Fringe roster players would certainly keep an eye on the NBA Draft and pre-free agency moves, and that would extend to Nate Williams who's been sent a clear message by the Golden State Warriors in the acquisition of 54th overall pick Lajae Jones.
Yaxel Lendeborg headlined the Warriors' draft as the 11th overall pick on Tuesday, but it's Jones' addition on Wednesday that could signal the end for Williams after playing 14 games for the franchise toward the end of last season.
Warriors send message to Nate Williams with Lajae Jones addition
Williams is a 6'5" left-handed wing who's largely built a reputation on the defensive end of the floor, but who's also a capable yet not fully proven 3-point shooter. That's almost exactly how you could describe Jones as he enters the NBA out of Florida State, albeit he's a little bigger at 6'7" and with a slightly larger wingspan.
Are Golden State really going to have two very similar players on the same roster, particularly when one is a rookie and the other has never truly established himself as a long-term NBA player after 61 games across four years?
The good news for Williams is that it's unlikely Jones is on the main roster, with a two-way contract possible but also not guaranteed after Mike Dunleavy Jr.'s comments to NBC Sports Bay Area on Friday.
“We'll get him (Jones) through summer league and see how things go and see what happens next year. But we like him as a long-term project in terms of the things we look for and what we value," Dunleavy said.
Nate Williams faces uphill battle to earn another contract with Warriors
Given he's no longer eligible for a two-way contract himself, Williams might have faced an uphill battle to earn another contract anyway before Golden State went out and drafted an incredibly similar wing player.
As a free agent, Williams could have negotiated a new deal with the Warriors over the past 10 days, but there's been silence on that front which suggests he's either been told to seek other opportunities, or perhaps wait until after the first few days of free agency to see how the shape of the roster unfolds.
Williams averaged 8.0 points and 2.1 rebounds in 17.1 minutes while shooting 43.3% from 3-point range, having joined the Warriors in February after previous stints with the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
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