The Golden State Warriors made a bold move when they traded for Kelly Oubre Jr to try and fill Klay Thompson’s void. It was a low-risk, high-reward kind of situation given his upside.
However, the former Washington Wizards player didn’t always fare well in the Bay. He was pretty inconsistent and struggled to score, especially from beyond the arc, even prompting plenty of trade rumors before the deadline.
The Warriors are reportedly looking to bring him back in free agency at a fair price but according to Erin Walsh of Yardbarker, that may no longer be possible:
“Oubre is reportedly confident he can earn $20 million per season on his next contract, which he hopes will be a long-term deal, Michael Scotto said on the HoopsHype podcast. While Golden State is willing to keep him, the $20 million price point might be a little high for the Warriors, Scotto adds,” read Walsh’s report.
Oubre Jr also said that he could bring a lot of teams to the table as a starter and didn’t seem to like the idea of coming off the bench, which could be a problem with Klay Thompson getting back in the lineup.
Moreover, the Warriors already have one of the most expensive rosters in the league, and even though they could match any offer for Oubre Jr given the fact that they have his Bird rights, they could end up paying north of $400 million in luxury tax because of that.
Oubre averaged 15.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on 43/31/69 shooting during his first season in the Bay, and while his defense was solid more often than not, his shooting slumps hurt the team early in the year.
He’s still pretty young and a couple of teams could be intrigued by his potential but we just don’t see the Warriors spending that much to bring him back.
