With almost all of the focus on Jonathan Kuminga's free agency and the arrival of veteran center Al Horford, Taran Armstrong's departure from the Golden State Warriors went well and truly under the radar at the end of the offseason.
Armstrong turned down a two-way qualifying offer with the Warriors to sign overseas with Dubai, but the young point guard may be quickly regretting that decision given a complete lack of playing time upon arrival to his new team.
Taran Armstrong may already be regretting his departure from the Warriors
Armstrong played nearly 24 minutes in his debut for Dubai last month, recording four points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals in a 77-53 victory. Since then his minutes have crawled to an absolute halt, including five-straight DNPs on a team that includes a host of former NBA players.
Even in the games he did play prior to the host of DNPs, Armstrong never played more than nine minutes. In fact, the Australian hasn't scored a single point since his debut game, while only recording four rebounds and three assists in the time since.
Taran Armstrong has now had five consecutive DNP's for Dubai Basketball across the ABA and Euro League.
— Pleb (@NBLPleb) November 9, 2025
I won't go as far as to say he is being wasted, because the experience on the team surrounded by veterans will do wonders - but man, at 23, I want to see him playing.#NBL pic.twitter.com/IieidS0t1M
Armstrong wouldn't have been finding consistent minutes for Golden State either, but he would have likely made his NBA debut by now especially given Stephen Curry's recent three-game absence due to illness.
If anything the Warriors might have benefited from Armstrong's decision to leave the franchise, having been able to re-sign Pat Spencer to a two-way deal on media day. The 29-year-old isn't a consistent member of the rotation and nor does he set the world on fire, but his minutes when Curry is out feel more comfortable than if Golden State had to rely on the unproven Armstrong in the same situation.
Spencer recorded two points, two assists, a steal and a block during 16 minutes of action in Sunday's 114-83 win over the Indiana Pacers, while also playing over 40 combined minutes in Wednesday's loss to the Sacramento Kings and Friday's NBA Cup defeat against the Denver Nuggets.
The Santa Cruz Warriors will certainly miss Armstrong's presence from late last season, with the 23-year-old averaging 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game in 11 appearances, shooting an efficient 51% from the floor and 36.4% from 3-point range.
Santa Cruz lost their season opener to the Rip City Remix on Saturday, falling 131-118 despite 22 points and four assists on 4-of-10 3-point shooting from young guard L.J Cryer.