6 Golden State Warriors who are as good as gone this summer

No. 5: Lester Quinones

The Golden State Warriors have frequently found themselves in a bit of a team-building pickle. They strike gold on late-round draft picks and journeyman players, plugging them into the Warriors' ecosystem and seeing them flourish. Then the next summer those players get paid by other teams and leave the Warriors to start the process all over again.

That seems to be a likely outcome for Lester Quinones, who was converted to a full contract this season after starting the year on a two-way contract. Once thought to be in the league simply because he was friends with former No. 2 pick James Wiseman, Quinones has proven himself to be a legitimate NBA player in his own right.

Lester is 6'5" and plays with a revved-up motor at all times, racing around for loose balls and rebounds. He is a tenacious on-ball defender, stepping up in the absences of multiple key Warriors players last season and acquitting himself well. He is not generating much offense for himself, but he did hit 36.4 percent from deep.

Another team will look at Quinones and see a rotation player, and pay him accordingly. That will almost certainly price him out of the Warriors' desire to match, making him the newest Warriors player to leave the team. WIth restricted free agent rights the Warriors could match any offer, but with a lot of moving parts and better players to negotiate with, letting Quinones walk would not be threatening.