Willie Cauley-Stein has made plenty of sacrifices after moving on from the Sacramento Kings for a chance to play with the Golden State Warriors, but none bigger than leaving a paycheck twice as big from the Charlotte Hornets.
The former Kings big man knew the Warriors could offer slightly more than a minimum contract ($4.5 million for two years), a far cry from the $9 million offer the Hornets extended during free agency, according to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle.
WCS had said at the beginning of the 2018-19 season that he was “ready to get paid” by the Kings, who were hoping he'd develop into a solid double-double guy who defends the paint. The Kings extended an offer in the summer, but Cauley-Stein turned it down, ready to move on with his career.
Cauley-Stein could have had the chance to start in New Orleans, ahead of Cody Zeller and Willy Hernangomez, but the seed of a potential stint with the Warriors was already engrained in his mind.
WCS had heard from Stephen Curry and Draymond Green that Golden State had interest in acquiring him during a Jan. 2017 game against the Kings. The 7-footer didn't have to think twice:
“Shoot,” said Cauley-Stein, who at the time was out of the Kings’ rotation. “I’ll put on a jersey right now.”
The big man's malcontent with the organization dates back several years, as he feels he was the “scapegoat” of many of their failures. Now with a starting job and a new team around him, the Kentucky product can revitalize a career that had been smeared by his former team.
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