Three vets Dubs should target if contracts aren’t guaranteed originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
With August approaching, so is the NBA deadline for player’s contracts to have their contracts guaranteed or for them to be waived for next season.
We already have gone through a list of possible veteran unrestricted free agent the Warriors could take a look at with their limited cap space resources, and have even looked into a couple players like Andre Iguodala or Justise Winslow, who could possibly catch Golden State’s eye should their options be declined.
Here are three veterans that have partially-guaranteed or non-guaranteed contracts that likely will not be picked up by their current teams, and should have the Warriors at least intrigued:
The Philadelphia 76ers will probably waive Hill’s upcoming partially-guaranteed $10 million contract for the 2021-22 season, making him a free agent.
The 35-year-old veteran has played for eight teams in his career and made over $103 million, so perhaps if he decided he wanted to take less money to play for Golden State, the Dubs could get lucky and land him on a veteran minimum contract, or part of the taxpayer mid-level exception (though he can very likely make more).
While he is not the same player he once was, Hill has become a consistent 3-point shooter from the guard position, shooting 39 percent last season from deep and averaging about 40 percent since 2015.
Hill has great size for his position as well, standing at 6-foot-4 with an incredible wingspan to go with it, making him a solid defender that could fit into multiple lineups. He also has been playoff battle tested, playing in 139 postseason games in his career, making his veteran presence on the court and locker room very welcome.
Just last offseason, Baynes was a sought-after backup veteran big man that shot 35 percent from deep on about four attempts per game, while providing tough interior play. One year later, he will probably have his $7.3 million guaranteed contract waived by the Toronto Raptors, and he likely will sit and wait for a veteran minimum deal after a rough season.
Baynes, a former teammate of Klay Thompson at Washington State, will be 35 next season and is coming off a year where he shot 26 percent from long range and was a step or two slow on defense.
While that might not be a ringing endorsement for the Australian center, the Warriors could use some depth in their front court, and might be willing to see if they can spark his play to get back to the level from the year prior.
The Warriors also could use some veteran toughness, something that Baynes definitely does not lack. Yes, many Warriors fans probably know him as the guy that fell and broke Steph Curry’s left hand at the beginning of the 2019-20 season, but it was an accident like that will not stop the Warriors from at least considering him.
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Rodney Hood
I’m guessing the Warriors are not trying to have too many players on their roster that have recently recovered from an Achilles tear, but should the Raptors not pick up Hood’s $10.8 million deal next season, he could be worth a low-risk flier.
The 29-year-old returned from an Achilles tear this last season, and his production fell off considerably as he shot a very poor 36 percent from the field and 30 percent from deep.
Hood is a career 37 percent shooter from long range though, and was blossoming into a great bench scorer for the Portland Trail Blazers before his 2019 season was cut short. The Warriors could take a look at the 6-foot-8 wing to see if they can bring him in on a veteran minimum, in order to jump start his career back on track to a floor spacing bench piece.