Kelly Oubre Jr. caused quite the stir when he suggested he had no intention of coming off the bench next season. With Klay Thompson coming back, the assumption was that Oubre would leave the Golden State Warriors in free agency in order to secure a starting job elsewhere.
However, don't count out an Oubre return to the Warriors just yet.
Oubre's agent, Torrel Harris, told Wes Goldberg of The Mercury News that he and the Warriors are “on the same page” when it comes to Oubre's free agency. The swingman still has a good relationship with the team and is prioritizing playing for a championship contender rather than a starting job. Harris said Warriors president Bob Myers told him the team wants Oubre back in the fold.
That very well could be true, but we'll see what the Warriors are actually willing to offer Oubre, who's looking for a rather hefty payday. Goldberg reports Oubre is seeking a deal that could pay him around $20 million annually. That's a lot of money for a bench guy who did have some issues fitting in Steve Kerr's system, especially considering Golden State has so much money already locked in on the core players.
Oubre will have other suitors after him, with the New York Knicks, Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs previously reported as teams with interest. Goldberg notes the Dallas Mavericks as another team with reported interest.
The 25-year-old averaged 15.4 points and 6.0 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per game in 2020-21. Oubre bounced back from a brutal start to the season and wound up shooting 43.9% from the field, though his 3-point percentage finished at just 31.6%.
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