The Warriors have spent the summer leaning on familiarity, but their roster picture has shifted as the team filled out the back end of the group in free agency.
Golden State recently added two veterans with playoff experience, officially signing Georges Niang and Brandon Williams. According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, “The Warriors signed Georges Niang to a partially guaranteed deal and Brandon Williams to a non-guaranteed deal, sources say.
Niang is partially guaranteed for $1.84M of his $3.88M salary. Williams can earn $1.4M if he makes the opening night roster and up to $2.63M total,”
Even after those moves, the Warriors still have one two-way contract left to work with. Blue Man Hoops’ Peter O’Keefe thinks that opening could go to Cam Whitmore.
“The most tempting factor is that Whitmore is still eligible for a two-way contract. Golden State still have an eligible two-way spot, and having him on there rather than the main roster significantly reduces the risk on a player that three teams have now given up on in the last 14 months,” O’Keefe wrote.
Whitmore is now in search of another landing spot after the Cleveland Cavaliers waived him following his inclusion in the Peyton Watson deal. Scotto reported, “The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived Cam Whitmore, league sources told hoopshype. Whitmore, the 20th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, has averaged 10.5 points on 45% from the field and 35% from 3-point range in 17.3 minutes during three NBA seasons with the Rockets and Wizards,”
A former first-round pick with clear scoring ability, Whitmore entered the league with real upside. But the fact that teams passed on him in the 2023 NBA Draft, and the concerns that came with that, have followed him into the early stages of his career.
In Other News...
Cavaliers May Already Have Their Best Answer For A Thin Frontcourt
The Cavaliers still have an open 14th roster spot, and with cap space tight, the frontcourt is one area that keeps standing out as a practical need. Cleveland has already added wing help in Peyton Watson and Mario Hezonja and drafted Meleek Thomas, but behind Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, the team could still use a low-cost big who can soak up minutes and give the rotation some insurance.
Olivier Sarr fits that search as well as anyone on the current list of possibilities. The 6-foot-10 center has previous two-way experience with Cleveland, and his combination of size and G League production makes him a logical candidate if the Cavaliers decide to use that final opening on a true interior presence rather than another developmental flier. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Still Have One Important Backcourt Job Up For Grabs
The Cavaliers have spent much of the Donovan Mitchell era searching for a reliable backup point guard, and the list of names who have cycled through that spot shows how unsettled it has been. Ty Jerome, Ricky Rubio, Raul Neto, Craig Porter Jr., Lonzo Ball and Dennis Schroder have all taken a turn trying to stabilize the second unit, but Cleveland still heads into the season with that reserve backcourt role very much open.
Now the attention shifts to a younger crop, with the Cavaliers using draft capital on Tyrese Proctor and Meleek Thomas and setting up a training camp battle that should be worth watching. Proctor, Thomas and Porter are expected to compete for minutes behind Mitchell, and coach Kenny Atkinson will be looking for a guard who can bring both consistency and versatility to a bench that has not yet found a settled answer. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Still Have A Late Offseason Question Worth Watching
The NBAs offseason shake-up has already changed the leagues balance, and Cleveland is still watching the board with plenty of other teams. Even with the biggest dominoes falling elsewhere, there are roster spots around the league that remain open, and front offices are expected to keep tinkering before the 2026-27 season tips off on Oct. 20. For the Cavaliers, that kind of late-summer movement can matter, especially when the margins in the East are so thin.
What makes this stretch worth following is how many situations are still unresolved. Some players are widely expected to stay put, while others are lingering on unsigned deals or non-guaranteed contracts, leaving clubs room to change course if the right option appears. Cleveland does not need a splash to keep its eyes on this market, but one more quiet addition or a surprise decision elsewhere could still shape the final look of the roster. [Read more 🡒]