The Golden State Warriors are going to have to fill out the remainder of their roster with veteran minimum contracts after giving D’Angelo Russell the max on a sign-and-trade with Brooklyn and re-signing both Klay Thompson as well as center Kevon Looney.
In no way does this mean the five-time defending Western Conference champs are going to be adding fringe NBA players.
According to Marcus Thompson of The Athletic, that includes former Sacramento Kings lottery pick Willie Cauley-Stein. Thompson reported the signing while asking a simple question regarding Warriors youngster Damian Jones.
This means Golden State went from having just one big to three within the matter of less than 24 hours.
Cauley-Stein, 25, averaged 11.9 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting a robust 56 percent from the field last season in Sacramento. He fell out of favor this offseason with the Kings relinquishing the restricted free agent tender they had placed on the former No. 6 overall pick.
This also likely means that DeMarcus Cousins will not be returning to Golden State. He’s seen absolutely no market in free agency, which lends credence to the idea that Cousins could return to the Warriors on a league-minimum salary.
That’s now not happening.