During the final stretch of the season, the Golden State Warriors are using the bank end of their roster to experiment with players on 10-day contracts. With 20 games left, Golden State has already circulated through five different players on 10-day deals.
The highest-profile player to come to Golden State on a 10-day contract is 2016 lottery pick, Dragan Bender. The former Phoenix Suns fourth overall draft pick was waived as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2019-20 season, leading him to the Warriors.
In six games with Golden State, the 22-year-old big man averaged 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game. Bender started three games during his stint with the Warriors, but struggled to show off his long-distance shot. The Croatian shot 29.2% from 3-point land on 24 attempts in six games.
Although his time in Golden State was up and down, Bender saved his best performance in the final game of his 10-day contract. The center scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with two makes coming from beyond the arc. Bender added five rebounds and two assists in Golden State’s comeback win against the Denver Nuggets.
Steve Kerr spoke to reporters in Denver about Bender’s future with the team. Golden State’s coach said he wants to keep Bender around for another 10-days if possible.
Via Anthony Slater of The Athletic:
I really like Dragan; I think he’s got a lot of potential. We’ll see what happens going forward. I would love to give him another 10 days if that’s possible. We’ll figure that out as an organization going forward. He’s got a lot of potential, obviously — the fourth pick in the draft, there’s a reason for that. I think he’s shown in the 10-days that if you give him a little confidence, you give him a chance to play and he can gain some confidence he can do a lot of good things out there. He’s helped us win two games in a season when we’ve not won a whole lot of games. He’s helped us win two of the last three and done a great job. He’s fighting; he’s competing. I really like him — I think he’s got a future in the league.
With injuries to Golden State’s frontcourt in Draymond Green, Kevon Looney and Alen Smailagic, the Warriors have a need for a presence like Bender. The Warriors will have only one day off with Bender’s contract expired before the Toronto Raptors come to San Francisco on Thursday night.
