Getty Golden State Warriors guard Quinndary Weatherspoon plays defense during a game against the San Antonio Spurs.
The NBA‘s annual free agent frenzy won’t officially begin until Thursday, June 30 at 6 pm ET but the Golden State Warriors are already making moves in an effort to round out their roster for next season.
Per a report from Spotrac’s Keith Smith, the Warriors have tendered a qualifying offer to two-way baller Quinndary Weatherspoon. As a result, the 25-year-old will be a restricted free agent, meaning Golden State will have the first right of refusal on any offer he receives.
While that would seem to indicate that the Warriors want to retain Weatherspoon, there’s no word on what will become of their other old two-way guard, Chris Chiozza. Teams will typically (but not always) announce QOs in bunches, when applicable. However, rookie Lester Quiñones has already filled one of the Dubs’ two two-way spots.
Given the Warriors’ current roster situation — and depending on how free agency plays out — there may even be a spot available for Weatherspoon on the main roster next season. As it stands, the club has a payroll in excess of $171 million for just eight contracted players.
Weatherspoon Dishes on Winning the Chip
During a return trip to his native Mississippi, Weatherspoon opened up about being a part of Golden State’s latest championship campaign. And, clearly, it’s not lost on him that the experience puts him in rarefied air.
“A lot of people don’t even get to dream about winning a championship. Some people go 20 years in the NBA and never get a chance to even make the Finals,” Weatherspoon told WJTV. “So, me even having the opportunity to win it is amazing and I’m just cherishing this moment each and every day.”
As incredible as it was for him to be around for the Dubs’ crowning moment, though, the team’s yearlong grind to get back to the mountaintop is what it’s all about for Weatherspoon.
“I think the most important thing about winning the championship was the journey,” he said. “Just all the stuff that we went through the whole year with injuries and not having our whole team… and just finding a way to win even though we didn’t have a complete team…
“Going in with those guys was the most exciting thing. We were a brotherhood and we had to really come together and try to make it happen.”
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Weatherspoon Rocked the G League
All told, Weatherspoon saw action in just 11 regular-season contests for the Warriors, usually in mop-up duty. His best performance came during a March 7 road bout with the Denver Nuggets, during which he scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in 16 minutes on the court. He was a star with the team’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, though.
The 6-foot-3 guard made 20 appearances for the Sea Dubs in 2021-22, averaging 25.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals per outing. He also connected on 52.3% of his field-goal attempts and 88.7% of his foul shots.
When Klay Thompson was practicing with Santa Cruz as part of his rehab process, he famously sang Weatherspoon’s praises to the Warriors’ front office for the way in which he defended the five-time All-Star.
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