12 Worst free agent signings in Golden State Warriors history

Worst Warriors free agent signings No. 9: Al Thornton

The 2010-11 Golden State Warriors tried and failed to make the playoffs. Stephen Curry as a sophomore was already starting to break the limits of 3-point shooting, Monta Ellis was chucking like a superstar and David Lee was in his prime. The problem was that their defense, theoretically anchored by Andris Biedrins, was one of the worst in the league, and they got just about nothing from their bench.

With a third of the season to go, the Warriors decided to make a move, signing Al Thornton off of the buyout market. The 6’8″ forward was supposedly going to come in and be the lift the bench needed, and his size and length were going to bolster the defense. The move was talked about as a move to help them in the present and add a player they could re-sign that summer as a core piece.

Instead, Thornton’s stint with the Warriors was an abject disaster. He scored just six points per game in 22 showings with the Warriors, not even attempting a single 3-pointer and barely moving the needle on defense. The Warriors sputtered to a 9-13 showing in his games, and his performance was so bad that he never played another NBA minute again. His career ended with the Dubs.