The Golden State Warriors' penultimate roster spot is still earmarked for Andre Iguodala, and it remains likely they'll leave the 15th and final roster spot open throughout 2022-23, either saving against the luxury tax or holding out hope for an impact addition on the buyout market before the playoffs. With training camp fast approaching on September 24th, though, Golden State is turning over every roster-building stone regardless.
The Warriors will hold workouts this week for a group veteran free agents including Ben McLemore, Kenneth Faried, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Elfrid Payton, according to Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of The Athletic. As incumbent players return to the Bay this week for informal training sessions, the expectation is that Golden State's final training camp roster spot will be awarded to the free agent who performs best in those workouts.
The Golden State Warriors are bringing in several veteran free agents for workouts this week, including Ben McLemore, Elfrid Payton, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Kenneth Faried, league sources tell The Athletic…It’s expected the Warriors will fill their open training camp roster spot out of the free agents who came to work out in the Bay Area.
The Warriors currently have 13 players on guaranteed contracts for the upcoming season, waiting patiently for Iguodala to make a decision on his playing future. Prior reporting indicates they plan on keeping the 15th roster spot vacant whether or not Iguodala returns, but The Athletic notes that Golden State took that same approach into training camp last season, only for Gary Payton II to force his way onto the team.
Could that same fate apply to McLemore, Faried, Hollis-Jefferson or Payton? It seems doubtful considering their fading NBA legitimacy in recent years, not to mention each player's lack of positional and role flexibility that made Payton such a snug two-way fit for the Warriors.
McLemore fared best among that quartet a year ago, launching a career-high rate of threes with the Portland Trail Blazers while fully embracing his optimal role as a movement shooter off the ball. He shot a solid but unspectacular 36.2% from beyond the arc, but McLemore's ability to bend defenses sprinting around screens could still be beneficial for Golden State, especially on nights Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are resting.
It's more difficult to imagine Faried, Hollis-Jefferson or Payton grabbing hold of that last training camp invite during early September workouts. None shoot well enough to threaten defenses from the perimeter, and only Hollis-Jefferson—who played overseas a year ago—boasts the physical tools to capably check multiple positions on the other end.