Golden State Warriors: The case for keeping Zaza Pachulia
The Golden State Warriors might lose some role players to free agency because of a tight cap situation. Could Zaza Pachulia be kept on a cheap deal?
Free agency is just around the corner in the NBA and the contracts given out are going to make last year’s enormous ones pale in comparison. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry are expected to be recipients of those giant deals from the Golden State Warriors.
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However, the Warriors are also going to be tying up the rest of whatever money they have left trying to get Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and other key players back under contract. That means that any other free agents could be moving on elsewhere simply because of a numbers game.
For example, Ian Clark could get some generous offers from other teams looking for a key contributor off the bench that is looking for a bigger role. A team not as deep as Golden State will likely give him even more of an increased role.
Therefore, the Warriors could run into an issue where they need some cheap veterans that they can bring back. One of those options could be Zaza Pachulia. Heading into his 15th season in the NBA, Pachulia likely isn’t going to get any long-term offers and will likely be looking at small one-year deals like the one he signed with Golden State last year.
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If that is the case, then Golden State needs to do what they can try and secure Pachulia on a cheap deal. Both he and JaVale McGee sufficed enough at the center position, despite some frustrations over Pachulia’s play in the NBA Finals.
Still, the Warriors are in a position where they won’t have much money left to spend once they get their big names re-signed. He might not be the most enticing name on the market, but Pachulia has a familiarity and can probably be had on the cheap.