Getty Images Kent Bazemore #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers stands on the court in the game with the Phoenix Suns.
The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent and former Sacramento Kings swingman Kent Bazemore to a one year contract per Staidum’s Sham Charania.
Free agent Kent Bazemore has agreed to a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, agent Austin Walton tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
This signing is a homecoming of sorts for Bazemore as he previously played in Golden State during the 2012-2014 seasons. The expectation is for the guard / forward to play a key role in the lineup as the Warriors look to replace the production lost by star shooting guard Klay Thompson who tore his Achilles last Thursday just hours before the 2020 NBA Draft.
Who is Kent Bazemore
Bazemore originally played for the Warriors during the 2012-2014 seasons coming to the team after being drafted and playing during the summer league and for the Santa Cruz Warriors.
After then he played for a couple of teams going from Golden State to the Los Angeles Lakers and ultimately the Atlanta Hawks for 5 seasons. From there, he was traded to the Portland Trailblazers and once again to the Sacramento Kings. Last season, he averaged 10.3 points per game, 1.3 steals, 4.3 rebounds, and shot 38% from behind the three-point line.
Kent Bazemore’s primary job for the Warriors will be to space the floor in a fluctuating bench role, depending on if he’s hot. Career 35% from 3 on 5.2 attempts per 36 minutes.
As a member of the Warriors, Bazemore will have the opportunity to heavily contribute off the bench with the second unit. Being another player who can create his own shot at times as well as be a very good outside shooter, he should work well within the open and free-flowing offense the Warriors are known for. Additionally, he can be reliable on the defensive end guarding smaller guards and some bigger wings have the quickness and size to stay with both.
Warriors Moves Since Thompson’s Injury
GettyThe Bulls are chasing Memphis freshman James Wiseman.
With this move, the Warriors have just about cemented their roster. Since Thompson’s injury, the Warriors have made several acquisitions to fill in the gaps where they needed to most.
The first was drafting former Memphis Tigers center James Wiseman #2 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. Even though he only played three games during his collegiate season, Wiseman has been compared to NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson and former Toronto Raptor and Miami Heat champion Chris Bosh. He will be a significant upgrade over the centers they’ve had in previous seasons and is a great building block moving forward.
After the draft, the team used their traded player exception to acquire former Phoenix Sun and Oklahoma City Thunder swingman Kelly Oubre Jr. Before being shipped to Oklahoma City as a part of the Chris Paul trade, last season he shot 35% on average from behind the three-point line and scored 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Most recently, the Warriors signed former Boston Celtic Brad Wanamaker to a one-year 2.25 million deal. As a backup for Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart Wanamaker averaged 6.9 points, 2.5 assists, 2 rebounds, and was shooting 92% from the free-throw line. Beyond the three-point line, Wannamaker shot 37% over his two full seasons in Boston.
Yet the Warriors may not be done yet. They only used a partial amount of their mid-level exception to sign Wanamaker and have yet to be approved for their disabled player exception in the case of Thompson.
Source: Kent Bazemore’s one-year deal is for $2.3 million. Won’t cut into the Warriors’ MLE or (potential) DPE usage.
If the Warriors are approved for the DPE and continue to browse the market with the remaining money in their MLE, they may be able to add one more significant piece to their 2020 – 2021 roster.
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Warriors Sign Former Los Angeles Laker to Improve Second Unit