Getty Golden State Warriors guard Quinn Cook
Kawhi Leonard may be dominating the current NBA free agency landscape, but there are a number of other talented players remaining on the open market. Although Leonard is the biggest name yet to sign a new contract, one interesting player worth monitoring is former Golden State Warriors guard Quinn Cook.
While Cook has been in the NBA since 2017 after spending two seasons as a member of the G League, he emerged with the Warriors when the team was forced to deal with multiple injuries at the guard position. The former Duke Blue Devils point guard took advantage of his opportunity and left a strong impression, averaging 9.5 points, 2.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds over 22.4 minutes per game in 2017-18.
After the Warriors kept Cook through the 2018-19 season on a two-year deal, per Spotrac, he averaged 6.9 points last year but saw his minutes reduced to 14.3 per game. He’s now set to test free agency, although it’s worth noting that Cook is currently a restricted free agent, so the Warriors could match any offer potentially.
We’re going to evaluate the best potential fits and look at where the 26-year-old could have a chance to find immediate success.
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Quinn Cook’s Top Free Agency Fit: Los Angeles Lakers
GettyQuinn Cook
The ideal potential landing spot for Cook could prove to be with the Los Angeles Lakers, especially if they sign Leonard. Assuming that plays out in their favor, the Lakers would be left with little money to sign free agents. While that won’t lead to a big contract for Cook, it would equate to quite a bit of playing time.
It’s likely that Cook will receive a short-term deal that won’t break the bank, but if he landed with the Lakers, he’d have a big role with the second unit at the very least. Although there may be an outside chance that he could land a starting job in Los Angeles, it’s likely the team could consider bringing back Rajon Rondo or another veteran to hold that role.
Regardless, I love the idea of Cook teaming up with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and possibly Leonard.
Quinn Cook Returns Home to Wizards in Free Agency?
Cook was born in Washington, D.C., and played his high school basketball less than 30 minutes away at DeMatha Catholic before heading roughly 5.5 hours away to play at Oak Hill Academy. The former Warriors guard returning home to D.C. would be a storyline worth talking about, but there’s some reason to feel a bit iffy about it.
Obviously, John Wall is still with the Washington Wizards, although he’s still attempting to return from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered during the 2018-19 season. There’s a belief that Wall could miss the entire 2019-20 season, which would leave the team in need of some depth at point guard.
The big question is what role Cook would have in Washington, as they’ve already added Isaiah Thomas and Ish Smith. It’s fairly likely that he’d be able to carve out decent minutes with the Wizards regardless, but the starting point guard job could wind up as an open competition depending on Wall’s outlook.
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