Quinten Post's official departure to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday means the Golden State Warriors need to go hunting for a third center, but they may already have one in the building as they head towards a reunion with Charles Bassey in free agency.
Bassey quickly became a fan-favorite late last season despite appearing in only five games, leading to plenty of calls for the 25-year-old to return even before Post signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Grizzlies.
Warriors headed towards free agency reunion with Charles Bassey
Those fans calling for a Bassey reunion may have their wish granted despite no move being made yet on the 6'10" big man. Bassey is still looking to solidify his NBA career, having appeared in 13 games with four different teams last season on a variety of 10-day and hardship contracts.
Golden State currently have Graham Ike and Lachlan Olbrich as big men playing for their summer league squad, but Warriors insider Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area hinted that Bassey is still the most likely candidate to return on the main roster.
..."Bassey still seems to have the edge on being the 3rd center on this roster and obviously he's very different from both Kristaps (Porzingis) and also Al (Horford). Those guys can go outside and shoot," Poole said. "That's not what he does. Bassey is a dirty work guy. He gets into the paint and disrupts things, good screen setter. I keep saying it, he's like a more athletic Kevon Looney."
As Poole outlines, Bassey would provide a nice complement to Porzingis as more of a traditional interior big man, having displayed that in his five games with the Warriors where he recorded two double-doubles and averaged 10.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in just 20 minutes per game.
Charles Bassey re-signing could present an issue for the Warriors
While Bassey brings value in offering something different to Porzingis and Horford, that in itself presents an issue if he's suddenly thrust into a starting role on nights where one or both of the veteran duo are unavailable.
Golden State would have to play differently with Bassey in the lineup. Suddenly the spacing wouldn't be as good alongside Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr might need to run more pick-and-roll to actually utilize Bassey's skillset.
This is why Post still had significant value to the Warriors. Even if wasn't a nightly member of their rotation, they could've easily plugged him in and offensively he'd play practically the same role as Porzingis and especially Horford as a catch-and-shoot threat spacing the floor.
That player may no longer be out there for Golden State in free agency, leaving Bassey as their best and most likely option who does deserve another opportunity after his strong late season form.
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