Warriors guard speaks openly on future with team ahead of free agency

Golden State Warriors guard Lester Quinones believes he can have a huge impact on the team moving forward after his first full year in the NBA.

After being on a two way contract to start, Quinones joined the Warriors main roster on a standard deal in February and finished the season having averaged 10.7 minutes in 37 appearances for the franchise.

Lester Quinones is preaching patience as the young Golden State Warriors' guard prepares for free agency this offseason

Injuries elsewhere on the Golden State roster opened up an opportunity for Quinones from late January to early March, with the 23-year-old having appeared in 20-straight games including 14 where he played double digit minutes.

However, despite some impressive performances, Quinones was cut from the rotation over the final quarter of the season as the Warriors continue to rely upon veterans Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Chris Paul, along with a rookie Brandin Podziemski, for almost all the guard minutes.

Out of contract again this offseason, Quinones' future is up in the air slightly as he prepares for free agency. That's not stopping the 6'4" guard from taking a positive mindset when asked about his future by Memphis Commercial Appeal's Jason Munz in an interview recently.

"Once July 1 hits, we’ll just see how everything falls. I’m just controlling what I can control and staying committed to the work. And just having patience. I feel like I’ll be in pretty good shape. The opportunity and situation where I am, I feel like I have a good chance to make a huge impact."

- Lester Quinones

Having developed from an undrafted player, to the G League's Most Improved Player last year, and into a solid rotation player with Golden State this season, there's plenty of reason to suggest that Quinones should remain with the team moving forward.

It could certainly prove worthwhile for the Warriors to sign the Memphis product to another minimum deal and have him hold one of the final roster spots, particularly given the teams lack of shooting which could be further hindered by the departure of Thompson in free agency.

Yet if Quinones were to attract a more significant and lucrative offer from elsewhere, it's difficult to see the Warriors straining or stressing too much about a player whose has yet to solidify himself as a long-term NBA player.