Life is full of sliding door moments, and that's particularly the case for NBA journeymen whose role and success can so often be determined by the team and situation they're in. For former Golden State Warriors wing Kent Bazemore, their may be no bigger sliding doors moment than 2021 free agency.
After starting his career with the Warriors in 2012, Bazemore returned for a second stint with the franchise during the 2020 offseason. The veteran had a slow start to the 2020-21 season, but became Stephen Curry's back court partner as an impactful starter to close out the year.
Kent Bazemore has revealed the reasoning behind his departure from the Warriors
Golden State closed the season strong with a 15-5 record over their last 20 games. Given that form and the fact Bazemore averaged over 30 minutes and shot 37.5% from 3-point range in the final 10 games, one could have assumed the Warriors would have been eager to bring back the then 32-year-old, particularly given Klay Thompson was still slated to miss the first-half of the following season.
But as Bazemore recently revealed on the ThreeInThePaint podcast, the Los Angeles Lakers were far more aggressive in trying to land him in free agency in contrast to Golden State trying to bring him back.
"My agent at the time didn't really feel like Golden State was being proactive as they should have been. The Lakers were blowing us up, we getting calls every half an hour," Bazemore recalled.
NBA veteran Kent Bazemore revealed why he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers over the Golden State Warriors for the 2021-22 season on the latest episode of the @ThreeInThePaint podcast.
— Mark Haynes (@markhaynesnba) January 9, 2025
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The decision to depart for the Lakers may have cost Bazemore an NBA championship, with it quickly becoming a regretful decision within the first 20 games. He started the first 13 games for Los Angeles, but struggled to have an impact with only two games of more than nine points.
The Warriors meanwhile started Jordan Poole in the vacant shooting guard spot, leading to drastic improvement from the young guard and an astonishing 18-2 start for a team that had missed the playoffs the previous season.
"We (Lakers) started the season off pretty s****y, Golden State like 18-0," Bazemore said with a grin on his face. Not only did the Warriors go on to win the 2022 NBA title, but the free agency decision may have been a career-ending one just as much as a championship-costing move.
After those first 13 games as a starter, Bazemore would go onto play just 26 more games with the Lakers over the remainder of the season. He has since failed to earn another NBA contract after 10 years in the league.