Warriors’ Plans for Buyout Market Take Shape as Deadline Nears

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Lonzo Ball #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers was rumored to be connected to the Warriors.

There was a point at which the Golden State Warriors appeared laser-focused on one option on the NBA buyout market, which will be taking its final shape in the next two days. When the Warriors had what was passing for a healthy roster–accepting that Jimmy Butler would be out for the year with his torn ACL–the team was looking at bringing in guard Lonzo Ball following his miserable season in Cleveland that ended with him traded to Utah and subsequently released.

But things have changed for the Warriors. They traded for center Kristaps Porzingis at the NBA deadline, even as he was recovering from tendinitis in his Achilles, had him on the floor for one game, then lost him again to an illness. At the same time, star guard Stephen Curry has been dealing with persistent knee pain, and what was thought to be a short-term injury has now kept him out for a month.

The Warriors are now looking at the buyout market less as the chance to take a flier on a talented dented can like Ball, and more as an opportunity to fill concerning roster holes.

Warriors Badly Need a Big Man

The priority for the Warriors would be to add a big man. When they acquired Porzingis, the team was well aware that he might not be healthy enough to play much, but to have only gotten one appearance from him so far is a surprise, even in the context of his history of recurring absences.

And a goal for the Dubs has been to play Draymond Green less–certainly less at center, but also just fewer minutes in general. That means, when Porzingis can’t play, the Warriors have a center combo of 39-year-old Al Horford and Quinten Post, a 7-footer who shoots 43.5% from the field. Give the duo credit for holding down the for in the middle, but the Warriors need something more.

At 6-foot-7, Chris Boucher is not a perfect option, but he is an athletic shot-blocker and the most serviceable player who could fill the Warriors’ need for size. Another option is to pull up former NBA center Charles Bassey from Santa Cruz, where he is averaging 19.2 points and 10.6 rebounds.

Not Much on NBA Market

That’s not much, of course. And with the deadline looming for players to be bought out and still be available for the playoffs–that deadline is Sunday, March 1–there might not be much more on the way.

The biggest names to move thus far have been Mike Conley (back to the Timberwolves), Jeremy Sochan (Knicks), Cam Thomas (Bucks) and Kyle Anderson (Timberwolves).

The big buyout decision seems to be Khris Middleton in Dallas, who has championship experience but has been ineffective on the floor as injuries have taken their toll on him. The Warriors would not be eligible to sign him, anyway, because of NBA luxury tax limitations.

As one Western Conference executive said of the buyout market: “Even in good years, it is usually a lot weaker than people imagine it is going to be. But this year is one of the weakest it’s been.”

Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney