Blue Man Hoop
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The top 4 free agents left for the Golden State Warriors to consider

By Peter O'Keefe

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 21: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) T.J. Warren #1 of the Brooklyn Nets in action against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors at Barclays Center on December 21, 2022 in New York City. The Nets defeated the Warriors 143-113. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 21: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) T.J. Warren #1 of the Brooklyn Nets in action against Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors at Barclays Center on December 21, 2022 in New York City. The Nets defeated the Warriors 143-113. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors appear in a holding pattern right now, having been relatively quiet in free agency as a number of players await the potential implications of trades involving Damian Lillard and James Harden. 

The Warriors opened free agency on Friday by quickly putting pen to paper on a new four-year, $100 contract with future hall-of-famer Draymond Green. Aside from that, their only other move came on Sunday in securing the services of veteran Cory Joseph as a third point-guard to back up Stephen Curry and Chris Paul.

With the market beginning to wear thin, the Golden State Warriors have little wiggle room to work their magic in signing valuable free agents on minimum deals.

With Green and Joseph on the books, Golden State have 12 contracted players so far for next season. It appears likely they’ll leave a roster spot open heading into their 2023-24 campaign, but that means two moves are still to be made sometime in the short-term future.

Who has come and gone…

Before we delve into the remaining options, it’s important to consider who the Warriors have already missed out on. Prior to free agency, Blue Man Hoop looked at 11 possible targets for Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office — three guards, three big men and five forwards.

Torrey Craig and Mason Plumlee presented as two of the best options for the Golden State Warriors in free agency. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Torrey Craig and Mason Plumlee presented as two of the best options for the Golden State Warriors in free agency. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Of those 11 initial options, only two remain unsigned as free agents. In the backcourt, former Warrior Damion Lee re-signed with the Phoenix Suns, Stephen Curry’s brother Seth signed a deal with the Dallas Mavericks, and Josh Richardson returned to his first NBA team in the Miami Heat. The 2022 NBA champions also missed out on Eric Gordon who few expected to be available at their price range before ultimately signing a minimum deal with the Suns.

From the forward positions, Golden State were never capable of matching the two-year, $22 million deal handed out to Joe Ingles by the Orlando Magic. Yuta Watanabe joined up with Kevin Durant again this time in Phoenix, Torrey Craig signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Bulls, and Jae Crowder re-signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.

As far as center options go, Mason Plumlee and Kevin Love unsurprisingly returned to the Los Angeles Clippers and Heat respectively, leaving the Warriors still without a player above 6’9″ on the roster.

With a movement further towards their aging core, exhibited by the Chris Paul-Jordan Poole trade, the Warriors need to maximize their roster spots given injuries and player management may become more prominent. Let’s have a look at their top four remaining options:

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