Ranking 3 free agency steals proposed for the Golden State Warriors

Washington Wizards v Charlotte Hornets
Washington Wizards v Charlotte Hornets | Jacob Kupferman/GettyImages
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1. Tyus Jones

If Osman and Hayward are at a similar level of value, Tyus Jones is in a whole new stratosphere when it comes to potential steals for the Warriors. The 28-year-old is the best free agent left on the market, and with every passing day there grows the chance that Jones could sign a minimum contract in a similar vein to Gary Trent Jr.

Perhaps a sign-and-trade is more likely where Jones receives a multi-year deal in excess of $10 million per season, but even that's starting to look less likely. The only team Jones has been strongly linked to was the L.A Clippers earlier in the week, yet they made a trade with the Utah Jazz on Thursday that saw them acquire another point guard in Kris Dunn.

Jones averaged 12.0 points and 7.3 assists with the Washington Wizards last season, having assumed a starting role for the first time in his career where he also shot 41.4% from three-point range. However, there's a presumption that if he wants to return to any level of playoff action, he'll likely have to take a backup role again.

Not only would Jones be an adequate replacement for the departed Chris Paul, but you could easily argue he'd be an upgrade, particularly in terms of viably being able to play alongside Stephen Curry when needed.

Jones could still be considered a luxury based on the current roster, yet if Brandin Podziemski is involved in a trade for Lauri Markkanen, then all of a sudden a backup point guard becomes a genuine necessity.

For a player who's arguably worth in excess of $15 million per season, getting Jones on a minimum contract might be the steal of free agency for whichever team is lucky enough to nab him.

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