With center Marquese Chriss out, perhaps for the rest of the season, the Warriors are back where they were last month: Scanning the free-agent market for an affordable big man.
In the days after drafting James Wiseman to be their center of the future, the Warriors evaluated several veterans, someone capable of giving them 12-15 minutes per game. When nothing materialized, they decided to start the season with Kevon Looney joining Chriss and Wiseman in the center rotation. Draymond Green, as usual, would play spot minutes there.
With Chriss sustaining a broken right fibula and out indefinitely – a firm recovery timeline will be determined after he undergoes surgery, according to sources – the team suddenly is short-handed. The Warriors under coach Steve Kerr typically have at least three centers on the roster – and that does not include Green.
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The names atop their board last month are gone. Dwight Howard landed with the Philadelphia 76ers, Marc Gasol with the Los Angeles Lakers and Aron Baynes with the Toronto Raptors.
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Still available: Dewayne Dedmon, who spent a brief period with the Warriors seven years ago; Tyson Chandler, who is 38 and has not played this season; Ian Mahinmi, who reportedly is getting interest from European teams; and Joakim Noah, who was waived by the Los Angeles Clippers three weeks ago.
At this point, with Wiseman off to a terrific start and hoping to boost his minutes from the mid-20s to up around 30 per game, the Warriors wouldn’t need much from a vet. Looney’s injury history, however, has to be a consideration.
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It would make sense to sign someone, though, if only for insurance reasons if not as a nightly contributor.