Warriors: Mychal Mulder’s multi-year contract is well-deserved

The Golden State Warriors have rewarded Mychal Mulder with a multi-year NBA deal after he impressed on his original 10-day contract.

The Golden State Warriors have struggled through injuries in what has been a disappointing season. But those injuries have paved the way for young players like Mychal Mulder to shine in increased opportunities.

And the results have been encouraging.

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Mulder is one of three young players the Warriors have signed to 10-day contracts in recent weeks. Along with former top draft pick Dragan Bender and undrafted rookie Juan Toscano-Anderson, Mulder has been given an opportunity to impress in the NBA.

Mulder has taken that opportunity and run with it. And as a reward for his impressive play, the Warriors awarded him a fresh multi-year contract earlier on Tuesday.

After showing signs of potential through his first games, it was widely expected that the team would sign Mulder to another 10-day contract. It’s what the team did with Bender, and Mulder had certainly outplayed his young teammate.

However, Golden State took it a step further signing Mulder to a full-on NBA contract.

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Now, the “multi-year” portion of this contract isn’t as appealing as it might appear on paper. The deal extends through next season and isn’t guaranteed, but it shows interest from the Warriors.

Golden State clearly saw enough of Mulder in those six games to know that he could be a part of the future. And with a paper-thin bench, he could find a role in the rotation.

Other players like Eric Paschall, Damion Lee, and Ky Bowman have stepped up and done exactly what Mulder has done and taken advantage of their increased playing time.

Still, with a top draft pick, a mid-level exception, and a $17 million trade exception coming in the offseason, the Warriors bench could get pretty crowded. But Mulder fits the mold of a player the Warriors love.

He’s a very capable outside shooter shooting 35.6 percent in his brief NBA career thus far and his 6-foot-8 wingspan allows him to guard multiple positions on defense. That alone could give him a leg-up on his competition.

Mulder is a prototypical Steve Kerr player — and the Warriors can see it.

That’s the reason why the Warriors gave a former junior college star turned Kentucky bench player who went undrafted and toiled around in the G-League for a couple of seasons an NBA contract after just six games.

It’s not about what he is now, it’s about what he could become.

Mulder did enough in six games to show the Warriors that he could have a future with the team. Now, he’ll have the rest of the season and training camp next year to prove that he belongs.