The Golden State Warriors were left with very little choice but to let Quinten Post walk to the Memphis Grizzlies as a restricted free agent, but Kristaps Porzingis' latest health concern means the franchise will already regret allowing the young center depart.
With Porzingis missing training camp, six preseason games and now opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, there’s a strong chance Post would be starting for the Warriors were he still a member of the franchise.
Warriors regret losing Quinten Post even before opening night
Post doesn’t have the offensive talent Porzingis possesses, but he does have a similar 3-and-D skillset as a seven-footer, something that would have allowed Golden State to essentially have him as a place-holder in the starting lineup without the Latvian big man.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Warriors Plus-Minus podcast, Golden State insider Tim Kawakami referred to the team missing Post and the fact he likely would have been a starter for them entering the season.
“You know who would look pretty good on this roster? Quinten Post. He'd look pretty good right now. I understand why they let him go, but he might be a starting starter," Kawakami said.
Without Porzingis, Post and as they look to manage 40-year-old Al Horford's minutes, the Warriors have been left to go small with Draymond Green at the five, or with the unproven Charles Bassey at center throughout preseason.
Post showed improvement defensively but saw his 3-point shooting fall off a cliff last season, leaving genuine surprise that the Grizzlies came in with a non-guaranteed three-year, $30 million deal that the Warriors couldn’t realistically match amid their free agency pursuit of superstar forward LeBron James.
Quinten Post has made strong start in Memphis
Post has made a promising start to life in Memphis, averaging 7.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 16 minutes through four preseason games. More importantly for the Dutchman, he’s set for a reasonable rotation role early in the season after a minor injury to Isaiah Stewart and caution still placed around the returning Zach Edey.
There’s very much a world in which Post combines the defense from year two with the 3-point shooting we saw in his rookie season, becoming a long-term NBA rotation player who could be very valuable given his skillset aligns perfectly with the modern NBA.
The Warriors had little choice with the Grizzlies’ offer sheet in free agency, but they could be left kicking themselves that they didn’t lock Post in on a cheaper deal sooner, in part to give themselves some insurance for the Porzingis situation they’re now dealing with.
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