12 Worst free agent signings in Golden State Warriors history

Worst Warriors free agent signings No. 5: DeAndre Jordan, 2011

This is the most bizarre selection on this list because DeAndre Jordan was never technically a member of the Golden State Warriors. Yet in the spirit of the experiment, the Warriors signed Jordan to a contract and, if not saved from themselves, likely would have prevented a dynasty in the process.

In the summer of 2011, DeAndre Jordan was a restricted free agent, coming off of a “breakout” third season where he averaged 7.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. He looked like a rising defensive star with some upside as an offensive force inside, and a Warriors team looking to build a young core around Stephen Curry signed him to a four-year, $43 million offer sheet. For reference, the cap in 2011-12 was $58.04 million; this season it is $123.66 million.

So think of the contract as something more like a four-year, $90 million deal. One could certainly argue that Jordan was worth that contract, given his growth as a defender and athletic finisher over the coming seasons; the LA Clippers re-signed him and he became one of the faces of the “Lob City” era in Los Angeles.

What if the Clippers hadn’t matched? Well, then the Warriors likely wouldn’t have had the financial flexibility to sign Andrew Iguodala in free agency. They almost certainly wouldn’t have traded for Andrew Bogut. There is a great chance that Steve Kerr would have chosen the New York Knicks job when the Warriors didn’t have the personnel to best fit his system. No Iggy, no Bogut, no Kerr, and you almost certainly don’t have four titles.