The Golden State Warriors already have a painfully obvious roster move they need to imminently make, having orchestrated a pair of trades on Wednesday night that saw the franchise land championship center Kristaps Porzingis.
If there was any doubt over the Warriors need to convert Pat Spencer to the main roster straight away, that was emphatically answered as the 29-year-old went for a career-high 20 points in Thursday's incredible 101-97 comeback win over the Phoenix Suns.
Signing Pat Spencer is an obvious next move for the Warriors
Making his fifth start of the season despite being on a two-way deal, Spencer was electric in the first-half with five threes on seven attempts to lead the Warriors to a 59-55 advantage. Spencer finished 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, easily surpassing his previous career-high of three 3-pointers which he'd achieved twice earlier in the season.
The career-best performance came coincidentally in Spencer's last game of eligibility on a two-way contract, meaning Golden State will have to convert his deal in the next 36 hours for him to be eligible to play in Saturday's matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
That move feels like a fait accompli, particularly given there remains some uncertainty over the status of superstar point guard Stephen Curry who has missed the past two games due to a knee injury.
The Warriors put themselves in position to make that move right away, sending out three players while only bringing back Porzingis in a pair of suprise moves late on Wednesday. Former seventh overall pick Jonathan Kuminga and veteran sharpshooter Buddy Hield were sent to the Atlanta Hawks, with Porzingis heading to Golden State where he'll link up with the team in Los Angeles on Friday.
In an under the radar move just minutes later, it was reported that the Warriors traded third-year center Trayce Jackson-Davis to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for a second-round pick.
It means the franchise now has two open roster spots, with Spencer sure to take one and likely in the next 24 hours. Golden State could just leave their 15th spot open and save some money on the payroll, or they could wait and see what happens with the buyout market and whether there is a veteran that's worth bringing in.
Spencer has averaged 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists in his 36 games with the Warriors this season, shooting 42.3% from the floor and 43.1% from 3-point range.