Brazilian big man Bruno Caboclo is the latest player on the Golden State Warriors radar, with the 28-year-old currently training with the team in the hopes of an NBA contract.
Caboclo hasn't played an NBA game in over three and a half years, but his standout performances at the Olympics -- including a 30-point, six-rebound performance against Team USA -- clearly drew the attention of the Warriors.
Bruno Caboclo's wish for a contract with the Golden State Warriors may come at the expense of Brazilian teammate Gui Santos
Caboclo's agent Daniel Hazan told Sport 5 in Israel that his player "believes he will succeed" in getting a contract with Golden State. However, it's difficult to see that being more than a training camp invite at this stage given the state of the team's roster.
Hard-capped at the first tax apron, the Warriors don't currently have the means to sign Caboclo or any other player to a 15th roster spot right now. That means any training camp invite may simply be fighting for a two-way contract, though Caboclo isn't eligible given he's already got seven years of NBA experience.
Barring a trade that either opens up more roster spots or the financial flexibility to sign a 15th player, there's only one avenue for Caboclo to be on the Golden State roster throughout next season. That would be for the franchise to waive his Brazilian teammate and current Warrior forward Gui Santos.
Santos is the only player currently on the roster whose contract is non-guaranteed for next season. According to Spotrac, the team option on the $2.2 million deal for Lindy Waters III became fully guaranteed in late June.
That means the Warriors could waive Santos to bring in another free agent, including Caboclo should they deem him a better option towards the end of the roster. That's an unfortunate scenario given both played significant roles for Brazil in their Olympic campaign.
It's the reality of the situation though, with Caboclo's dream of an NBA return maybe coming down to his ability to convince the Warriors -- via his training now and perhaps in camp -- to part ways with his national teammate in order to bring him into the fold.