As the Golden State Warriors have sat stagnant this offseason as a result of their lingering stand-off with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, their negotiations have primarily focused on adding depth to their relatively thin backcourt.
Now, with their surprising signing of 25-year-old guard Taevion Kinsey to an Exhibit-10 contract, the Warriors have added yet another guard: one who can perhaps salvage the team's sub-par draft and free agency cycle by cracking the rotation this season.
Kinsey, who played five years at Marshall, has shown both an offensive proclivity and an aptitude for shooting from the perimeter, and, depending on how the rest of this offseason plays out, he could have a genuine chance of taking up a spot on the end of Golden State's bench next season.
Taevion Kinsey could give the Warriors at least some solace this offseason
Kinsey, in his time at Marshall, became the program's all-time leading scorer, leading his entire conference in minutes played for four consecutive seasons and leading the same conference in points per game during his final season.
In 2022-23, his final season in college, he averaged 22.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists while shooting 40.4% from 3-point range on low volume.
Last year, on an Exhibit-10 and, later, two-way contract with the Utah Jazz, he averaged 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 51.9% from the field.
As the Warriors appear ready to move on from aging two-way players Braxton Key and Pat Spencer, Kinsey could represent an efficient scorer and, at 6'5", a sufficient on-ball defender at the end of the team's rotation.
Moreover, after Golden State made their intentions of grabbing an older, rotation-ready college player in the draft clear through their pre-draft workout process, their surprising trade back in the second round yielded them a pair of players who largely do not seem ready for rotation roles: Will Richard and Alex Toohey.
Richard, 22, and Toohey, 21, both look to have promise as potential contributors for the team, but, in their Summer League action, they looked largely out of step and ineffective on offense.
Therefore, as the Warriors attempt to compete next season and have, so far, been unable to bring in any help to their backcourt, the dominos could fall in such a way that Kinsey could become an ideal, dependable option for the rotational gambits of head coach Steve Kerr.
While Kinsey is admittedly older, what Golden State needs right now is dependable talent, and Kinsey could ease some of the growing pains the team would endure by thrusting Richard or Toohey into the rotation.