Getty Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, of the Golden State Warriors.
Though the Golden State Warriors have fallen below the expectations of many fans this season, there is still time for the front office to improve the roster before the playoffs. Typically teams will sign players who are bought out of their contracts shortly after the trade deadline, each season.
Some of the top names on the buyout market this year include Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, and Patrick Beverley.
On February 16, Beverley responded to a tweet from a Warriors fan, pitching that he join the Dubs and team up with Draymond Green.
He quoted the tweet, saying, “Winning at the highest level. A player’s dream.”
Beverley has been selected to one of the NBA’s All-Defensive Teams three times throughout his career. He was named to the Second Team in 2013-14 and 2019-20, and to the first in 2016-17. The 34-year-old appeared in 45 games for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, before being traded to the Orlando Magic, who eventually bought him out of his contract.
Warriors Listed as Suitors For Patrick Beverley
Beverley’s Twitter exchange makes it seem as if he is open to joining the Warriors, at the very least. On top of that, there’s also been other speculation that he’d be a good fit with Golden State.
On February 17, HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan listed the Warriors as candidates to land Beverley, who he considers “the most attractive option.”
“The market for guards isn’t particularly robust, with few teams in need of another ball handler. Beverley might be the most attractive option of the group because he’s a defensive specialist,” Gozlan wrote. “A return to Minnesota makes a lot of sense, given his previous success with the team last season. The Warriors could really use Beverley to help improve their bench defense while Gary Payton II is out.”
Warriors’ Steve Kerr Shares Thoughts on James Wiseman Trade
Before buyouts were all the rave, the trade deadline had the attention of NBA fans. Golden State was involved in a four-team deal where they sent James Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons.
After being drafted No. 2 overall in 2020, Wiseman appeared in just 60 games for the Warriors, playing about 18.3 minutes each time.
The 21-year-old’s lack of playing time didn’t mean that head coach Steve Kerr wasn’t sorry to see him go.
“It’s hard on a personal level, because of our affection for James, and the talent level. I was all-in on taking James when we did, I was part of the group, and loved the ability, loved everything we saw,” Kerr told reporters at a February 13 press conference. “You can’t always foresee the circumstances. At the time we had the worst record in the league, Klay had just torn his Achilles. We didn’t really know where we were as a team. Frankly, we didn’t know we would win a championship just a year and a half later. I think the important thing … is in this league, and in all sports, you have to move forward. You can’t look back. You have to move forward and make whatever moves that are necessary to allow you to succeed in the present state of the team and going forward.”