As the Golden State Warriors await a resolution to their stand-off with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, their front office stands poised to finalize negotiations with multiple veteran free agents as soon as they are able.
Yet, although the Warriors still have a league-leading six open roster spots remaining, these could very quickly be filled by the remaining players available on the market, leaving the organization with a difficult choice regarding whether or not their recent second-round draft choices will make the roster.
Will Richard, 22, and Alex Toohey, 21, were both late second-round picks, and, in order to maintain a cost-effective roster and allow the young players to develop, it could be the right move to put one or both of them on the NBA roster. Yet, this could come at the expense of adding another veteran who can plug-and-play in the team's scheme almost immediately.
Will Richard and Alex Toohey present a difficult roster decision for the Warriors
Golden State, after bringing in many players for pre-draft workouts who were projected near the top of the second round, ultimately decided to trade back, receiving the 52nd and 59th overall picks in a pair of trades. While the Warriors could certainly have used a player such as Tyrese Proctor or Ryan Nembhard who would be more league-ready this season, they instead opted to take on Richard and Toohey.
Richard, who won a national championship with Florida last year, had an excellent Summer League, averaging 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists across both the California Classic and the competition in Las Vegas. However, his 3-point shot only sat at 20.7%: a rough mark for a projected 3-and-D player.
Toohey, meanwhile, showed flashes of brilliance around the basket but was largely outmatched physically. Across both competitions he averaged 6.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists while shooting just 26.2% from the field.
Granted, these are just Summer League numbers and should largely be taken with a grain of salt. Yet, as the Warriors consider their options this offseason, adding either of these players to the roster would effectively prevent them from adding another veteran to help shore up their rotation.
Throughout the offseason, the team has been linked to players such as De'Anthony Melton, Seth Curry, Malcolm Brogdon, Gary Payton II and even controversial free agent Ben Simmons.
Almost all of these players would provide an immediate dependability to the rotation that head coach Steve Kerr craves, and, obviously, Richard and Toohey do not yet possess this trait.
It is apparent that the organization sees value in both of their draft picks as a result of their choice to trade back for them. Yet, is it better to let them wait in the G-League given their low draft position? Or does the team need to begin preparing for the future (and create cheaper roster spots) now?