Kent Bazemore received free-agent interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets, but signed a minimum contract to return to the Warriors.
"I'm surprised that Bazemore was just sitting there for them at the minimum," ESPN's Zach Lowe said Monday on his "Lowe Post" podcast. "Once he got traded to the [Sacramento] Kings, he kind of went crazy. It maybe was the best basketball he's ever played in his career."
After he was traded by the Portland Trail Blazers to the Kings in mid-January, Bazemore averaged 10.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals over 25 games, while shooting 38.4 percent from 3-point range.
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"Finishing the year in Sacramento -- I was really looking forward to going back actually," he told the media last week. "I really felt like I could take a really big leadership role there, rebuild the culture.
"Things didn't work out. They decided to go a different route."
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Steve Kerr recently said that he foresees Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre starting on the wing, which means Bazemore would come off the bench.
But Lowe will not be surprised if the 6-foot-4 lefty finds his way onto the court for the opening tip on some nights.
"I wonder if they even get to a point where they try to start him just to get more shooting on the floor," Lowe said. "It doesn't seem likely to me given the amount of money invested in Wiggins, and Oubre is a perfectly worthy starter.
"(But) I think they need a lot of Kent Bazemore. 'Kent Bazemore Golden State bench cheerleader' has now become 'Kent Bazemore essential player' for the Warriors."
It's possible that part of the reason the 31-year-old chose to return to the Warriors is that he has the opportunity to carve out a bigger role with Klay Thompson sidelined because of a torn right Achilles tendon.
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There's a major void there and Bazemore is confident he can help.
"I'm gonna bring the energy," he said last week. "Defensively is where I'm gonna hang my hat. Shut that water off as they say. If a guy gets it going, I'm your guy [to stop him].
"I'm gonna do what I've been doing to stay around these nine years. Get some rebounds, get some steals, get some blocks, get a couple assists, get a couple corner 3s.
"And smile my way back into the playoffs."