Dion Waiters, Trey Burke Headline Three Tailor-Made Free-Agent Fits for Warriors

If there was ever a class on “how to approach the late stages of NBA free agency,” the Warriors created the curriculum. Steve Kerr has proven to be one of the NBA’s best coaches and he and the front office have done a great job at finding talent to fill out the second unit and targeting players who can log useful minutes when their numbers are called.

The latest report on Golden State’s upcoming free-agent workouts over the next two weeks reinforces all of that. Interestingly, the list of players who’ll receive a shot to earn one of the team’s final roster spots, which The Athletic’s Shams Charania revealed, includes a few very noteworthy options.

Here’s a look at the list of free-agent workouts coming on the horizon for the Warriors, per Charania:

• Dion Waiters
• Tony Snell
• Kent Bazemore
• Juan Toscano-Anderson
• Harry Giles
• Trey Burke

On paper, the first names a fan will likely point to are Waiters, Bazemore or Toscano-Anderson, as the two latter names previously played for Golden State. While spending time with the franchise helps, it still makes it hard to ignore three names that would slide in and have the potential to make a legitimate impact this season for the team— outside of Bazemore and Toscano-Anderson.

Buy Stock in Dion Waiters, Harry Giles After Vegas Workouts

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It’s extremely noteworthy that Waiters and Giles both held free-agent workouts for teams in Las Vegas during the 2023 NBA Summer League, and were now invited to a workout with the Warriors.

Golden State almost certainly saw something they liked from both players, which isn’t a completely shock considering Waiters has had success in the NBA before and Giles was a former first-round draft pick.

Both players would be great fits for the Warriors, and for numerous reasons. As Turner Sports’s Chris Haynes revealed in a one-on-one interview with Waiters, the former Heat guard has gone through a lot off the court, but absolutely sounded like a man completely locked in on making an NBA comeback.

A motivated Waiters could wind up having little trouble getting buckets, and doing some quickly while having virtually no attention him on thanks to playing alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. It’s almost a dream fit for the 31-year-old guard.

Giles’s role as a potential second-unit impact player, if he can step forward in his career, would be noteworthy. He has the potential to produce on both ends of the floor and would add some much-needed offense to the second unit for Steve Kerr and company following the departure of Jordan Poole.

Let’s also say that, hypothetically, Chris Paul comes off the bench. The potential for Giles to have the opportunity to play alongside Paul and improve over time with a future Hall-of-Famer? Buy stock in that.

Trey Burke’s Return?

If there’s one thing fans can take to the bank, it’s that Burke is going to leave the Warriors with a lot to think about after his workout. He’s looked electric this offseason in some highlights and various clips throughout the past few months.

But there was no better moment than seeing him pour in 53 points at the Ball Don’t Stop Pro-Am in Toronto. 

For good measure, he also was named the MVP of the tournament and the 30-year-old is as close to the definition of a “walking bucket” (to quote the great Michael Beasley), as you’ll find on a potential second unit. Burke could be a fit in numerous ways, but if the Warriors opt to start Paul, it wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprising to see the former Michigan standout work his way up the depth chart and see legitimate playing time. And in return, he’d make an instant impact when Curry, Klay and/or Paul get to rest.