The center position has emerged as a big area of concern for the Golden State Warriors in the wake of their elimination, with head coach Steve Kerr already outlining his wish not to play Draymond Green so much as a small-ball five entering next season.
Yet while there's been much speculation on the Warriors potentially adding a big man via free agency or trade this offseason, it appears more likely that they could place increased faith in the development of youngster Quinten Post.
Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard recently stated on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast that “I don't think it's going to be a stretch five now" in relation to potential targets, while adding that "I think they're going to try to lean on Quinten Post.”
Warriors may have no choice but to take a risk with Quinten Post
Kawakami's comments certainly drew some attention from Golden State fans in the aftermath. While Post had an incredibly impressive rookie season, the 25-year-old's limited impact in the playoffs and general inexperience suggests it's a significant risk for a want-to-be-contender to place so much faith in a young center who was taken late in the second-round.
Yet the Warriors may also have no choice but to solidify their trust in Post based on what we just saw with Steven Adams' contract extension with the Houston Rockets. Not only did the three-year, $39 million deal over the weekend take a potential target off the free agency board for Golden State, but it also sets a precedence that could prove problematic for teams after a big man.
Suddenly notable veteran free agent centers like Brook Lopez, Al Horford and Clint Capela could be looking for something closer to the $13 million per year Adams just got, rather than the taxpayer mid-level exception ($5.7 million) or less that the Warriors might have at their disposal.
Milwaukee Bucks veteran Bobby Portis is another big man who was recently linked to Golden State, but it seems almost impossible that they'd be able to sign him outright based on his comments to FanDuel's Run It Back on Monday.
"I took a lot of team friendly deals to be here (Milwaukee). I just want to be compensated fairly to my peers," Portis said.
So it seems that if the Warriors did want to find a true game-changing center, then they may have to do it via trade which obviously brings far more risk depending on what you're sending out. Failing that, they'll have to simply move forward with risky faith in Post that could make-or-break their season.