Tag: NBA free agents

Isaiah Thomas makes a pitch to come off the bench for the Warriors next season

Could Isaiah Thomas fit off the bench for the Golden State Warriors in the 2020-21 NBA season?

While the NBA Playoffs are set to begin in the Orlando Bubble, the Golden State Warriors are getting an early jump on their offseason plans. First up on the Warriors to-do list is the NBA Draft.

Following the lottery and draft, Steve Kerr and Bob Myers can turn their attention to the free-agent class. With Steph Curry and Klay Thompson slated to return healthy alongside Andrew Wiggins, Eric Paschall and Draymond Green, Golden State’s front office will need to add some finishing touches to Kerr’s rotation.

Could one of those finishing touches be Isaiah Thomas?

On Saturday, the two-time All-Star made a pitch to come off Golden State’s bench in the 2020-21 season. In response to Jared Dudley’s tweet about the Warriors, Thomas responded, saying he’d come off Golden State’s bench “serving!!!!”

Via @isaiahthomas on Twitter:

After back-to-back All-Star seasons with the Boston Celtics in 2016 and 2017, Thomas has battled a hip injury while bouncing around the NBA.

In 2019, the 31-year-old spent 41 games with the Washington Wizards, averaging 12.2 points on 40.8% shooting from the field. The Washington Huskies product added 3.7 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 23.1 minutes per contest.

After a deadline trade from Washington to Los Angeles, Thomas was waived by the Clippers in February.

The eight-year veteran’s proposal to come off the Warriors bench received a reaction from future NBA Hall of Famer Dwayne Wade.

Via @DwyaneWade on Twitter:

With a roster that features the salaries of Curry, Thompson, Green and Wiggins, Golden State’s offseason spending could be limited. Outside of Golden State’s Andre Iguodala trade exception and the taxpayer mid-level exception, the Warriors will need to get creative when it comes to free agency. Bringing in a veteran to help solidify their second unit could be on Golden State’s checklist.

Behind the Splash Brothers, the Warriors could use firepower. Damion Lee and a trio of rookie guards fill out the rest of Golden State’s backcourt depth. With both Curry and Thompson coming off significant injuries, having a proven guard with a resume like Thomas could be an intriguing option.

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Steve Kerr and Warriors coaching staff doing homework on upcoming free agents

Steve Kerr and the Warriors coaching staff are working on a project for the summer during the NBA’s coronavirus hiatus.

With the worst record in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors are already looking ahead to the 2020-21 season. With a 15-50 record, the Warriors will be in line for a top prospect at the start of the NBA draft lottery for the first time in years.

After the draft, Golden State will need to make some additions in free agency to get back to the playoffs. While the Warriors salary cap is tight for the future, the team holds a pair of exceptions to play with during the offseason.

While the NBA is on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, Steve Kerr and his coaching staff are preparing for the summer.

On Thursday, Kerr shared Golden State’s free-agent homework assignment on KNBR 680 in San Francisco.

Via Tolbert, Krueger and Brooks on KNBR:

We just put our entire coaching staff on a project in the last couple of days. There’s about 60 free agents out there on our list for this summer. And so we divided up all the free agents, and we’re having all of our assistant coaches put a scouting report together on why free agent x would be a good or a bad fit for the Warriors. Every coach has four guys to watch. Everyone’s got games on their computers. Everyone’s got a chance to watch games and really focus in on one guy, which is interesting. You think you know players because you’ve seen them play for years, but until you really watch them and just only watch them during a game, sometimes you miss a lot of stuff. So, it’s kind of fun to watch a game specifically with the intention of just focusing on one guy and seeing really how intense he is on boxing out or making the right pass, making the right cut, that kind of stuff.

Next season, Golden State should have a healthy combination of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green — plus a high draft pick. Mixing in newcomers like Andrew Wiggins, Eric Paschall and Marquese Chriss gives the Warriors a formidable roster on paper.

How the front office navigates through free agency will be a factor in the Warriors run back to the playoffs.

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