3 buyout candidates for the Golden State Warriors to target

3 buyout candidates for the Golden State Warriors to target- Eric Bledsoe

Even though the Golden State Warriors have won 42 of 58, their depth chart still isn’t all that pretty. It doesn’t take a genius to see they’re light at point guard, obviously not a major concern given the team has Stephen Curry starting and one of the great playmaking big men in the game in Draymond Green.

It becomes less of a concern when considering that the team ranks second in assists per game, showing little problem scoring baskets in a very pass-happy offense, despite it being untraditional on paper.

However, the players backing up Curry aren’t strong facilitators and there’s some reason to be concerned about that. Come playoff time, with the superstar off the floor, how confident will Coach Kerr be assigning playmaking responsibilities to the scoring-focused Jordan Poole or the defensive-minded Gary Payton II, both of whom have never played in a postseason game?

I understand all of the Warriors playoff contributors will be adept at sharing the ball, but a team so reliant on the three-point arc and back-door cuts will at times need to rely on a primary ball-handler.

The offense might be proficient enough to overcome it, but what happens if Curry suffers an injury? In the past, veterans Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala stepped in for an injured Curry and the offense didn’t miss a beat on their way to the Conference Finals. The team as is doesn’t have a veteran point guard on the bench, and the swiss-army-knife Iguodala is now 38 years old.

The first option that comes to mind is Eric Bledsoe, recently traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in an effort to shed long-term salary. Starting the season with the LA Clippers, Bledsoe was his vintage slasher and perimeter defender, flip-flopping between the starting lineup and a sixth man role. Yet on an team struggling without its two superstars, the veteran stepped in and provided a spark of offense as a facilitator, finding open shooters and cutting big men.

Traded by the Clippers  who were in need of scoring and frontcourt length, he landed with Portland (25-34), who’s mailing it in the rest of the year as part of a quick rebuild. The Trail Blazers can surely use his services with Damian Lillard out with an abdominal injury, but they’re likely more interested in seeing what they have in their younger playmakers first, even if it means losing.

Now, Bledsoe (33 and without an NBA championship) is taking his sweet time recovering from Achilles soreness and is probably discussing a buyout opportunity so he can chase a ring.

If he does end up being bought out, he would be the most valuable player on the open market and likely have a long list of suitors, the most appealing of which being the Warriors. The team would benefit greatly having another reliable point guard on the playoff roster, taking command when Curry needs a rest or taking over if Curry suffered any sort of injury.

Bledsoe, already well accustomed to playing on the West Coast, fits in with the Warriors defensive identity and doesn’t need to shoot to be effective on offense.

This pairing would make the Warriors’ offense in the playoffs stronger and more secure, especially since their counterparts generally all have great backups. And it would give Bledsoe (9.9 points, 4.2 assists, 1.3 steals per game) another chance to compete for an NBA title, one he’ll have an easier time with given the plethora of scoring options *winks at Milwaukee*.