The Warriors may have stumbled into a useful solution with Georges Niang, and it comes at a time when they badly need one.
Golden State currently has what looks, on paper, like a fight for its 14th and 15th guaranteed roster spots among Niang, Brandon Williams and Dalen Terry. Williams and Niang are both on partially guaranteed contracts, while Terry’s Exhibit-10 deal gives him a path to knock one of them off the final roster. But the real battle appears likely to narrow to Williams and Terry.
That matters because the Warriors need frontcourt help with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody out until at least mid-season. Niang, even at 33 and more than a year removed from real NBA action, can fill that need.
The choice may ultimately hinge on whether Golden State prefers Williams’ ball-handling or Terry’s upside as a 3-and-D wing. For now, Niang looks safe, and if he makes the opening-night roster, his deal is expected to be converted to the full $3.8 million.
That makes this reunion bigger than a simple depth move. Golden State needs bench production to hold the rotation together until the roster gets closer to full strength, and Niang at least brings the kind of skill set that can help keep things steady.
There are obvious reasons to be cautious. Niang missed all of last season while rehabbing a foot injury with the Memphis Grizzlies, and his lack of true positional rebounding punch could limit what he gives the Warriors from night to night. Still, most of the box is checked when it comes to a player who can step into a rotation right away.
He brings the kind of veteran résumé Steve Kerr usually trusts: 544 NBA games across nine seasons. And the biggest reason he remains useful is the same one that has followed him through his career - he can shoot. Niang has repeatedly proven himself as a dependable perimeter threat and floor-spacer.
In his last full NBA season in 2024-25, he hit 40.6% from three. The seasons before that came in at 37.6%, 40.1%, 40.3% and 42.5%, in descending order.
This also isn’t Niang’s first time around the Warriors. He was with the team on a training camp deal in 2017 and then played 26 productive games for the Santa Cruz Warriors in 2017-18. At that point, Golden State didn’t have room for him with Andre Iguodala still on the roster.
A lot has changed since then. Golden State is now counting on continued growth from Gui Santos and even Will Richard, while Yaxel Lendeborg is expected to be steady out of the gate. In that context, Niang’s ability to stretch the floor and offer some complementary playmaking could matter quite a bit.
The Warriors didn’t have many options to work with this offseason because of their financial limits, and Niang probably wouldn’t have been their first pick if the full late-summer market had been available. But if he stays healthy, he can still give them a real lift - especially in the first half of the season.
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