The Golden State Warriors have emerged as the frontrunner to sign former NBA player Andrew Bogut, who is just finishing his season as MVP of the Australian League, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Bogut’s representatives are working this week through letter of clearance process from Australia’s Sydney Kings.
According to Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News, the Warriors have thought about signing their former starting center “for a while.”
The Philadelphia 76ers were considered as the other leading candidate vying for Bogut's services, given the recent knee soreness from starter Joel Embiid and last week's scare with backup Boban Marjanovic, who will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
The two teams squared up on Saturday night's premiere matchup on ABC, both showing some adjustments made without key starters — Klay Thompson for the Warriors and Embiid for the Sixers.
Golden State has long wanted to secure a trusted backup to run behind starter DeMarcus Cousins, who is still dealing with the recovery from a season-ending Achilles injury. Though he has looked sharper as of late (20 or more points in his last three appearances), the fragile nature of his injury calls for an insurance policy — a role Bogut could fill to a tee.
The Warriors have had their 15th and last roster spot open since Patrick McCaw signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, allowing them the flexibility of patiently looking for a player that might suit their needs.
Bogut's return to the franchise after the team chose to trade him to the Dallas Mavericks in 2016 comes full circle, as the former screen-setting big man played in only 51 games in the league since being traded by the Warriors.
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