Here’s What You Need To Know About Golden State’s Final Roster Spot
The Warriors roster appears to be nearly set with one week left before training camp begins. But during that time as well as the preseason, the front office and the coaching staff will take time to observe a variety of players — including one currently on the roster — to determine who should take the 15th and final full-scale NBA roster spot.
The Warriors currently have all 17 roster spots filled. But Chris Chiozza is on a two-way contract, Mychal Mulder’s contract can be converted into a two-way deal and most importantly, Gary Payton II doesn’t get a guaranteed contract unless he is still on the team on Opening Night. This means that Golden State can take some time to bring in various players, including Payton, before making a decision about who is most suited for the team.
Hoping to provide relief for Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole and Andre Iguodala, the Warriors have looked mostly at point guards thus far for the spot. Besides Payton, reports have linked Golden State to Avery Bradley, Quinn Cook, Isaiah Thomas, Darren Collison and Ryan Arcidiacono.
All of these players have both upsides and downsides. Payton, who is believed by some to be the most likely option, is a great defender and decent scorer but doesn’t provide the shot creation or passing expected of a point guard. Bradley is a good defender and shooter who has been slowed down by injuries in recent years. Cook can make threes and is good at running an offense but will need to really impress the Warriors to take that final roster spot. Thomas used to be one of the NBA’s best playmakers and pick-and-roll guards but has never been a good defender, and injuries have derailed his career as he enters a season during which he will turn 33. Collison is a strong all-around offensive player and an adequate defender but doesn’t have great athleticism and just turned 34, having not played professionally since 2019. Arcidiacono is a decent passer with gritty defense who doesn’t hit shots consistently enough. However, the fact that any of these players would only be asked to be the final man off the bench means that the Warriors are not looking for a superstar. Instead, if they choose to sign a guard, they will most likely make their decision based on who they think can best fill a handful of minutes every other game or so.
Although it currently appears as though adding a guard would make the most sense given the makeup of the roster, pursuing a big man instead is not out of the question. If this turns out to be the case, Marc Gasol could be a name to pay attention to. His age of 36 indicates that he’s no longer the All-Star caliber player he once was, but he is still a smart veteran with leadership ability who the Warriors could run their offense through. As a center with both shooting and passing skill, he would probably fit very well into Steve Kerr’s system.
The Warriors will work out these players and perhaps some others over the course of the next week or so with the intention of signing one big man and two guards for training camp. From there, they will observe their selected players and make a decision on which of the three will make the team. In an offseason where the Warriors roster has seemingly been near completion for quite some time now, the final roster spot is one thing still up in the air, and it’ll be a storyline to follow in the coming days.