Any roster movements around the league are notable at this point of the offseason, such is the slow nature of the NBA news cycle in late August. We have seen an interesting development from one of the Golden State Warriors biggest rivals though, with the Phoenix Suns cutting two players -- Nassir Little and E.J. Liddell -- as first reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania earlier in the week.
It's a fascinating move from the Suns, particularly in regard to Little who had been a constant 20-minute per game rotation player over two years with the Portland Trail Blazers before his first and only season in Phoenix.
While Charania notes the Suns eagerness to provide playing time to rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, the more intriguing element is the fact it opens up flexibility for the franchise to scour another veteran minimum player on the free agency market.
Should the Golden State Warriors follow the Phoenix Suns path in creating room to target another player in free agency?
As things currently stand, the Warriors do not have the same flexibility to go and target any player to add to their roster. 14 contracted players means they do technically have a roster spot open, but their hard-capped position against the first tax apron practically disqualifies them from signing anyone.
There are avenues for Golden State to change that. The easiest would be to waive Gui Santos and the Brazlian forward's $1.9 million non-guaranteed deal for next season. Given the maximum cap hit for a veteran minimum player is a little under $2.1 million, it would create just enough room to be viable.
The other avenue would be for the Warriors to orchestrate a trade with the Detroit Pistons who have the capacity to absorb a contract onto their books. However, Golden State would most likely need to add additional assets to incentivize Detroit into doing that, making it very unlikely unless the free agent player was really worth it.
Assuming the Santos path is the only realistic one, is it a move the Warriors should make? Isaac Okoro may be the best available player but is a restricted free agent, while other notable names include Markelle Fultz, Lonnie Walker IV and Cedi Osman.
These are all players who would likely prove more helpful than Santos next season. Perhaps Fultz would be the best candidate, giving the franchise another point guard option beyond Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski. But on a deep Golden State roster already possessing too many rotation players, there really isn't the upside to make it worthwhile.
Santos' contract doesn't become fully guaranteed till January 10, so the Warriors have plenty of time to make a decision if necessary. Until then, it remains highly likely that their current roster is what they enter the season with barring any form of surprise trade.