OAKLAND -- When the Warriors convene Tuesday morning, don’t expect Patrick McCaw to be on the court. Or even in the building, for that matter.
McCaw is expected to decline the team’s $1.71 million qualifying offer, which has been on the table since June, and also decline a two-year contract offer that since has been presented, according to two league sources.
The third-year guard has less than two hours to change his mind, as the qualifying offer expires at 8:59 p.m. PT Monday, but according to one source, that’s “not likely.”
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In that case, McCaw would become a restricted free agent.
McCaw, acquired when the Warriors bought a second-round draft pick from the Bucks in 2016, had a promising rookie season, but his performance dipped in 2017-18, as he averaged 4.0 points and 1.4 assists per game. He missed 25 games last season, including the last six regular-season games and the team’s first 15 playoff games after he sustained a serious back injury last March 31 at Sacramento.
McCaw spent the summer looking for leverage, or a better contract, and neither has materialized.
The Warriors have consistently expressed a desire for McCaw to rejoin the team, but they also realize there's a chance that won’t not happen.
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“We think about it. We talk about it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Monday afternoon. “But we still go about our business.”