Free Agency Day 1: Perks picks free agent targets

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Perks from Reddit Speaks

Our guy Perks from Warriors Reddit is a legendary poster digging into the heights and depths of basketball cap rules and keep track of even the smallest team transactions. He’s also known as GSWCBA on Twitter.

He continues his tradition of giving us guest analysis with this overview of free agency. This was written right before the start of free agency, so by the time you read this, a few names will be out of the running. You can see their status at the live update tracker.

In short

• Ideal Targets: Trey Lyles & Mason Plumlee

• Realistic Additions: Tauraen Prince & Robin Lopez

• Bargain Bin: Davon Reed & Sandro Mamukelashvili

Tier 0 | Priced Out

Trey Lyles, Georges Niang, Derrick Jones Jr., Jalen McDaniels, Seth Curry, Dwight Powell, Mason Plumlee, Dario Saric, Kevin Love

All of these players would be huge additions for the Warriors in beefing up their rotation, however they are all expected to see offers significantly above the minimum and unless they would be willing to take quite less to come ring chase in Golden State, should be well out of their price range.

Tier 1 | High-Level Reaches

Yuta Watanabe, Damion Lee, Tauraen Prince, Joe Ingles, T.J. Warren, Mo Bamba, Thomas Bryant, Robin Lopez, Alex Len

• From training camp invite to mainstay NBA rotation player, Yuta Watanabe had one of the best stories in basketball this past season as he carved himself out a significant role with the Brooklyn Nets. As a 6’9 wing who shot 44% from behind the arc this past year, it’s easy to see why so many Warriors fans seem to be clamoring for him as their most wanted free agent addition. He’s exactly the type of versatile shooter they covet, but surely he’ll see some better offers than a minimum? Maybe a significant role in the rotation as the 8th man would entice him enough to take less in the Bay.

• Former-Warrior Damion Lee had an elite shooting season with the Phoenix Suns after leaving to establish himself as a premier rotation player and would surely be someone the Warriors would love to have return to them this year if he doesn’t see significant offers.

• Taurean Prince was just let go by the Minnesota Timberwolves who are turning towards a different direction, but the 6’7 experienced wing would be the perfect type of archetype the Warriors are looking for to play both wing spots and would be a huge addition on a minimum deal.

• Joe Ingles has been someone connected to the Warriors for years and this might be the first time it realistically happens. The Milwaukee Bucks are busy with re-signing two of their starters and probably don’t have much wiggle room to bring back Ingles. He’d fit right in Golden State as a veteran shooter who can playmake at both wing spots, although he leaves some room to be desired defensively.

• 2020-Bubble legend TJ Warren didn’t have the strongest of seasons with the Phoenix Suns coming off a significant injury, but there is definitely a quality player still in there and the Warriors have been known as a good place for rehabilitatng veteran role players.

• Freshly released Mo Bamba while on the younger-side of players, would offer the Warriors something they haven’t really had since Mo Speights, in a legitimate floor-spacing center who can really hit it from deep. While there’s a question of youth and injury history there, it would be great value at the minimu,

• In a similar vein, Thomas Bryant would provide them with another youthful and energetic interior presence inside. A menace on the boards with a commendable around the rim scoring game, Bryant would be quite the nice complement to Kevon Looney at the center position.

• Lastly two very realistic and reasonable veteran fits on theis roster would be Robin Lopez and Alex Len. Lopez is someone who’ve the Warriors have had interest in the past and would fit them culturally to a T as well as being a capable rebounder and stalwart of a veteran presence. Len who had some big moments against the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, would be a capable, traditional interior presence who could beef up their froncrout.

Tier 2 | Reasonable Additions

Jae Crowder, Josh Richardson, Troy Brown Jr., Justin Holiday, Torrey Craig, Jeff Green, Bismack Biyombo, Blake Griffin, Moritz Wagner, Drew Eubanks

• Jae Crowder finally was able to force his way out of Phoenix, only to see himself glued to Mike Budenholzer’s bench for the rest of the season. While not a perfect player, he’d give the Warriors some much needed size and grit at the wing position and would be a very reasonable addition for a veteran minimum.

