3 Rival Players the Warriors Now Wish They Signed in 2023 Free Agency

The Golden State Warriors entered 2023 free agency with little to work with. The franchise's league-high payroll meant they had nothing but minimum contracts to offer prospective players, considerably limiting their ability to attract big name free agents.

By the time free agency rolled around, the Warriors had already made their big offseason move. The Jordan Poole for Chris Paul was their biggest splash, leaving free agency as a way to finalize the end of their roster.

Which available players would the Golden State Warriors regret not being able to sign in free agency last offseason?

As a result, Golden State's free agency acquisitions have now resulted as underwhelming. Their biggest signing was Dario Saric, which at the time appeared like an incredibly savvy signing on a minimum deal.

That notion continued early in the season when the Croatian was one of the team's better performed players through the first 30-40 games. However, the longer the season has progressed, the more obvious Saric's defensive limitations have become.

His minutes as a small-ball five became untenable, forcing head coach Steve Kerr into playing him solely at the four next to either Trayce Jackson-Davis or Draymond Green. Yet that didn't overly help, and nor did the return of Paul with whom he'd worked so well with earlier in the season.

As we currently speak, Saric is out of the rotation and without a path back to a regular role. In fairness, that might be just as much to do with Golden State's deep roster than it is Saric's ability.

The Warriors' other signing was Cory Joseph, a veteran point-guard who it was hoped could step in when Paul or Stephen Curry were to miss games. Unfortunately things simply didn't work out between player and franchise, with Joseph traded to the Indiana Pacers at the deadline for tax saving purposes.

So, with Saric having little impact right now and Joseph off the team all together, which realistically obtainable players would the Warriors have been better off signing? Let's have a look at three players the franchise would regret missing out on, starting with a long-time rival guard: