The Golden State Warriors’ front office has been superb in recent years but they made a big mistake last summer.
The summer of 2019 will not go down as a good one for the Golden State Warriors. Though major free agency losses such as Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins highlight their nightmarish offseason, a more subtle loss is impacting the team more than people realize.
Last year, the Warriors had a player named Kendrick Nunn playing for their G-League affiliate team, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Here, the undrafted guard came off of the bench for 48 games and averaged 19.3 points on 47.3 percent shooting.
At 24 years of age, Nunn’s ceiling seemed low. As a result, the Warriors didn’t bat an eye at the Miami Heat offering him a multi-year contract.
Boy were people wrong about Nunn. Somehow, this undrafted rookie is taking the league by storm with an average of 17.3 points, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is putting on a show offensively, showing a superb shot-creating ability for himself and others.
Nunn is scoring the second-most points per game of any rookie and ranks third in assists. He has earned consistent minutes with the 10-3 Miami Heat and is shooting efficiently from every spot on the floor.
If Nunn continues his pace, he could go on to become the first undrafted rookie to ever win the Rookie of the Year Award. Furthermore, he would beat out David Robinson for the oldest winner in NBA history.
There is no doubt the Warriors are kicking themselves for waiving Nunn. His poise on offense would be a welcomed sight on a Dubs team that is in the bottom half of the league in terms of points per game.
Luckily, the Dubs found a solid piece in Eric Paschall. Taken deep in the second round, Paschall has proven to be one of the best rookies in his class. However, the Warriors can’t help but imagine how stacked their young core could be with both Nunn and Paschall.