Three Players the Warriors Could Look to Add in the Buyout Market
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, but that has done little to slow down player movement around the NBA. We have seen the NBA buyout market in action over the past week with Lamarcus Aldridge signing with the Nets and Andre Drummond signing with the Lakers.
The Warriors possess $2.8 million in Mid-Level Exception that they can use on someone in the buyout market if they choose to do so. They also have Klay Thompson’s $9.3 million Disabled Player Exceptions. Despite the Warriors recent struggles, if they do decide to become players in the buyout market, they have the financial capital to make a move.
Considering that, here are three players that the Warriors could potentially target in the buyout market.
Otto Porter Jr.
His recent trade to the Magic complicates things a bit, but it is still highly possible that we could see Porter bought out within the next week or so. Like Andrew Wiggins, Porter is a former top draft pick (#3 overall in 2013) who hasn’t quite panned out to expected levels.
However, the 8-year veteran is still young at 27, and has skills that the Warriors could covet. He is a career 40% three point shooter, which is something the Warriors definitely could use right now. He also is a good rebounder as a wing and a solid team defender. He is the type of player who the Warriors could take a look at this year before potentially bringing him back for next season.
Avery Bradley
Jordan Poole has taken a giant step forward ever since he was recalled from the G-League, and he has seen plenty of minutes in a combo-guard role ever since, especially while Steph Curry has been injured. With Brad Wannamaker now gone, the Warriors could look to add extra guard depth down the stretch.
With that said, Bradley would be an excellent potential candidate as someone who would be a great fit for the Warriors. He is a great defender who can also knock down the three (shooting a career-best 42% from three this year).
His recent trade to a rebuilding Rockets team who could opt to go with a youth-heavy approach down the stretch; one that could easily result in Bradley being bought out. If that is the case, the Warriors will definitely be amongst the interested teams.
Kelly Olynyk
The other part of the Victor Oladipo trade, Olynyk is another player who could get bought out by the Rockets. Though there isn’t a huge need for the Warriors at center, Olynyk is a unique player who could bring an extra element to the Warriors offense. The Warriors have never really had a knockdown shooter as a big man, and Olynyk is a career 36.6% shooter from downtown. He does play mostly on the perimeter and isn’t much of a factor when it comes to defense or rebounding, he still could be an interesting potential fit for the Warriors.