The Warriors still have an open roster spot going into the All-Star Break, and while there’s been rumors they could be looking at converting Anthony Lamb or Ty Jerome from their two-way contracts, neither of those options move the needle enough to make an impact on the playoff rotation moving forward. Instead, Golden State should be looking into the buyout market and the players it could allow them to sign.

There’s been a couple names thrown around in regards to the buyout market, particularly Dewayne Dedmon and Richaun Holmes. The problem is that Dedmon has already been signed by the Philadelphia 76ers, and Holmes has reportedly been “unlikely” to be bought out. Another name that’s come up is Nerlens Noel, but as of yesterday he’s not actively pursuing a buyout from the Detroit Pistons, per Bleacher Report.

A defensive-minded center to come off the bench has been the ideal archetype for the Warriors to pursue, but they’ve also proven they can win without a giant in the middle. Kevon Looney and Draymond Green have both been good defensive players this season, boasting defensive ratings of 112 each. a few points ahead of the league-average.

Golden State’s defense has been middle-of-the-pack this year, but not really due to their inability to protect the rim given they were a top-2 defense last season with Loon as the tallest guy on the roster. Their biggest issue has been stopping perimeter players from doing damage on the outside, something spurred by Andrew Wiggins missing significant amounts of time due to injury and sickness, and having Lamb (who cannot play defense) playing more extensive minutes because of it. Donte DiVincenzo has been great on both ends of the floor, but the Dubs lack a true point-of-attack guy who can guard multiple perimeter positions until Gary Payton II is healthy.

There’s also the fact that the Warriors just aren’t disciplined on defense. We haven’t seen this team at their defensive best, and even then, they had a stretch of games prior to their last 2 before the break where they were ranked as a top-10 defensive unit. Adding GP2 into that, whenever he’s available, will surely cover some of the issues we’ve been seeing.

So instead, the buyout market can be used a bit differently. Sure, you can gun for a big in the middle who is competent defensively, but a play connector that can keep the second unit’s offense fluid with his passing while adding quality shooting and rebounding would probably be better so long as he’s not a cone. Good news for the Warriors, one just hit the market.

Kevin Love, an old rival and potential teammate once upon a time, is finalizing negotiations with the Cleveland Cavaliers to become a free agent. At age 34, the two-time All-NBA 2nd team big man is only a year removed from being the runner-up for 6th Man of the Year with minimal amounts of regression. While he’s still a good bench player, the Cavs have a bit of a logjam in their frontcourt, and boasting the NBA’s #1 defense this season, there’s not really a need for them to mess with that. And thus, we have the current situation.

Love is a 35% shooter from deep this season, bringing floor spacing despite a bit of a dip in career efficiency. He’s been roping in just under 7 boards a game despite only playing for about 20 minutes each contest, bringing excellent rebounding which he’s been known for his whole career. He dishes just under 2 assists per game, although assist numbers don’t really do his passing justice. He’s made his career as a good screen-setter and offensive talent, so there really isn’t a downside to signing him outside of defense.

But even then, that end’s not as much a deficiency as people seem to think.

Love posts a career 107 defensive rating, clocking in at 107.9 last season and 108.5 this season to be exact. All things considered, those are pretty good numbers, and he contributed to Cleveland’s 7th-ranked defense as the 6th man just last season. He’s posted a comparable defensive field goal percentage (48.3 dFG%) to another buyout candidate listed, Dewayne Dedmon (47.7 dFG%), while defending more shots (8.7 dFGA versus Dedmon’s 5.8 dFGA). Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Brook Lopez is posting a 47.2 defensive field goal percentage, so despite Lopez’s much higher volume, Love is deterring shots with similar success.

When we look at shot attempts within 6 feet to measure rim protection, Love posts a defensive field goal percentage of 62%… Just 0.7 percent higher than a guy the Warriors were looking to make a deal for earlier this season: Jakob Poeltl. Poeltl’s volume is higher, but we’re also talking about the difference between a player who this season has been relegated to a deep-bench role versus a clear-cut starter. Last season, Love posted a 55.9 defensive field goal percentage within 6 feet of the rim, which was comparable to Draymond Green’s 55.1% on surprisingly similar defensive volume.

All this is not to say that Kevin Love is a world-breaking defensive presence. It’s to display that his defensive shortcomings are overblown, especially when you put him next to other good defenders. Love’s been in the league for years and was named to the All-Star team 5 times; He’s a savvy veteran who brings so much versatility to the Warriors that his defensive shortcomings (which aren’t even that short) are worth taking. He’d fill a similar role to both Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica, two guys whose experience was highly valuable in the title run.

Love also has a relationship with Klay Thompson, as they grew up playing little league baseball with each other in Oregon before Thompson moved to Southern California. Love was almost a Warrior in the 2014 season, a trade that would have sent Klay to the Timberwolves at the time as well. He has the familiarity with the Warriors, having played against them in the 2016 Finals, in addition to a friendship that goes way back with someone already on the team. He’d bring some positive morale to the locker room, which is never a bad thing.

The dimensions Kevin Love would add to Golden State improve the team’s bench by a margin fans probably wouldn’t expect. He brings rebounding and a veteran presence on top of being a floor-spacing big, needs the Warriors can capitalize on just as they did last year. While he’s not exactly an ace defender, he’s serviceable in a rotation that includes great defenders, and he makes high basketball IQ plays like drawing a ton of charges.

Overall, signing Love would deepen the Warriors with a type of player that Steve Kerr has become very familiar with utilizing. There are very few (if any) drawbacks to making Love an offer, and he’d immediately make a positive impact on a bench unit that’s looked pretty scattered at times this season. Golden State’s system allows high IQ vets to thrive, and that alone should be the reason they’re making the call to bring their former foe to the Bay.

(Photo credit: David Liam Kyle / Getty Images)