Warriors: 3 potential free agent reserve point guards
By Jeff Young
1. The Warriors could target Michael Carter-Williams
I will admit, Michael Carter-Williams is my favorite of all the free-agent point guards who could be reeled in on the minimum-salary contract.
Livingston always brought a defensive presence to the reserve unit with the ability to guard multiple positions. At 6-foot-5, Carter-Williams has a track record for bringing a similar prowess to the floor.
On the surface, the Warriors and Carter-Williams may need to come to terms with a little bit of history. The 28-year-old stared down the Warriors bench as he led the Milwaukee Bucks to a 108-95 victory way back in 2015.
Despite this game taking place in December of that year, it was Golden State’s first loss of their 73-win season.
Carter-Williams has racked up the frequent flyer miles since then as he has made stops with the Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Houston Rockets, and Orlando Magic over the last five seasons.
He has carved out a nice, niche role with the Magic this year. In 42 games, the University of Connecticut product has posted 7.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 1.1 SPG while shooting 43 percent from the field and being worth 1.9 win shares.
He brings a veteran presence that the Warriors need on the second unit and one that likely could not be filled internally.
Given that his salary for the 2019-2020 season is at $2 million, he will not see much of a pay increase through free agency.
If that rate holds, he may fall well within the Warriors budget, and the dollars and cents of adding any free agent need to make sense.
Carter-Williams has bounced around the league in recent seasons, but the Warriors could give him some nice stability as Curry’s backup.