6 Free Agents The Warriors Should Consider Signing

Jun 15, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward

(2) shoots the ball against Miami Heat center

(11) in game five of the 2014 NBA Finals at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Andersen

When the Heat picked up Andersen from off the streets midway through the 2012-2013 season, no one thought much about it. A few weeks later, the Heat pulled off the 27-game winning streak, and suddenly people were talking about how valuable Andersen was to a team bereft of big men. Fast forward a year and a half, and now Andersen is a free agent, whose stock has presumably risen high.

Andersen wasn’t asked to do much in the Heat offense; he mainly cut to the basket or would follow his teammate’s shots. He was focused on rebounding, as 79% of his shots were at the rim, and the average distance of his shot was 4.2 feet from the basket.

However, Andersen’s more telling contribution came from the defensive end. Andersen was highly energetic off the bench, and when he wasn’t blocking shots, he was be altering them. He was mobile on his feet and could switch and rotate well in the Heat’s frantic scrambling defensive system. He provided 2.2 defensive win shares to the team, and a career high 3.8 offensive win shares.

If utilized properly, Andersen can be the same player for the Warriors as he was for the Heat. Andersen shouldn’t be tasked with too much of the offense, and his sole focus should be offensive rebounding. On the defensive end, the Warriors need him to be a shot blocker when Bogut is resting or out injured. Andersen may be pushing the wrong side of 30, but he still played 19.4 minutes per game for 72 games last season. He will still be able to contribute off the bench as an energy guy for another year or two.

Andersen opted out of his contract with the Heat to test free agency. He may not have many suitors, but the Heat have expressed an interest in bringing him back. The Heat will be attempting to cut costs and keep salaries at a minimum in order to bring the Big Three back, so the Warriors might be able to price them out by utilising the biannual exception on Andersen.

Regardless, the Warriors front office should take a long hard look at acquiring the Birdman, as he still has the wings to contribute.