NBA Free Agency 2017: Golden State Warriors Add Some Swag, Dubs Sign Nick Young & Omri Casspi
Fresh from winning the NBA’s ultimate prize, the Golden State Warriors are not about to sit idle and allow other teams to dethrone them. While other NBA teams have acquired players with superstar status, the Dubs quietly acquired two reliable veterans, Nick Young and Omri Casspi.
According to Bleacher Report, Nick Young has agreed to a one-year, $5.2 million deal to play with the Golden State Warriors. The acquisition of the former Los Angeles Lakers forward, also known as Swaggy P, gives the Dubs another reliable outside shooter and a passable defender. Young reportedly declined his $5.7 million player option with the Lakers and chose to join the Warriors due in part to the troika, including former two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry, 2017 NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durrant, and 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year awardee Draymond Green, recruiting Swaggy P.
Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green all reached out to Nick Young to recruit him, which meant a lot to him.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) July 5, 2017
Meanwhile, ESPN reports that Omri Casspi has also agreed to sign a one-year, 2.1 million veteran’s minimum with the Golden State Warriors. By signing Casspi, the Warriors acquired another reliable three-point shooter who can also spend time at the power forward position if the Dubs want to play small. Casspi is an eight-year NBA veteran and has won two Israeli League championships.
Free agent forward Omri Casspi has agreed to a one-year deal with Golden State, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 4, 2017
With the Golden State Warriors’ lineup relatively intact, the addition of Nick Young and Omri Casspi will only make the Dubs stronger. Both of these veteran players are reliable snipers, passable defenders, and can create their own shots if need be. Also, in Young’s case, the acclimation and adjustment wouldn’t be too difficult, as the former Laker has played for L.A. Lakers head coach Luke Walton last season. And as basketball fans know, Luke Walton is Steve Kerr’s top assistant on that ill-fated Dubs squad that lost a 3-1 lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
However, what really allowed the Golden State Warriors to nab both Nick Young and Omri Casspi is Kevin Durrant. Durrant signed a deal that is reportedly $9 million less than the max contract he is eligible to receive. KD’s pay cut allowed the Warriors to bring back its core, the free agents: Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, Shawn Livingston, and David West. And as it turned out, the Dubs got more out of it by acquiring Nick Young and Omri Casspi. And to welcome Swaggy P into the fold, Durrant went to social media to express his feelings on Nick Young’s signing.
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 5, 2017
Both Nick Young and Omri Casspi should be valuable weapons for the Warriors in their quest to defend the NBA title. Already filled with shooters, the Dubs added two more outside snipers. Nick Young shot 40 percent from deep for the Lakers last season, while Casspi has made 37 percent of his three-pointers throughout his eight-year NBA career.
However, these recent signings have put one Warriors’ return in jeopardy: center JaVale McGee. McGee signed a one-year contract with the Warriors last year, which turned out to be the season that not only saw McGee won an NBA championship, it also resurrected his career. His impressive play with the Dubs has attracted the attention of other teams. As of this writing, McGee is reportedly in talks with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings in search for greener pastures. However, CBS Sports reports that the Warriors are still in contention to retain McGee’s services.
Free agent JaVale McGee has a meeting set with Clippers today, sources tell ESPN. He's remained engaged with Warriors on return there.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2017
While the traditional Western Conference contenders have been re-tooled and equipped to challenge the Warriors, the Dubs also brought in reinforcements of their own. With the Dubs’ core securely locked in, the addition of Nick Young and Omri Casspi provide the Warriors additional firepower to contend against these traditional powers. And with the Warriors seeming ready for the long grind in the vastly improved Western Conference, look for the Dubs to be still favored to win the NBA championship next season.
[Featured Image by Frank Franklin II/AP Images]
