Getty Lester Quinones of the Golden State Warriors reacts during a bout with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The free-agent frenzy has yet to begin in the NBA but the Golden State Warriors have already been wheeling and dealing. First, they came to an agreement on a mega-trade sending Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards in exchange for future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul.
Now, they’ve made moves to secure matching rights on a pair of players, one of whom suited up in the blue and gold last season. The other one, meanwhile, hasn’t been on the team’s roster since the 2020-21 campaign.
Per a report from Spotrac’s Keith Smith, the Warriors have extended two-way qualifying offers to guards Lester Quiñones and Nico Mannion. As a result, both players will be restricted free agents.
Whether or not either player ends up with the Warriors next season — or ever again — remains to be seen.
Warriors Retain Rights to Lester Quiñones & Nico Mannion by Making Qualifying Offers
Quiñones appeared in just four games for the Warriors last season, doing most of his damage in the G League (where he captured the Most Improved Player award despite being a rookie). So, it’s not a stretch to say he could be considering other opportunities heading into year two.
That said, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater expects that the Memphis product will be returning to the Dubs on another two-way pact, so long as he doesn’t receive a league-minimum contract to join another NBA team’s roster.
Quiñones averaged 21.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists over 31 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors in ’22-23. He has already been announced as an addition to the Dubs’ summer league squad.
However, Mannion — who spent the previous two seasons playing in Italy — has already put pen to paper on a two-year deal with Saski Baskonia of Liga Endesa (Spain’s ACB League) and EuroLeague. It has also been reported that he plans on suiting up for the Milwaukee Bucks during summer ball.
So, why would the Warriors and new GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. extend an offer to Mannion? Simply put, it’s to secure his NBA rights for another year, essentially giving Golden State the right of first refusal in the event that he blows up overseas.
As a member of Serie A’s Virtus Bologna last season, Mannion averaged 8.0 points and 2.8 assists across 50 games and sunk 37.9% of his three-point attempts.
Golden State Listed as a Top Destination for Former Lottery Pick
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale just put out a list of “10 intriguing NBA free agents nobody is talking about” and tossed out some potential destinations for each of player. Two of them had Golden State listed as a possible fit; most notably, former No. 12 overall pick and sharpshooting big man Dario Šarić.
Wrote Favale:
Šarić’s performance started to turn a few weeks before getting traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He didn’t play a big role upon arrival, but he drained 39.1% of his threes; got some reps in as a screener; used his shoulders as subtle battering rams on slips to and catches around the basket; peppered in nifty push shots; and kept his head on a swivel when prowling for rebounds.
Deploying him at the 5 requires the right defensive personnel but is a workable lineup option. That versatility alone could drive his price past the minimum, though anyone looking for frontcourt versatility should give him a ring.
The other player connect to the Warriors was Chicago Bulls forward Javonte Green.