Golden State Warriors: Alfonzo McKinnie is fighting for a roster spot

Golden State Warriors small forward Alfonzo McKinnie is currently penciled in as a starter, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t still fighting for a roster spot.

Golden State Warriors small forward Alfonzo McKinnie has overcome more adversity in his brief basketball career than most NBA lifers do in a career.

From going undrafted out of Green Bay to playing in Luxembourg’s second division. From competing in Mexico on recommendation from a friend to paying $175 for a tryout with his hometown G-League team.

And finally, from earning a roster spot with the Toronto Raptors to securing a place in the Warriors’ rotation following a training camp invite. Yes, McKinnie has been through the figurative wringer in his short career to this point.

But the adversity that he’s faced is far from over.

Following the departure of franchise mainstays such as Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston in the offseason, Golden State was expected to count on numerous younger players to fill the roles left vacant by the departed.

And perhaps none are expected to receive a bigger boost than McKinnie who is currently penciled in as the team’s starting small forward.

But just as roster security seemed to finally be a certainty, a contractual bind has opened the door for adversity to enter once more.

McKinnie is the only player on Golden State’s roster without a fully-guaranteed contract with the exception of the team’s two-way players. The Warriors do have one final roster spot open but they’re hard-capped meaning that they can’t sign anyone else without first freeing up space.

If the Warriors wanted to sign one of their training camp invites or perhaps explore external options, they would first need to free up some cap. And barring a trade, the only way to do that would be to waive McKinnie.

Now, seeing as though he’s expected to be the team’s starting small forward — at least until Klay Thompson returns — this seems unlikely at first glance. But it may not be as far-fetched as it appears.

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McKinnie has his limitations as a player and despite his endearing backstory and work ethic, those limitations could hold him back. On top of that, he will be facing plenty of competition at the position with veterans Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III the most likely to take his role.

McKinnie is a better rebounder than both and has solid defensive upside given his athleticism, but he offers much less shooting consistency and is the least experienced of the three.

And the problem is that even if the drop-off is marginal, the Warriors could still opt to cut McKinnie simply because they need the cap space.

Following injuries to Willie Cauley-Stein, Kevon Looney, and Alen Smailagic, the Warriors are left with only one healthy center at the moment — that being Omari Spellman. The team could opt to explore the open market to add another big man.

But to do so, McKinnie would have to pay the price.