Finals during his nine-year career and would immediately supplant Trayce Jackson-Davis — initially, at least — as the Warriors' fourth big, capable of playing alongside Draymond Green, Kevon Looney and Jonathan Kuminga. Maybe he'd be interested in a two-year deal at the minimum with a player option, getting back on the market next summer after upping his value on a contender.
Yuta Watanabe
Seemingly every fan base's favorite potential minimum signing, Watanabe emerged as one of basketball's most proficient three-point shooters with the Brooklyn Nets last season, connecting on 44.4% of his triples. At 6'8, the lefty is capable of attacking overzealous close-outs with two or three dribbles en route to the rim and isn't a flashing red pick-and-roll target for star ball handlers on the other end, either.
But Watanabe's role diminished the longer 2022-23 went on, with Jacque Vaughn opting for more experienced and defense-oriented reserves at forward once Brooklyn revamped its roster after trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. He only got on the floor in garbage time of Game 1 during the Nets' disappointing first-round sweep at hand of the Philadelphia 76ers, otherwise stuck to the bench.
Watanabe's jump-shooting last season stands as a career outlier, and he's past the normal arc of major skill development at 28. His accuracy tailed off considerably on long balls that weren't wide open, while his three-point volume dipped compared to 2021-22 — more evidence his numbers in Brooklyn could be a flash in the pan. Of course, that possibility is also why Watanabe could be had for the minimum.
Golden State needs to inquire either way. Players with Watanabe's blend of size, stroke and movement skills are what all 30 teams want toward the bottom of the roster.
Damion Lee
The former Warrior is expected to re-up in Phoenix, providing additional floor spacing when one of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant or Bradley Beal heads to the bench. But everything is in flux for the Suns as the front office scrambles to cobble together a workable supporting cast around its new Big Three, and Lee's ties to Golden State — he's married to Stephen Curry's younger sister, Sydel — are binding.
Why wouldn't he be intrigued by stability provided by the Dubs, especially as compared to Phoenix?
Playing time, not just slightly less money, is a potential obstacle to Lee's return. The Suns need all the warm bodies they can get, while the Warriors couldn't guarantee Lee plays the same reserve wing role next season he occupied in 2021-22. His elite spot-up chops from long-range — 47.0% on catch-and-shoot threes last season, per NBA.com/stats — and two-way comfort in Golden State's system certainly warrant Mike Dunleavy Jr. and company giving Lee a call regardless.
Keita Bates-Diop
A second-round pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2018, Bates-Diop revitalized his career last season amid the relative anonymity of playing for the pre-Victor Wembanyama San Antonio Spurs.
He's 6'8, 230 pounds with a ridiculous 7'3 wingspan, the type of size needed to guard jumbo star wings while making an impact as a help defender. Though not especially explosive, Bates-Diop definitely isn't a stiff, with solid lateral agility and overall coordination he uses to put the ball on the deck and make canny plays for himself and teammates. The swing skill? Shooting, naturally, and his 39.4% mark from deep on low volume in 2022-23 stands out like a sore thumb compared to career norms.
Bates-Diop isn't Kyle Anderson — the 27-year-old wouldn't have been on the fringes of the league the past few years if he came close to duplicating Slow Mo's two-way effectiveness. But he's cut from the same stylistic and positional cloth as Anderson, right down to lack of shooting sometimes playing him off the floor. Bates-Diop shot a career-best 79.3% from the line last year, though, more indication he has turned the corner toward semi-respectability with the jumper.
Regardless of whether his shot proves broken again in 2023-24, Golden State could do far worse than Bates-Diop for the minimum.
Jaxson Hayes
Hayes, the No. 8 overall pick in 2019, will never live up to the status associated with his draft position. He's a poor rebounder for a 7-footer, can't protect the rim in the half court—despite some soaring, highlight-reel blocks—and certainly doesn't think the game on either end the way the Warriors want. The interesting strides Hayes had previously made as a three-point shooter were walked back entirely last season, when he went a laughable 3-of-29 from beyond the arc.
Ignore all that for now.
Chris Paul needs a lob-catching dive man to be his best in ball-screen action, and Golden State currently doesn't have a proven one outside Kuminga, who won't get many chances to roll down the lane unencumbered with Green and Looney cramping the floor next to him. Hayes is an elite run-jump athlete, exactly the type of big man Paul has turned into a tenable role player throughout his career. That Hayes flashed as a switch defender playing alongside Jonas Valanciunas with the New Orleans Pelicans is just an added bonus.
The Dubs don't just need size in free agency, but size that helps Paul unlock the most reliable part of his game offensively. Why not take a flier on Hayes?
Follow Us
Subscribe