Golden State Warriors not desperate to add to big man stocks

General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. has declared he’s ‘happy’ with where the Golden State Warriors are at after a busy period for the franchise.

Dunleavy and the front office made a crucial signing late last week, securing Dario Saric to a one-year, minimum contract after much speculation on the Croation’s future since the opening of free agency.

Mike Dunleavy Jr. doesn’t see a pressing need for the Golden State Warriors to add more size and big man depth to their roster.

Saric immediately comes in as the Warriors’ tallest player at 6’10”, although has played the majority of his career as a power-forward. While the 29-year-old is likely to play more as a small-ball center in Golden State’s system under Steve Kerr, many believe the franchise needs more than just Saric to fortify their big man stocks.

In response to the Athletic’s Anthony Slater on Monday, Dunleavy revealed that adding extra size wasn’t a major priority for the Warriors despite possessing just one traditional center in the ever-reliable Kevon Looney.

"“We gotta be careful with the way we play, with the way the league works, just bringing in somebody who is tall. You got to be skilled, you got to have feel, you got to know how to play…We’ll always prioritize that.”"

As it stands, Golden State’s center minutes are likely to be divided between Looney and the small-ball options in Saric and Draymond Green. The franchise also selected 6’9″ power-forward/center Trayce Jackson-Davis with the 57th overall pick in last month’s draft.

Fans have been left disappointed by the absence of Jackson-Davis during four games of Summer League so far, with the 23-year-old battling a slight hamstring issue that sees him as a day-to-day proposition.

The Warriors have been fortunate with the ironman nature of Looney in the past two years, with the 27-year-old having not missed a game since the 2020-21 season. Their perennial Defensive Player of the Year in Green played 25% of his minutes as a center last season, the second-highest of his career according to Basketball Reference.

Golden State still have two roster spots available but are highly likely to keep one vacant heading into next season. That leaves them with one more potential addition over the coming weeks/months, along with multiple two-way slots in which to utilize.