Phoenix Suns’ forward identified as Golden State Warriors’ ambitious free agent target

Balancing a guard-heavy roster will be key for the Golden State Warriors this offseason, particularly in addressing forward depth following a second-round playoff exit where their lack of size was glaringly exposed.

While the franchise will be hoping to see another significant rise from Jonathan Kuminga, the Warriors still need alternative options. Perhaps that comes from a trade that includes the former seventh overall pick, but if they want maintain their gamble on Kuminga’s development, then they’ll need to do it via the free agency route.

Phoenix Suns’ forward Torrey Craig has been identified as an ambitious but viable free agency target for the Golden State Warriors this summer.

Coming off a career-best season at the Phoenix Suns, 32-year-old Torrey Craig will become a free agent after the conclusion of a two-year, $10 million contract. In identifying one ambitious free agent target for every team, Bleacher Report has pinpointed the defensive-minded forward as a player the Warriors should be looking at.

"“Some team, somewhere, should be open to throwing most or all of the mini mid-level ($7 million) Craig’s way. But does the chance to play a potentially higher-minute role on the Warriors, who desperately need a combo forward if Jonathan Kuminga isn’t part of the present, make any sort of difference?”"

It was a rather chaotic season for the Suns who had to deal with injuries and the blockbuster mid-season addition of former Warrior Kevin Durant. Craig’s consistent presence was a beneficiary, with the sixth-year wing playing a career-high 24.7 minutes during the regular season.

Having long been seen as a weakness, Craig’s three-point shooting found regularity in 2022-23. Taking advantage of the spacing provided by Durant and Devin Booker, and the playmaking of Chris Paul, he shot a career-high 39.5% from beyond the arc on 3.2 attempts per game. Teams will have to decide whether that mark can maintain in their system, or whether it’s an outlier in Craig’s career that’s otherwise been under 33% in four of his six seasons.

The Warriors already have a dominant point-of-attack defender in Gary Payton II, but perhaps they could do with a bigger wing capable of guarding the opposition’s best forward. Golden State arguably already possess that capacity with Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green, though it failed to translate to anything more than the 14th-ranked defense during the regular season.

Craig offers the invaluable winning plays that so often go under the radar, but his offensive flaws do limit his impact and viability come playoff time. His role in Phoenix reduced to 16.6 minutes during their 11-game postseason, though his three-point shooting did maintain at a very healthy 44%.

Craig wouldn’t be a guaranteed playoff rotation piece for the Warriors, yet on a minimum contract would be a valuable pick up capable of playing 15-20 minutes a night during the regular season. He’s an ambitious target for a reason though — coming off his career-best season, you’d think he’d be looking for a pay increase rather than taking a cut.