Charles Bassey was an exciting development for the Golden State Warriors in the final fortnight of what was an otherwise underwhelming end to the season, but the franchise may be preparing to part ways with the young center based on their latest pre-draft interest.
The Warriors held workouts on Monday with Michigan's Morez Johnson Jr. and Houston's Chris Cenac Jr., both of whom share similar traits to Bassey as athletic big men whose obvious physical traits allow them to make impact on both ends of the floor.
Warriors may part ways with Charles Bassey for a younger draft prospect
Bassey played only five games with the Warriors at the end of the season after signing a 10-day contract, yet showed enough to have many fans urging the franchise to re-sign the 25-year-old and have him on the main roster entering training camp in October.
Bassey had two-straight double-doubles against the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 10.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in just 20 minutes per game. His combination of size and athleticism was a breathe of fresh air to a Golden State rotation that's regularly lacked those elements in recent years.
However, as Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area outlined on Monday, the Warriors could find that combination of size and athleticism from Johnson or Cenac who are younger and offer higher upside as first-round picks.
"Golden State is interested in players with those attributes, which also apply to Bassey. The greatest difference is that Bassey turns 26 in October, and Johnson won’t turn 21 until next January. The Warriors like Bassey. They can’t be blamed for taking a close look at someone like Johnson, whose upside is reason enough to place him high on their draft board," Johnson wrote.
Charles Bassey will likely have to wait on other Warriors moves
While his impact in the last five games was meaningful, Bassey still sits towards the end of the priority list when it comes to moves Golden State need to make this offseason. The 6'10" big man is likely to be put on the backburner until well after free agency opens, allowing for the Warriors to gain further clarity on a currently uncertain center rotation.
That starts with the draft where Johnson and particularly Cenac would be a reach at 11, but there's already suggestions Golden State could trade into another first-round pick to utilize on another young prospect.
Bassey is also set to be impacted by what happens with Kristaps Porzings (unrestricted free agent), Draymond Green, Al Horford (both player options) and Quinten Post (unrestricted free agent) as they finalize their center mix for next season.
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