Golden State Warriors: Complete grades for the 2019 NBA offseason
By Phil Watson
Signing Willie Cauley-Stein
The Golden State Warriors were looking at a big hole at the center spot with the departures of veterans DeMarcus Cousins and Andrew Bogut and moved to fill the void by getting unrestricted free agent Willie Cauley-Stein to move westward on Interstate 80 from the Sacramento Kings.
Cauley-Stein signed a one-year, $4.7 million deal to come to the Warriors after playing out his rookie deal with the Kings, who took him sixth overall in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Last season, Cauley-Stein averaged 11.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 27.3 minutes per game. But he was just a 55.1 percent foul shooter and does not present a spacing threat at all; he was just 1-for-2 from 3-point range last season and is 4-for-18 in his career.
He’s also not terribly effective as a rim protector, averaging 0.8 blocks per game in his career.
He will eat up minutes in the middle and projects split time at the 5 with Kevon Looney, who re-signed with the club as a restricted free agent.
Cauley-Stein’s career thus far has been that of a big man (7-feet, 240 pounds) who has made a very small splash in his first four seasons.
Whether a change of scenery and a new coaching staff can help push Cauley-Stein to a new level remains to be seen.
Grade: C+