Golden State Warriors should pursue Austin Rivers

The NBA has entered strange times. More than ever before, players are securing buyout agreements to leave bottom-dweller teams in favor of joining contenders. The player empowerment era is upon us and the Golden State Warriors don’t want to miss this opportunity to re-up for next season.

We’ve already seen names such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin work their way out of their situations to join playoff teams. The latest player to hit the waiver wire, albeit not as talented as the other names mentioned, is Austin Rivers. Who, despite being nothing more than a role player, could be useful to the Warriors.

Austin Rivers has agreed to a buyout with Oklahoma City and the Golden State Warriors should be bidding to acquire him for the future.

Rivers was traded at the deadline to Oklahoma City where he quickly reached an agreement to buy out the remainder of his contract. While the Milwaukee Bucks have emerged as frontrunners to sign the veteran guard, Golden State should attempt to get in the mix.

The Warriors have had trouble finding ball handlers to lead the second unit all year long. Brad Wanamaker was a dud – and as promising as Nico Mannion and Jordan Poole have been lately, the added reassurance of an experienced guard like Rivers on the bench would help moving forward.

Watching Poole and Mannion develop on the fly has been a treat. There’s a real possibility one (or both) of them will be ready to embrace a full-time role by next season. However, there’s nothing wrong with being safe and signing Rivers for extra depth.

Rivers was averaging 7.3 points and 2.0 for the New York Knicks before being traded. He has contributed to multiple playoff runs during his stints in Los Angeles and Houston. Though Rivers is a streaky performer, he is worth the price for any team with championship aspirations.

The Dubs wouldn’t need Rivers as much this season but he could become important in the future. Picking him up now and securing a longer extension is something that would put the Warriors in a solid position for the future. At the very least, it will allow the Dubs to focus on other issues besides the backup point guard position.