Warriors: 3 potential free agent reserve point guards
By Jeff Young
The Golden State Warriors could target these three reserve point guards in free agency.
Last offseason, the Golden State Warriors‘ depth took a hit when backup point guard Shaun Livingston announced his retirement.
Despite this, the Warriors never found a suitable replacement for Livingston, and they are heading into next season with Ky Bowman penciled in as the reserve point guard to Stephen Curry.
Bowman’s rookie season was a bit of a mixed bag.
He appeared in 45 games, including 12 starts, where he posted 11.9 PPG, 4.6 APG, and 4.3 RPG while shooting 42 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc.
Due to Curry’s injury, Bowman saw some extended playing time, and his counting numbers such as points certainly benefited from being able to take extra shots.
The 22-year-old showed decent instincts on defense, but the overall offensive output was inconsistent at times. Golden State likely will not be comfortable handing the keys to the second unit to the inexperienced Bowman.
With that being said, the Warriors should be in the market for a back-up point guard to fill the void that was created due to Livingston’s retirement.
Of course, Golden State has about $129 million already committed to four players heading into next season consisting of Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green.
Though they are projected to go over the $139 million salary cap, they will have a little financial wiggle room to improve the team around the margins.
This includes bolstering the team’s depth. They will not be able to hand out a lucrative contract on the free-agent market, but they can get some pieces to improve the overall roster balance.
The free-agent market is not flush with a surplus of frontcourt options, but there are a few players who could be appealing. Of course, whoever the Warriors target will need to agree to a contract for the veteran minimum, and accept a reserve role.
These conditions make it a difficult area to fill. Of the free agents available, Michael Carter-Williams, Brandon Knight, and Shabazz Napier could emerge as backup point guard targets for the Golden State Warriors.