Warriors Miss on Another Bargain Wing Who Signs with Lakers

The Golden State Warriors are hoping to sign LeBron James to completely change the outlook of their forward depth, so it's not suprising that they aren't being super active on the free-agent market.

But any time an NBA-level wing signs for a veteran minimum contract, you to have wonder if the Dubs are being too passive.

On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers and Matisse Thybulle agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million deal.

About a week ago, the Lakers got an even bigger steal, signing wing Ziaire Williams to a veteran minimum deal.

It's not clear if they are still actively pursuing Jonathan Kuminga, but even if they don't get him, their wing rotation is deeper than Golden State's.

Where the Warriors Can Go From Here

The only free-agent wing the Warriors have been connected to outside of James is DeMar DeRozan.

Whether DeRozan would be a good fit is up for the debate. But the even bigger issue is DeRozan will likely have a big market for a veteran minimum contract, and I'm guessing he'll choose a team with better odds to win a title.

If the Warriors miss on James and DeRozan, which seems likely, they might go into the season without another NBA-level wing.

It seems likely that they'll give contracts to Draymond Green and Gary Payton II. The last standard contract roster spot they must fill could then go to LJ Cryer.

They could give Lajae Jones a two-way contract roster spot, which would be wise considering he has developmental potential.

But Jones likely isn't ready for NBA minutes.

So if that's the Warriors' plan, they would be arguably relying too heavily on Gui Santos and Yaxel Lendeborg to be do-it-all wings while Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody nurse their knee injuries.

Thybulle Has His Pros and Cons

When the Warriors missed on Ziaire Williams, I felt that was more of a missed opportunity.

After all, Williams is 24 and doesn't have a major injury history.

Thybulle is 29, and he's coming off having played just 45 games over the last two seasons combined.

When he's on the court, he's a disruptive defender. He's not a high-volume three-point shooter, but he's improved to the point where he's made 41.1 percent of this treys over the last two seasons.

One can at least understand why the Warriors would be hesistant to go after Thybulle. They need their backup wings to be healthy.

With that said, Thybulle at the minimum is a clear bargain, and the Warriors are running out of free-agent wing options.

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