Pat Spencer’s move from Golden State to Phoenix looks like a step into a much tighter lane.
After a career-best season with the Warriors, where he played in 66 games and even made 14 starts, Spencer signed with the Suns early in free agency and landed back on a two-way contract. That alone makes the move feel a little odd, but the real issue is the depth chart he’s walking into.
In Golden State, Spencer was the only pure point guard behind Stephen Curry. In Phoenix, he’s entering a crowded backcourt with far fewer obvious minutes to grab.
The Suns already have Devin Booker and Jalen Green in place, and they moved quickly before free agency to keep Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin. Gillespie got a four-year, $48 million deal, while Goodwin signed for three years and $19 million. Phoenix also has 27-year-old point guard Jamaree Bouyea, who posted a career-high 5.7 points in 46 games with the team last season.
That leaves Spencer in a difficult spot. With all or most of those guards available, it’s hard to picture him as part of Jordan Ott’s rotation.
At the same time, the Suns did sign him, and Spencer is now 30 years old, so this is not the kind of two-way flyer you stash away and forget about. It’s fair to wonder how Phoenix expects to use him.
Spencer’s path last season was helped by Curry’s injuries and by his own strong play. That combination pushed him into a larger role than anyone likely expected, and he averaged nearly 19 minutes a night for Golden State. Matching that kind of usage in Phoenix would be a major challenge, especially with this being the final year of his two-way eligibility.
Golden State, meanwhile, still hasn’t filled the hole Spencer leaves behind. The Warriors are clearly looking for another guard who can help cover the minutes when Curry is out, and LJ Cryer is on a two-way deal as a promising young option.
But the team will probably need a more established piece on the main roster, and Brandon Williams has been strongly linked as a possibility. The 26-year-old could wind up with one of Golden State’s final two roster spots.
Spencer finished last season with 7.2 points and 3.5 assists for the Warriors, and now the focus shifts to whether he can force his way into a real role in Phoenix and eventually earn another standard contract.
In Other News...
Joe Lacob Just Reopened A Painful Warriors Draft Debate
Jonathan Kuminga has been out of Golden State for more than six months, but the debate around how the Warriors handled his arrival has not really gone anywhere. Drafted more than five years ago, Kuminga was supposed to be part of the franchises next wave, and his departure only sharpened the scrutiny on a pick that was once viewed as a major swing for the future.
Joe Lacob recently stepped back into that conversation by defending the decision to draft Kuminga, saying he does not consider it a mistake even with the forward no longer on the roster. The timing makes the topic linger a little longer, too, with Kuminga still unsigned several weeks into free agency and now being mentioned as a possible target for the Los Angeles Lakers. [Read more 🡒]
Stephen Curry Still Has One Thing The Warriors May Be Wasting
The Warriors have spent years leaning into stability, keeping the same core of players, coach and ownership intact while much of the league has churned around them. Even as the Lakers have gone through another ownership change and remade their roster around Luka Doni, Golden State has mostly stayed the course, trusting continuity to keep the window open for Stephen Curry and the rest of the group.
But that patience can also raise a harder question: when a franchise protects its structure this aggressively, is it getting the most out of its greatest asset, or simply preserving what it already knows? Curry remains the face of everything Golden State wants to be, and the contrast with teams willing to move quickly to secure a superstar future only sharpens the sense that the Warriors may be relying on continuity at a moment when a little more urgency could matter. [Read more 🡒]
Juan Toscano-Anderson Still Means Something Special To Oakland Fans
Juan Toscano-Andersons return to Oakland this week carried the kind of easy familiarity that has made him a favorite far beyond his box score value. He took part in the unveiling of a refurbished basketball court and mural at the OK Program of Oakland, a nonprofit centered on mentoring Black youth, and used the moment to speak about his path to the NBA and the pride that comes with representing your hometown.
Toscano-Anderson also spent time on the court with the kids, mixing conversation with a little basketball and spending time with program leaders and participants. For Warriors fans who still connect him with the citys basketball roots, it was another reminder that his bond with Oakland is about more than the memories he made there as a player. [Read more 🡒]