Warriors should look to bring back Glenn Robinson III or Alec Burks
By Justin Fried
The Golden State Warriors won’t have a ton of financial flexibility this offseason, but they could look to bring back Glenn Robinson III or Alec Burks in free agency.
The Golden State Warriors were already expected to be in a bit of a cap bind this offseason — an experience not too unfamiliar to them. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could put a damper on a lot of teams’ offseason plans.
Given the financial loss of the postponed season, teams may not be willing to be as spendy in an offseason full of uncertainty. While it’s still unknown the extent to which this will impact the Warriors specifically, it is clear that they won’t have much money to spend regardless.
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Still, they will have the advantage of not only a top draft pick, but a mid-level exception to work with. The Warriors could also sign any player to a veteran’s minimum contract.
Their possible targets won’t be aplenty, but there are still a few appealing options to explore. And two of those players happened to play on the team last season.
Both Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks were shipped to the Philadelphia 76ers at the trade deadline this past season ending their brief stay in Golden State. But before their departure, the duo impressed more than most would have expected.
Robinson started all 48 games he played shooting a healthy 40 percent from three-point range averaging 12.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 31.6 minutes per game. The former second-round pick was a reliable presence on the wing in a season where the Warriors needed all the help they could get.
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Meanwhile, Burks served more of a bench role starting 18 of the 48 games he played. Nonetheless, the former Utah Jazz draftee shot 37.5 percent from three-point range while averaging 16.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game.
Burks played a key role as a second-unit defensive specialist who also provided some outside shooting ability.
With the addition of Andrew Wiggins, neither will be counted on as a starting option if they were to return. But that doesn’t mean that either wouldn’t be an excellent depth option next season.
Robinson could be an athletic, energetic wing coming off the bench while Burks could provide defense and some scoring ability in a similar role. The only question remains if the Warriors will be able to land them.
The duo likely looked to use their success with the Warriors to earn them a pay raise next season. But both had disappointing showings in Philadelphia which may have hurt their free-agent value.
For that reason, there’s a chance that the Warriors will be able to re-sign at least one of them to a veteran’s minimum contract once again. If not, they could consider using the mid-level exception, although it would probably be best to use it on a more notable player.
Next. Warriors: 5 low-cost options for upcoming free agency. dark
Still, the Warriors could really bolster their bench if they could find a way to bring back Robinson or Burks next season.