With a string of moves still to be made over the next month, the Golden State Warriors can now rule out one potential free agent among the group of players still vying for a spot on their main roster.
Trey Lyles was clearly available after the Sacramento Kings chose to move on from the veteran forward, but he’s now taken his talents to Europe and to powerhouse Real Madrid as first reported by Donatas Urbonas of Basket News on Thursday.
Some fans wanted to see Trey Lyles at the Warriors
It may potentially be the end of Lyles’ 10-year NBA career, having spent the last few seasons with the Kings where his ability to stretch the floor had made him a valuable rotation player.
Lyles averaged 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 36.3% from 3-point range as the Kings surged up to the third-seed during the 2022-23 season, only to be eliminated by Stephen Curry and the Warriors in an enthralling seven-game first-round series.
The 29-year-old most recently averaged points on 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds on 34% 3-point shooting, with his combination of spacing and 6’9” frame making it somewhat surprising that he hasn’t yielded another NBA opportunity given the emphasis placed on size and shooting.
Golden State themselves have identified that need in strongly pursuing Al Horford since the start of free agency, with the veteran center still expected to land in the Bay once Jonathan Kuminga’s future is resolved.
Speaking of Kuminga, his departure would open up another front court spot that Lyles could have filled especially given the need for shooting alongside Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. That’s what made Lyles an attractive option for many Warrior fans, but alas it’s not to be the case.
The free agency market for power forwards now appears extremely dry, not that Golden State appeared overly keen on Lyles or another option anyway. Brett Siegel of Clutch Points did report that the Warriors had done their due diligence on Lyles, but otherwise the franchise has mostly strong linked to Horford and a glut of guards which includes De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, Malcolm Brogdon and Seth Curry.
The beauty of Horford is that he can slide down to the four and allow Steve Kerr to play some rarely seen double big lineups. The Warriors will also hope that Gui Santos can take another step into becoming a consistent rotation player as a power forward option, while there’s still clearly an expectation that Kuminga will be back on a new deal at some point over the next month.