Golden State Warriors: MLE could be surprisingly valuable asset

Cap space isn’t the Golden State Warriors’ friend right now. However, the MLE could become surprisingly valuable this offseason.

The Golden State Warriors know they aren’t quite built for a championship run yet. While their core is still strong, they are in desperate need of some additional support on the bench. Most importantly, the team needs a veteran player to help round out the lineup.

Finding a veteran talent could be a challenge. The Warriors are locked into multiple big contracts and will have very little opportunity to sign free agents this offseason. The mid-level exception (MLE) is the team’s best chance of acquiring more talent.

It’s estimated that the Warriors will have around $6 million dollars to spend on their MLE. Normally, this wouldn’t be enough to sign a high-quality player. But, the league isn’t under normal circumstances this year.

As the current pandemic takes its hit on the league financially, the market may not be as hot for upcoming free agents. Therefore, many players are going to be open to signing one-year contracts in order to test the waters again next season.

This opens up avenues for the Dubs to persuade veterans to join the roster. They can offer a one-year deal for players to join a championship-contending team. This is something that must be appealing to a few aging vets.

Some notable names that the Warriors could go after include Glenn Robinson III. The two parties already mentioned a potential reunion at some point and the MLE gives them a perfect opportunity to complete this deal. Robinson averaged 12.9 points per game this season with the Dubs and was a consistent threat on the perimeter.

Other veteran wings like Trevor Ariza and Maurice Harkless could find themselves on the Dubs radar this summer as pretty much any player that can help the team will be considered.