The Golden State Warriors still have plenty of roster spots to fill amid a brutally quiet start to free agency, resulting in a number of players being linked to a move to the Bay Area.
One of those is Oakland native and superstar guard Damian Lillard, with the 34-year-old suddenly finding himself as an unrestricted free agent after the Milwaukee Bucks stunningly chose to waive-and-stretch the remaining two years of his contract to fit in Myles Turner.
Will Damian Lillard want to play in Steve Kerr's system?
It didn't take long last week for Lillard to be linked to a move back home and to a veteran Golden State team still eyeing another championship. ESPN's Marc J. Spears quickly reported that the Warriors had been in touch with Lillard and/or his management, opening the door for a high upside swing on one of the best point guards of the last decade.
The downside to Lillard, and the only reason he's actually available, is that he's recovering from a devastating torn achilles that will see him out until at least the All-Star break next year. Even then, the potential upside is probably worth it for a team that's seen as a tier below the true contenders in the Western Conference.
But while Golden State may have interest in Lillard, do they actually make sense for the 9x All-Star? On a recent episode of his show, Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports argued no and stated that he hated the fit of Lillard with the Warriors.
“I'd hate the fit playing behind Stephen Curry. And for him, it's like the way Steve Kerr uses Steph in actions after you suffer such a catastrophic injury. Let's get that load off of you," O'Connor said.
That's certainly a very reasonable argument -- does any veteran player coming off a serious leg injury really want to play in Steve Kerr's high motion offense? Kerr's system certainly isn't for everyone, just look at the Jonathan Kuminga situation that Golden State are faced with right now.
There's no doubt that it suits and elevates certain players, including Stephen Curry whose ability to move off the ball might be the primary reason why he's been a level above Lillard in their respective careers. Kerr is also a 4x championship-winning coach, so his system has a proven history of enormous success.
There's also no doubt though that some prospective players would turn away from the Warriors because of the way they play, and even the front office in more recent times has been far more deliberate with acquiring high IQ players who can fit into the read-and-react style.
Does this apply to Lillard? Perhaps it does coming off a major leg injury where any major loss in his mobility might be more exaggerated within Kerr's system. The chance to get a star guard on a cheap contact should still leave the Warriors very interested, but whether that's reciprocated by Lillard will be much more fascinating to see.