As the Golden State Warriors look to reshape their depth at the position of center, it is quite possible that youngster Trayce Jackson-Davis could be on his way out.
Yet, with the Minnesota Timberwolves waiving 7-footer Jesse Edwards, the team may have found its ideal replacement for the young center.
Edwards, 25, spent most of last season with Minnesota's G-League affiliate, and, following a series of strong Summer League performances, will now be an unrestricted free agent, eligible to provide a unique skill-set to whatever team has a roster spot for him to claim.
Jesse Edwards could present a valuable skill-set to the Warriors
Edwards, who came into the league as an undrafted free agent, had an excellent season last year in the G-League. Through 18 games, he averaged 11.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists, shooting 61% from the field and recording 2.2 blocks per game.
As Golden State's offseason has slowly developed, it has become clear that they are looking to re-tool at the five spot entirely. They let veteran Kevon Looney walk in free agency to the New Orleans Pelicans, and they seem poised to sign Al Horford once their Jonathan Kuminga situation is resolved.
Yet, these moves are primarily to both cushion the development of 7-footer Quinten Post as well as offset some of the gaps in his skill-set. Although Post is an excellent perimeter shooter, hitting over 40% of his shots from beyond the arc last season, his defense and rebounding are still sub-par, and his slowfootedness makes it difficult to start him against bruising centers in high-leverage situations.
Jackson-Davis, moreover, presents little to no relief in these areas for the Warriors. Although he has displayed some dynamic offense in his short career, even receiving a stretch in the starting lineup at the beginning of last season, his lack of size has left him outmatched physically at the position.
As a result, Jackson-Davis was relegated almost entirely out of the rotation towards the end of last season.
Therefore, if the Warriors are looking for reliable depth at the position, moving on from Jackson-Davis could unfortunately be their best option, and Edwards could present a developmental project that could take over the young center's place in the depth chart.
Frankly, any contending team does not need a lob threat in their third-string center slot. They need a player who can rebound and make the right defensive rotations when called upon, slotting into the lineup when it is absolutely necessary and making the right plays.
This once was Looney's role, and, now that he has moved on to a new organization, it could be time for the Warriors to bring in a player who is more suited for that than Jackson-Davis.