Golden State Warriors may have solidified third-string point-guard after free agent call

After a major win-now move on draft day last week, the Golden State Warriors’ urgency for a third-string point-guard has only heightened with the departure of constantly-available youngster Jordan Poole.

The 24-year-old played in all 82 of the Warriors’ regular season games in 2022-23, with his role as backup to Stephen Curry now transferred into the hands of 38-year-old Chris Paul. Having battled injury issues in recent seasons, it would be malpractice of the front office to not provide insurance for Paul, and the 35-year-old Curry for that matter.

The Golden State Warriors may have already solidified their third-string point-guard role after Thursday’s decision to extend a qualifying offer to Ty Jerome.

Any thought of Golden State scouring the free agent market for an additional point-guard may be premature, with the franchise headed towards filling the role from within. According to the Athletic’s Anthony Slater on Thursday, Ty Jerome will become a restricted free agent after the Warriors chose to extend a $1.7 million qualifying offer to the 25-year-old point-guard.

It means Jerome is likely to be a part of the Warriors’ 15-man roster for next season, unless another team makes a greater offer to him in free agency and Golden State are unwilling to match.

The decision to extend a qualifying offer to Jerome comes contrary to previous reports on Wednesday that the Warriors would allow he and Anthony Lamb to hit the market as unrestricted free agents.

Now it appears Golden State would like Jerome around once again, but the same can’t be said for Lamb who’s two-way contract was converted to a standard deal just in time for Golden State’s 2022 playoff campaign.

After three years with the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder, Jerome joined the Warriors for training camp and earned a two-way deal ahead of the 2022-23 season. He would make a surprising impact largely due to injury issues for Curry, averaging over 18 minutes in 45 games this season.

Jerome’s all-around efficiency clearly became valuable to Steve Kerr who was often desperate to find a steady presence to run the Warrior offense. The 6’5″ guard averaged 6.9 points, three assists and 1.7 rebounds per game, shooting a highly-efficient 48.8% from the floor, 39.1% from beyond the arc, and 92.7% from the free-throw line.

Jerome’s biggest positive was his stable playmaking in a Golden State system that’s often plagued by a high turnover rate. His 4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked fourth in the league of anyone to play at least 45 games this season, right behind the newly-acquired Paul.

The Warriors also extended a qualifying offer to Lester Quinones who, unlike Jerome, is eligible to stay on a two-way contract next season. The 22-year-old guard is expected to remain at the franchise unless he secures a standard contract with a rival team.