The Golden State Warriors are left sorting through the free-agent leftovers after their run at LeBron James went nowhere, and that puts the spotlight on a very different kind of shopping list.
With the big swing off the table, Golden State now has to look for value, fit and whatever scoring help is still available. Three names stand out: Mario Hezonja, DeMar DeRozan and Nic Batum.
Hezonja is the wild-card option. The former No. 5 overall pick is heading back from Europe after confirming he’ll leave Real Madrid, and he’s put together a strong season overseas. The 31-year-old forward averaged 17.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists last year in Europe, which makes him a reasonable flier for a team willing to bet on how much he’s grown since his last NBA season in 2019-2020.
DeRozan brings the most obvious scoring punch. After being waived by the Sacramento Kings, he suddenly looks like a clean fit for a Warriors rotation that could use help, especially with Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody sidelined by injury.
He has more than 26,700 career points, and he’d give Stephen Curry another established scorer to lean on. Among the remaining free agents, only James Harden and Jalen Duren were mentioned as clearly out of Golden State’s price range, and DeRozan’s 18.4 points per game was the highest average of the rest.
Batum may be the best all-around answer. Even though the Warriors have talked about getting younger, the team’s wait on James makes a case for squeezing whatever production it can from the market.
Batum, 37, would fit Steve Kerr’s offense, and his shooting is the big draw: last season with the Los Angeles Clippers, he hit 40.4% from three, and he hasn’t been below 39% from deep since the 2019-2020 season, when he played 22 games for the Charlotte Hornets. He’d also bring a veteran presence that could help Yaxel Lendeborg develop his offensive game.
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Warriors All-In Summer Just Took A Tense New Turn
Golden States summer has been defined by ambition, and not much of it has been subtle. The Warriors have checked on a long list of high-end names while also trying to keep their own core intact, with extension conversations ongoing for Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Brandin Podziemski. They have also shown interest in bringing back Gary Payton II and reached out to DeMar DeRozan, all while continuing to search for another move that could raise the ceiling around a roster built to maximize what remains of Currys prime.
The problem, as always, is the price of doing business at the top of the market. The Warriors have made offers for Trey Murphy III, but the gap there is still significant enough to keep the talks moving slowly, and the broader picture suggests Golden State is running into the same reality across multiple fronts. The front office clearly wants to stay aggressive, but the next step may come down to whether it can find a deal that satisfies both its urgency and the steep demands that usually come with chasing difference-makers in July. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors May Be Drifting Toward The Exact Move Fans Feared
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For Golden State, that kind of move would be understandable and underwhelming at the same time. It would fill a need without changing the bigger picture, and it would only sharpen the sense that the front office is leaning back into the same group rather than landing the kind of impact addition fans were hoping for. [Read more 🡒]
Another Warriors Wing Target Just Slipped Away As Pressure Builds
Another wing option Golden State had been tracking is off the board, a reminder of how quietly tense this part of the offseason has become for the Warriors. The club still has not added a new player to last years roster, and with only 11 players on standard contracts, the margin for patience is starting to shrink even as the front office keeps sorting through the market.
The Warriors are still expected to bring back Draymond Green, and Gary Payton II remains in line for serious consideration as one of the remaining roster spots. Beyond that, the list of realistic free-agent paths is getting thinner, with DeMar DeRozan and Brandon Williams among the names still tied to Golden State as the team tries to fill out the roster without losing the shape of what it wants to be. [Read more 🡒]