The Golden State Warriors have had a rough start to free agency, having lost veteran point guard Chris Paul to the San Antonio Spurs after the franchise chose to waive the 39-year-old's $30 million non-guaranteed contract.
The Warriors are also set to lose franchise legend Klay Thompson in the coming hours/days, signalling a financial reset for a franchise that had the league's highest payroll this season, and who's been in the top three in roster spending in each of the past four years.
The Golden State Warriors now have the non-taxpayer mid-level exception available to use after the departure of Chris Paul
The decision to waive Paul rather than utilize his contract in a trade has caused frustration for many, with Golden State losing that salary spot and any chance at adding another more valuable $30+ million player unless they're now willing to give up a starter in Andrew Wiggins.
The Warriors reportedly had an offer on the table from the Chicago Bulls that would have given them 2x All-Star Zach LaVine in exchange for Paul and Wiggins. They refused and instead let the 12x All-Star go with nothing coming back in return.
The only silver lining is the fact that removing Paul's contract now takes them to approximately $146 million in player salaries for next season, giving them access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception barring a shock turnaround that sees Thompson re-sign with the franchise (or a significant salary coming back in a sign-and-trade).
That gives them $12.8 million to go out and acquire one of the many players available after a rather uneventful first day of free agency (outside the late confirmation of Paul George's move to the Philadelphia 76ers). It won't acquire them a star by any means, but it does give them more of a shot of landing a decent rotation player than they otherwise would have had were they to turn Paul into another player.
The Warriors haven't been overly linked with any free agents, which isn't totally surprising given all the chaos involving Paul, Thompson and their previous pursuit of George. Nonetheless, let's have a look at six remaining free agents who could fit the mould with the NTMLE:
Note: Many of these are likely to come off the market on day two of free agency.