3 more free agents Warriors should hold interest in after recent workouts
While they may not have the capacity to sign someone to their vacant 15th roster right now, the Golden State Warriors seemingly remain interested in multiple free agents who they've held workouts with recently.
The Warriors brought in Brazilian big man Bruno Caboclo before confirmation of a new contract overseas, while Davis Bertans and Troy Brown Jr. are the latest to be linked to the franchise over the past few days.
Prospective free agents could still be incentivized by Golden State's ability to waive Gui Santos' non-guaranteed contract for next season, allowing the front office to potentially bring a different player on board before their season opener against the Portland Trail Blazers on October 23.
Which other free agents should the Golden State Warriors be targeting after reports of recent workouts this offseason?
There's major doubt on whether Bertans or Brown are worthy enough of supplanting Santos on the roster, but are there really any free agents who could prove valuable enough at this point of the offseason? The list of available players became shorter on Wednesday, with Talen Horton-Tucker and Mac McClung agreeing to partially-guaranteed deals with the Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic respectively.
There are still some viable players left in free agency -- here are three that would be more chance of cracking the Warriors roster than the likes of Bertans and Brown:
1. Markelle Fultz
Golden State appear comfortable entering next season with Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski as their two point guards, though that could forecast as a risk given the latter isn't a known quantity necessarily when it comes to being a primary ball-handler/playmaker.
The Warriors could do worse than adding point guard depth, with no doubt that Markelle Fultz is the most notable (and likely best) option left on the market. The former number one overall pick averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists last season, with that having come off a career-best year in 2022-23 where he put up 14.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists in nearly 30 minutes per game.
2. Cedi Osman
If Golden State are interested in the likes of Bertans and Brown, they should certainly explore the possibility of Cedi Osman who's put simply an upgrade on both. The 29-year-old averaged 6.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists with the San Antonio Spurs last season, shooting an efficient 38.9% from beyond the arc on 3.1 attempts per game.
The Warriors have too many wing-type players already on the roster, but perhaps Steve Kerr could slide the 6'7" Osman into a small-ball power forward role at times to help alleviate the team's lack of shooting in the front court.
3. Marcus Morris
Marcus Morris isn't the same shooter Bertans is, but at 6'8" he's another power forward option who brings more to the table than just his scoring ability. The 35-year-old brings toughness and experience, having proven he could still be a viable NBA rotation player after shooting 40.3% from three-point range last season.
Morris' last game came in Game 5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers second-round series against the Boston Celtics where he put up 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and 5-of-6 from three-point range. That in itself should be enough for some level of further opportunity, and is far and away better than any performance Bertans or Brown have produced recently.