The Golden State Warriors have been making moves this offseason, but they still have the team’s mid-level exceptional at their disposal.
The last few weeks have been pretty crazy for the Golden State Warriors and not in a good way either.
It all started with what was supposed to be a celebratory time as they welcomed their No. 2 overall pick to the Bay Area. Prior to the 2020 NBA Draft though, the team got word of Klay Thompson’s injury.
Occurring on the opposite leg as his 2019 ACL tear, the five-time All-Star tore his Achilles and will be out the entire 2020-2021 season. That likely flipped the team’s plans around. They went into the draft and picked James Wiseman. Needing the size, he was likely the pick all along.
Now, with multiple exceptions to use, the Warriors brought in Kelly Oubre Jr. despite it costing almost four times his salary in luxury tax penalties. They also added Kent Bazemore and Brad Wanamaker.
Despite many thinking that Bazemore’s deal may have been worth the mid-level exception, it’s for one year and just $2.3 million. It won’t cut into their MLE or disabled player exception according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
Source: Kent Bazemore's one-year deal is for $2.3 million. Won't cut into the Warriors' MLE or (potential) DPE usage.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 22, 2020
That said, the MLE is still there for the team to use. Let’s dive into three players they can still target with it.