Coming off a season as turbulent as his nickname of “Tsunami Papi,” Kelly Oubre Jr. faces a complicated situation if he returns to the Bay in 2021-22.
In March, Kerr said that if Oubre Jr. resigned with Golden State, he would come off the bench next season due to the return of Klay Thompson to the starting lineup. A month later, with Oubre Jr. stepping into a sixth man role for a few games after his return from a wrist sprain, Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area that his “attitude has been great.”
Yet in a July 6 episode of Chris Haynes’ podcast “Posted Up,” Oubre Jr. shed some interesting light on his feelings about Kerr’s comments.
Posted Up w/ C. Haynes Pod: Pending free agent Kelly Oubre Jr. (@kellyoubrejr) on year with Warriors, how he adjusted to diminished role, on GS wanting him to come off bench next season, playing through injury & what he’s looking for in free-agency.
🎧: https://t.co/lGlXxTZvbK pic.twitter.com/zMBZahNC0T
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 6, 2021
“I don’t really want to speak and elaborate too much on that situation, but all I will tell you is that it put fire in my heart,” Oubre Jr. said. “It added more fuel to the fire.”
He went on to describe his ascent from the 15th overall pick in 2015 to earning more minutes and putting up improved numbers every season of his career – up until 2020-21 with the Warriors, where he felt his opportunity was “lessened.”
“As the year goes on, (being) put into this category of trying to shape out the future for this organization when I haven’t been given the opportunity to show what I can do on a large scale, to what you said, obviously, it is unfair,” Oubre Jr. said to Haynes. “But, all I can do is go and do my job and play … and be professional.”
At times, Oubre Jr. didn’t always look comfortable within the Warriors’ system. Despite strong play towards the middle and end of his regular season, an early-year shooting slump dropped both his scoring volume and efficiency from his 2019-20 with the Phoenix Suns.
However, Oubre Jr.’s offensive aggressiveness, potential as a catch-and-shoot threat and defensive versatility helped the Warriors to many a win last season. With the explosive wing’s status as an unrestricted free agent, Kerr also noted in March he’d “love to have Kelly back,” and president of basketball operations Bob Myers said in May that Oubre Jr. had made it clear he’d like to be in Golden State.
If that’s true, the question then centers on how much money Oubre Jr. is looking to walk away with in the open market and how much, under limited cap space, the Warriors would be willing to pay to retain him.
Both parties have remained relatively mum on that particular point. The Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks have all been rumored as potential suitors for Oubre Jr.
“I’m blessed to be an unrestricted free agent, and the plan is to grow and get better each and every year,” Oubre Jr. told Haynes.
It’ll be interesting to see if the six-year veteran feels the place for that growth still lies in the Bay.
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