The Golden State Warriors have now set the stage for a training camp battle for the ages.
They signed Georges Niang to a partially-guaranteed deal, and they signed Brandon Williams to a non-guaranteed pact that will become partially-guaranteed if he makes the opening night roster. They also brought in former Philadelphia 76ers wing Dalen Terry on an Exhibit-10 deal that will allow him to compete with both Niang and Williams for one of the 14th and 15th roster spots.
Niang is likely a lock at this point. With Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody out until at least mid-season, Golden State needs extra rebounding and bench scoring juice in the frontcourt, and Niang can likely provide that even at his age.
The choice, then, ultimately comes down to whether Williams or Terry is the right choice for the final guaranteed roster spot. Williams has experience as a lead ball-handler and can help run the offense off the bench, but Terry presents more of a 3-and-D skill set that could be helpful to the Warriors in Moody's absence.
If the Warriors feel confident in Stephen Curry's ability to stay healthy and in their ball-handling depth beyond him in the rotation, perhaps Terry is the obvious favorite. But if they don't, then Golden State's need for a player like Williams might outweigh their desire to add another wing to the roster.
Brandon Williams could present much-needed insurance for Stephen Curry— and help alleviate some of the pressure on his shoulders
The Warriors have spent the past couple of seasons seeking out a ball-handler who can take on a significant workload behind Curry, giving the team some flexibility in how they want to employ their superstar on a night-to-night basis. They've been unsuccessful to this point.
The Dennis Schröder trade was obviously a failure, and neither De'Anthony Melton nor Brandin Podziemski have the ability to play extensive minutes at the point.
Williams, for all his deficits as a defender and a perimeter shooter, certainly does. Across 66 games with the Dallas Mavericks last season, he averaged 13 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists— posting a respectable assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.05 and taking extensive minutes as the leader of the Mavericks offense in lieu of the injured Kyrie Irving.
Of the backcourt pieces the Warriors currently have in the fold—including Melton, Podziemski, Gary Payton II, and Will Richard—none have the upside to be unlocked as a ball-handler that Williams does.
Bringing Terry onto the roster could be a worthy gamble. Although he averaged just 3.7 points and shot 36.4% from beyond the arc last season between the 76ers and the Chicago Bulls, it seems as though there's more production that can be squeezed out of him with an enhanced workload.
But if the Warriors have any fear at all of shouldering Curry with major minutes during the regular season, Williams is likely the antidote.
The competition will obviously come down to the two players' individual performances, but giving Curry help in the backcourt needs to be a major consideration as well. That should leave Williams as the clear favorite heading into camp.
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