The Golden State Warriors pursued a veteran frontcourt option to round out their roster this offseason, having been strongly linked to both Georges Niang and Kelly Olynyk over multiple weeks.
The Warriors eventually landed on Niang as the right fit, with that signing already justified considering Olynyk has been forced to settle for a deal overseas according to a recent report from SuperBasket.
Georges Niang signing already justified after Kelly Olynyk lands overseas
Olynyk had been a target for Golden State at numerous points across recent years, and understandably so given his floor-spacing and passing as a big man would blend well in Steve Kerr's system.
Unfortunately the Warriors missed their opportunity at a time Olynyk could have been effective. The 35-year-old appeared in only 42 games for the San Antonio Spurs last season and was out of their playoff rotation, looking every bit a player who was on his last legs from an NBA standpoint.
That has proven to be the case given Olynyk has been unable to generate another NBA contract. Amid links with the Warriors this offseason, there was speculation he'd remain with the Spurs after he was part of the minicamp held by French superstar Victor Wembanyama in August.
San Antonio ultimately chose to move on from Olynyk, and Golden State opted against another veteran stretch big despite their previous interest in him, and the health concerns surrounding Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford.
Warriors made the right call taking gamble on Georges Niang
This isn't to say that Niang is going to be some kind of homerun signing, albeit Olynyk won't be in the league to be able to make an impact and prove that the Warriors made the wrong decision in their choice between the two.
Niang was the right player to take a gamble on though, having missed all of last season through injury before being waived by the Memphis Grizzlies in February. The 33-year-old averaged a career-high 9.9 points on 40.6% 3-point shooting during the previous season, averaging over 21 minutes in his stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks.
It's much more worthwhile to take the player who could at least point to injury as an excuse for a decimated year, rather than a player in Olynyk who was healthy but simply not good enough to warrant rotational minutes on a playoff team.
It was an understandable and correct decision at the time, and one that now looks even more justified as Olynyk takes the final stages of his career to Italy with BC Roma.
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