The Golden State Warriors still have a lot of needs to address after the first 72 hours of free agency went by. The Warriors immediately went straight to business in re-signing four-time NBA champion Draymond Green to a four-year, $100 million contract. Green's deal was the first reported signing as soon as the clock hit 6 PM ET last Friday.
Golden State's next signing came two nights later when the Warriors signed veteran guard Cory Joseph to a one-year minimum deal. Joseph became the third addition to the Warriors' backcourt this offseason after they acquired future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul in a trade and drafted Brandin Podziemski with the 19th overall pick. The Warriors did well in replenishing its backcourt depth after it lost Donte DiVincenzo in free agency and Jordan Poole in the CP3 trade.
However, the Warriors have yet to address what seems to be a never-ending concern for this team annually: their lack of size. Of course, being in a Steve Kerr system, those big men need to have high basketball IQ. With that, the Warriors' biggest need to address after the first weekend of NBA free agency is finding a high IQ big man.
Warriors biggest need: High IQ Big man
The Warriors run a complex system where the big men play a vital role in playmaking, locating, and screening for cutters and shooters for wide-open looks all over the floor. They also need to be on the right spot at all times, so they would not disrupt the organized chaos that is the Warriors offense.
Sure, Golden State just took Trayce Jackson-Davis, a 6-foot-8 forward/center out of Indiana, near the end of the 2023 NBA Draft. But the Warriors still prefer to field out a solid veteran big man to pair with Draymond Green and Kevon Looney in the front court.
Dario Saric is an ideal target
In the lead up to free agency, there were strong rumors that the Warriors would likely land Dario Saric. But as of this writing, the Croatian has yet to sign on the dotted line with Golden State, or for any team for that matter.
Saric is an ideal target for the Warriors. He possesses a high basketball IQ that should allow him flourish in head coach Steve Kerr's complicated offensive system. He is also a capable playmaker who can find teammates on back cuts or on the perimeter for open shots.
And of course, being a career 36 percent three-point shooter, Saric will be able to thrive as a floor spacer and outside threat for the Dubs. His ability to do so makes him a nice plug-and-play alongside either of Golden State's non-shooting bigs in Green or Looney.
Saric suffered a torn ACL during the 2021 NBA Finals as part of the Phoenix Suns and missed the entire 2021-22 season. He returned last season and was traded by Phoenix to the Oklahoma City Thunder in mid-February.
Though he somewhat became a forgotten name a result of his major injury, Saric managed to show he was still capable of contributing in a meaningful way during his stint with the Thunder. In 20 games with OKC, Saric averaged 7.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from long distance.
Golden State also seems like the perfect situation for Saric to revitalize his career. We have seen veterans who were able to do just that after a one-year stint in The Bay Area. The Warriors have become the go-to organization for players who got lost in the shuffle and want to get their careers back on tract.
Donte DiVincenzo is one of them and he just landed a massive payday with the Knicks. Otto Porter Jr. also thrived in his lone campaign in Golden State and eventually signed a much larger deal with the Toronto Raptors during the summer of 2022. Perhaps Dario Saric can do the same by playing a significant bench role on a championship team to regain his value.
JaMychal Green again?
In case Saric doesn't come through, perhaps the Warriors could take a long look at bringing back JaMychal Green, who signed with Golden State last summer. Sure, Green didn't have the kind of season Warriors fans had hoped for from him.
But, in reality, it wasn't a bad campaign overall for the veteran big man. In 57 games, the 33-year-old averaged 6.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He connected on 37.8 percent of his three-pointers and shot 54.0 percent from the field overall.
Green is still a rotation player in the NBA and his ability to space the floor and finish inside still makes him a viable option for the Warriors if the market runs dry.
Follow Us
Subscribe