The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors will have their starting five back together this upcoming season. The agency that represents center Zaza Pachulia announced Friday evening that the veteran has returned to Golden State.
Congratulations to @zaza27 on signing back with the @warriors and defending your crown!
— Priority Sports (@PrioritySports) July 7, 2017
Pachulia signed as a free agent last summer and ultimately played a huge role in the Warriors’ second NBA title in three years — the first of his lengthy career. All said, the 33-year-old big man averaged 6.1 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting at a robust 53 percent from the field. He also started all 70 games in which he appeared.
It is somewhat surprising that Golden State would be able to retain the big man. After all, here’s a team that re-signed former MVP’s Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant while bringing back solid bench options such as Andre Iguodala, David West and Shaun Livingston. Heck, Golden State just recently signed veteran guard Nick Young.
Re-signing Pachulia is a big deal given the Warriors didn’t have a true center on the roster with fellow big man JaVale McGee also a free agent.