12 Disastrous moves the Warriors wish they could undo
By Tyler Watts
7. Extending Andris Biedrins
The Warriors drafted Biedrins 11th overall in 2004, and the 6’11 big man worked his way into a starting role. He averaged 10.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 27.3 minutes per game in 2008 as the Dubs won 48 contests and missed the playoffs by just two games. The 21-year-old appeared to be coming on, so Golden State signed him to a six-year contract worth $63 million.
Biedrins was a double-double machine the following year. He averaged 11.9 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.0 steal, and 1.5 blocks in 30.0 minutes per game. It looked like he was going to live up to his new deal, but his production dropped off mightily after year one.
He played a total of 192 games over the next four seasons where Biedrins averaged 2.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.0 block in 17.7 minutes each night. Golden State traded him to the Jazz in a cap-clearing move in 2013. The deal paved the way for the Warriors to get Andre Iguodala and begin their dynasty.
At least the Dubs got one productive season from Andris Biedrins. The same could not be said for another disastrous extension they signed during their awful run from the late 1990s to the early 2010s.