While the Golden State Warriors are looking at various center options ahead of the February mid-season deadline, their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz have already completed a deal to fortify their big man rotation.
The Warriors officially acquired five-year NBA veteran Charles Bassey in a trade with the Delaware Blue Coats on Saturday, with the deal also confirming the departure of forward Jackson Rowe who was waived by Golden State earlier in the month.
Warriors acquire former Spurs center Charles Bassey
Bassey joins Santa Cruz with a 115 games of NBA experience, most of which came across three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. He played a career-high 36 games with the franchise last season, averaging 4.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks while shooting 58.1% from the floor.
The 6'10" center was initially drafted 53rd overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, appearing in 23 games during his rookie year before being waived by the franchise. The Spurs pounced on Bassey in giving him a two-way contract, yet there was little surprise in them letting him go this past offseason given he's no longer eligible for a two-way deal.
Interesting under the radar move today for the Warriors: Their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz acquired center Charles Bassey
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) December 27, 2025
The 6-foot-10 25-year-old has played 115 games in the NBA. Former top high school recruit, second-round pick in 2021 https://t.co/kmN6yZsYH1
Bassey was part of the Atlanta Hawks training camp roster but was waived prior to the season, before briefly joining the Memphis Grizzlies on a 10-day hardship contract as the franchise battled a host of injuries to their big man rotation. The 25-year-old appeared in only two games before being waived, averaging 3.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 15.5 minutes.
Bassey is another notable name to now monitor in the G League program, joining two-way contracted pair LJ Cryer and Malevy Leons as perhaps the most fascinating players to watch over the remainder of the Santa Cruz season.
Perhaps it's also a foreshadowing of what may happen on Golden State's main roster, with the franchise strongly linked to various center trade options. Chris Haynes mentioned just over a week ago that the Warriors have identified Nic Claxton, Daniel Gafford and Robert Williams III as trade targets, while most recently linking them to a blockbuster move for All-Star big man Anthony Davis.
As for Bassey, his chances of elevating to the Golden State main roster appear slim given there's no current room. However, a consolidation trade where the Warriors send out more players than they bring back could open up opportunity, making the next six weeks or so of G League action all the more important.