The Golden State Warriors paid a hefty price to initially bring in 25-year-old Kelly Oubre Jr. Their luxury tax penalty was not pretty after trading for Oubre Jr., but they apparently are still looking to retain the guard.
The problem is that Oubre Jr.’s price may be a little too steep for the Warriors, a team already pressed tightly against the salary cap with Andrew Wiggins, Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green all on max-value deals.
Despite having limited cap space, the Golden State Warriors still want to retain Kelly Oubre Jr., but he could be seeking over $20 million per year.
Oubre Jr. is entering his prime, and he’s wanting to be paid like it. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto went into detail on just what Kelly Oubre Jr. may have in front of him and the current dynamic between him and the organization.
"“With that said, the sense I’ve gotten from a league source is that Oubre and his camp think they can get over $20 million (annually), and he ideally wants a long-term deal. The two-year, $30 million deal that he did when he was with the Suns is not something he’s looking to do. I don’t get the sense that while Golden State is open to keeping him, to pay him $20 million or more, I don’t get the sense that’s something they want to do. In that case, you could look at them being open to a sign-and-trade scenario,” Scotto said."
Now, to be fair to Oubre Jr., I don’t think anyone is arguing that some team is going to more than likely willing to give him that long-term $20 million deal. He clearly has the upside on both ends of the court.
He had a rough time getting into a rhythm with the Golden State Warriors, but Oubre Jr. has everything you want in a third or fourth option. He’d be a perfect fit alongside Julius Randle in New York.
Coming off a career year with the Suns, Oubre Jr.’s stint in Golden State didn’t showcase his full potential, but if he’s confident in over $20 million per year, his ugly 2020-2021 season isn’t looking to impact how he’s seen by other organizations.
Despite a career-high 40-point performance against the Mavericks, Oubre Jr. averaged just 15.4 points per game. Both of his shooting percentage from the field and deep were down from the prior season as well.
Oubre Jr. is likely on his way out as even a sign-and-trade would be difficult for the Warriors to pull off. Nonetheless, it was a reasonable stint in the Bay Area for Oubre Jr., and while he won’t leave a hero, he certainly also won’t be a villain.