The Golden State Warriors were eliminated on April 16, losing to the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Play-In Tournament, 118-94.
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As they look to improve their roster this offseason, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report listed free agent targets in his April 18 article, listing Spencer Dinwiddie of the Los Angeles Lakers as a potential free agent target.
Steve Kerr told reporters after the game that he struggled to find usable lineups with Chris Paul and Stephen Curry on the floor due to size disadvantages, despite how well Paul did play at times.
“It’s a difficult situation for him that he handled beautifully,” Kerr said, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “He’s always been the starting point guard for his team. But you look at our team and we’re pretty small. Even though he’s one of our best players, if we want to throw our best players out there — and he’s one of them — you start adding up Chris, Steph, Klay, it’s not the ideal roster for him.
“But he was fantastic for us because he became our backup point guard. As I’ve said many times, our non-Steph minutes were the best they’ve ever been because of Chris’ leadership.”
Buckley wrote that Kerr’s comment was a “long-winded way” of saying the Warriors need a new guard to lead the second unit.
“That’s a long-winded way of saying Golden State could need a new lead guard for its second unit, and Spencer Dinwiddie should get some consideration for the gig. While he isn’t much of a shooter (career 33.3 three-point percentage), he is a good decision-maker (career 5.2 assists against 1.7 turnovers) who has enough size (6’5″, 215 lbs) to share the floor with Curry.”
Warriors’ Options With Chris Paul’s Contract
When the Golden State Warriors traded Jordan Poole in a deal for Paul, it gave them financial flexibility this offseason. Paul’s under contract for the Warriors next season for $30 million, but all of his deal is non-guaranteed.
The Warriors can use his salary as a trade asset or wipe it off the books before it becomes guaranteed on June 28. Paul has a desire to continue playing next season and won’t retire, according to Slater.
“I’ll talk to my wife and my kids, my family, my support system, see what it looks like,” Paul told The Athletic. “But this isn’t (the end of my career). I know it for sure.”
While there’s uncertainty around his return to the Warriors, Paul said he “loved” his time with the organization.
“I haven’t thought about it,” Paul said. “I’m too in it. I was in the gym at 8 a.m. this morning, lifting and getting ready for this game. When it’s time for that, Mike (Dunleavy) and Steve (Kerr), we’ll have a conversation and see what it looks like. But I loved it. It’s honestly — this is my fifth year living without my family — I probably saw them more than any other year.”
How Spencer Dinwiddie Would Help the Warriors
The Lakers guard is 6-foot-5, giving them a bigger guard to pair next to Curry. His flexibility due to his height gives the Golden State Warriors a different look than anything they were able to do with Paul in 2023.
Given Kerr’s comments about size issues on the defensive end, landing Dinwiddie could help solve some of those issues.
In his 28 games with the Lakers, he’s averaged 24.2 minutes and 6.8 points per game. His scoring numbers are down compared to most of his career, averaging more than 13 points in every season since 2018-19 besides the 2020-21 season.