• While wing-playmaking isn’t thier biggest need, Josh Richardson would be a solid Andre Iguodala replacement for the Warriors with his abilities as both a defender and passer.

• Troy Brown Jr. has the archetype of a 3&D wing, but has to really show the output for it yet. Maybe the Warriors could be the place that finally unlocks him and turns him into a high-level rotation player.

• Former-Warrior Justin Holiday has been around the league a bit since departing, but could potentially find his back to the place his NBA career started to offer some quality wing minutes off the bench, and out of the wing group in this tier, might just be the best and most realistic fit here.

• Torrey Craig is another favorite of Warrior fans and would be a nice toolsy defensive-wing to have coming off the bench. 

• Jeff Green was in-and-out of the Denver Nuggets rotation this past season and while the Warriors didn’t have the best of luck with another Green recently in JaMychal, maybe try their hand at it once more.

• Rounding of this tier we have two veterans who aren’t the most exciting names and may be past it at this point, but if they strike out on everyone else, the Warriors could do worse than having Bismack Biyombo or Blake Griffin coming off their bench.

• Alternatively two younger, unheralded options would be Moritz Wagner and Drew Eubanks who both saw significant minutes with their respective teams and would be sensible depth additions on a minimum deal.

Tier 3 | Bottom of the Barrel

Danny Green, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Wesley Matthews. Markieff Morris, Rodney McGruder, Willy Hernangomez, Gorgui Dieng, Cody Zeller, Meyers Leonard, Frank Kaminsky

• Infamous-cause of Klay Thomposn’s injury, Danny Green would be another player to add to the Chris Paul group of players that Warriors fans deeply despise, but he is a respected, playoff-tested veteran who fits the Warriors to a T as a 3&D wing.

• Beloved Juan Toscano-Anderson could find himself back in the Bay-Area after a brief stint away as a smart back-end rotation player who knows his role.

Tier 4 | Bargain Hunting

Davon Reed, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Oshae Brissett, Keita Bates-Diop, Omer Yurtseven, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jay Huff, Chimezie Metu

• Davon Reed is someone who has intrigued me since watching him play for the Warriors during the 2019 Summer League. He’s a capable 3&D whom hasn’t gotten much of a run in the NBA outside of a quality stint with the Denver Nuggets during the 2021/22 season. He would be a very-intirguing buy-low candidate for the Warriors who could have a Yuta Watanabe-type of breakout.

• Similarly, Sandro Mamukelashvili has been sitting on the NBA fringes with the Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonion Spurs and is the exact type of shooter with size and passing chops the Warriors covet. While he’s quite unproven and there’s some concerns defensively, he could be a diamond in the rough for a team with limited options of choice.

• Omer Yurtseven got buried on the Miami Heat’s depth chart behind a bunch of other veteran big-men after he got hurt early in the season, but he is a double-double machine and someone who could be quite useful to the Warriors looking to add some size.

• In the same-vein G-League DPOY, Jay Huff, would give the Warriors the perfect blend of an interior defensive presence and outside scoring threat. 

Tier 5 | Pass/Training Camp Invites

Dylan Windler, Buddy Boeheim, Lindy Waters III, Glenn Robinson III, Taj Gibson, Montrezl Harrell, Dewayne Dedmon, Wenyen Gabriel, Marquese Chriss

A mix of last resort fringe options to consider potentially in a training camp roster competition.

• Dylan Windler and Buddy Boeheim are both wing-shooters the Warriors worked out during their respective pre-draft cycles.

• Glenn Robinson III is a fond member of the 15-win 2019/20 Warriors who’s been out of the league for two-years working in charitable endeavors and is attempting a comeback, similarly to beloved Marquese Chriss who has been spending the last couple of seasons dealing with major injuries.