Kelly Oubre Jr.’s time with the Golden State Warriors may already be over as he tore a ligament in his wrist and fractured a bone in his palm. Sadly, the chance that the team re-signs him this offseason is low.
Oubre Jr. is 25. Despite not topping the career-high points per game average he had a season ago, Oubre Jr.’s still going to be one of the top second-tier players in the upcoming free agency period, and with no money, the Dubs stand no chance.
The Golden State Warriors have four max-value contract, and unless they trade one, there’s no way they’ll be able to re-sign Kelly Oubre Jr. this offseason.
While fans have theorized what trades involving five-time All-Star Klay Thompson or Draymond Green could look like in the past, the reality is that there’s no way the Warriors trade any of their Big 3.
Thompson, Green, and Stephen Curry have built this franchise into what it is today, and they’ll, in all likelihood, retire as Warriors. That means that the only player the Warriors may look to deal to free enough cap space to retain Oubre Jr. is Andrew Wiggins.
It would be a tricky process to trade Wiggins.
While he proved he can score efficiently this season, the Warriors may have to pay a premium to unload the former No. 1 overall pick. He’s just not going to be a top-two player on a contending team. Getting his contract off the books would be no easy task.
Unless that somehow happens, the Warriors won’t have enough money to bring back Oubre Jr., especially considering the contracts they have to give their lottery picks, James Wiseman, and then whoever they draft in 2021.
Oubre Jr. was an experimental addition that every fan should want to do again. He was a high-flying, high-energy player that gave the Warriors something they didn’t have. If he’s playing at his peak and the Dubs are at full strength, the Warriors are a true title contender.
That said, Oubre Jr. isn’t the only Warrior fighting for his next contract.
The Dubs have many players that could play their way out of the Bay Area. The cap limitations will restrict Golden State this offseason, and they could pay a hefty price, one that can easily be repaid if Thompson returns to full strength.