The Golden State Warriors have extended a qualifying offer to Jordan Bell, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, making the second-year big man a restricted free agent.
The Golden State Warriors have extended a qualifying offer to forward Jordan Bell, making him a restricted free agent, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2019
Bell averaged 3.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 11.6 minutes per game in 2018-19, shooting 51.6 percent from the field. Those numbers represent a downturn from his impressive rookie season, when he started 13 games during the regular season and appeared in all 17 of the Warriors' playoff games. While that statistical dip can be partially explained by Bell expanding his offensive game to include shots taken from outside the paint, more debilitating to his progress was his nagging penchant for mistakes on both sides of the ball, a trait that seemed to especially frustrate Steve Kerr.
Regardless, Bell is an attractive reserve big man in the modern NBA due to his ability to switch onto guards defensively, run the floor in transition, and finish around the rim. If he continues tightening his mid-range jumper and he continues cutting his turnover rate, Bell could be a consistently helpful player on offense, too. The only thing preventing him from being a surefire rotation player is an attribute Bell can't fix – a lack of strength and overall size that makes him a poor individual and team rebounder.
If Kevon Looney proves too expensive, cash-strapped Golden State would be wise to take advantage of Bell's Bird Rights by matching most any realistic offer he receives on the open market. The Warriors might even deem it best to bring him back should they manage to retain Looney, too.
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