As the start of free agency looms in the NBA, the rumor mill is swirling. At the center of it all is the Golden State Warriors.
As Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson gear up for their healthy returns to the court, Bob Myers and Steve Kerr will be tasked with building the rest of Golden State’s rotation for a run back to the postseason.
Following Golden State’s second overall pick in the NBA draft on Wednesday, the Warriors will quickly turn their attention to the fast-approaching free-agent window.
Before free agency is underway, the Warriors could already have interest in a veteran wing from the Los Angeles Lakers. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the Warriors are one of several contending teams attempting to court Avery Bradley in free agency. Haynes mentioned the Milwaukee Bucks as one of the other squads interested in Bradley.
Via @ChrisBHaynes on Twitter:
Yahoo Sources: Potential free agent Avery Bradley to be courted by Golden State, Milwaukee and several contenders in attempt to lure him away from the Los Angeles Lakers.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 16, 2020
According to a report from Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Bradley is expected to decline his $5 million player option with the defending champions.
Before opting out of the Lakers’ trip to the NBA’s Orlando Bubble, the 29-year-old averaged 8.6 points on 44.4% shooting from the field with 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.4 minutes per game. During the 2019-20 campaign, Bradley shot 36.4% on 3.5 attempts from beyond the arc per game.
While his offensive numbers don’t jump off the page, Bradley is a proven defender at the NBA level. Following his nod to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team in 2013, Bradley was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2016 with the Boston Celtics.
For a team that needs wing depth, Bradley could bring a much-needed dose of defense with veteran experience to Golden State’s second unit behind Curry and Thompson.
