The Golden State Warriors and other teams made a number of steps to open free agency at the beginning of the month, but despite this, the market has slowed in recent weeks and many talented players are still unsigned.
The list of unsigned free agents is led by guys like Tyus Jones, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Isaac Okoro, but it also includes a few players who Warriors supporters are likely to recognize.
After more than three weeks since the beginning of NBA free agency, some past Golden State Warriors champions still have not signed contracts.
Three former Warrior championship players are among the 60 best free agents still available, per HoopsHype, and are still seeking their next opportunity to play in the NBA.
Let’s examine each of the three players, their recent contributions to the league, and their prospects of signing new NBA contracts this offseason:
1. The man Damian Jones
It’s a little surprising that Damian Jones, who was selected by the Warriors with the final choice of the first round in 2016, has managed to sustain an eight-year career given that he was never able to establish a regular role with any of his prior clubs.
After spending just three seasons (including winning back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018) with Golden State, Jones played just 49 games. He was then traded to the Atlanta Hawks, where he played 55 games and made 27 starts in his one season there.
The 29-year-old has since played for the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers twice, Sacramento Kings once, Utah Jazz once, and Cleveland Cavaliers most recently. Jones, who played 39 games with the Cavaliers last season and averaged 6.9 minutes per game, is currently a free agent searching for his next NBA team.
Given Jones’s lifetime averages of 3.1 rebounds and 4.9 points, it’s unlikely that he will be given another chance. In the upcoming weeks or months, a team in dire need of a big could give the former Warrior a lifeline—the New Orleans Pelicans, for instance.
McGee, Javale
After signing with the Warriors prior to the 2016–17 campaign, Javale McGee has a lot to thank the team for helping to revive his career. In his brief two years with Golden State, McGee would show to be a lucky charm as the team won back-to-back titles.
During that time, McGee returned to his roots and shed his reputation as Shaqtin the Fool to develop into a reliable rim protector and an offensive danger who could run the rim and lob. The seven-foot big man, who was frequently used as a part of a multifaceted center rotation, started 27 games during the regular season and 10 during the postseason for the Warriors.
Following that, McGee enjoyed more fruitful seasons with the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers, where he captured his third championship in 2020 with the Lakers. In addition, he has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and most recently, the Sacramento Kings. However, throughout the last two seasons, his playing time and influence have decreased.
At 36 years old, there are serious doubts about McGee’s ability to play a 17th season of professional baseball. Last season, he had career-low averages in points, blocks, and minutes as the Kings frequently opted to play small behind Domantas Sabonis or go with fellow veteran Alex Len.
McGee can be very happy of everything he has accomplished and will always be remembered as a two-time Golden State champion and a three-time champion overall if this is, in fact, the conclusion of his NBA career.
Justin Holiday
Justin Holiday has undoubtedly had the biggest influence at the NBA level recently out of these three players. Holiday had one season with the Warriors in 2014–15, which resulted in the team’s first title since 1975, despite not being selected in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Since then, Holiday has played for no fewer than nine different NBA teams. However, his best season was perhaps the 2020–21 campaign, during which he started 52 games, averaged over 30 minutes per game, and played in every game for the Indiana Pacers.
During the 2023–24 regular season, the 35-year-old averaged close to 15 minutes and shot over 40% from three-point range after inking a one-year, $3.2 million contract with the Denver Nuggets the previous year.
In addition, Holiday participated in every one of Denver’s 12 postseason games, playing a minimum of nine minutes in each of their seven games in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ second-round series. In Game 2, he scored 13 points on 4 of 5 three-point attempts, and in Game 4, he scored 10 points on 3 of 5 three-point attempts.
The Nuggets lost that series, and the 6’6″ wing was likewise a +36. It’s a little surprising that the Nuggets haven’t made an attempt to re-sign Holiday yet this offseason when you consider that they recently lost their starting shooting guard in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Holiday should still have done well enough to secure a contract elsewhere before the upcoming season if Denver wants to put their faith in their young players to play more rotational minutes.
Leave a Reply