The fine print on Golden State's final two offseason signings shows a front office that is protecting itself more than it is committing to either player.
The Golden State Warriors closed out a quiet offseason this week by signing guard Brandon Williams and forward Georges Niang, and the contract numbers that surfaced after the fact are interesting to say the least.
Both deals run one year, and both keep real money away from either player until he actually proves he belongs on the roster.
Golden State made the signings official on a Wednesday, which completed the team's 15-man roster heading into the new season.
What the Guarantees Actually Say
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported the guarantee breakdown a day after the deals became official, and the numbers explain why neither addition got much attention outside Warriors circles.
Niang's deal is worth $3.88 million in total, but only $1.84 million of that is locked in as a guarantee.
Williams signed for up to $2.63 million, and none of it was guaranteed at signing.
He can lock in $1.4 million just by making the opening night roster, with the rest tied to him sticking around into January.
ESPN's Shams Charania first reported both agreements through the players' agents before Golden State confirmed the moves, and the partial guarantees give the front office an easy way out if either player struggles in camp or the preseason.
Niang missed the entire previous season with a foot fracture, which explains why his deal carries extra injury protection language on top of the partial guarantee.
He is a career 39.9 percent three-point shooter across 544 games, and Golden State is banking on that shooting translating even after a full year away from the floor.
Williams comes over after a solid run backing up the point guard spot in Dallas, where he averaged 13.0 points per game last season across 66 appearances.
Where They Fit on the Roster
Both signings arrive with the Warriors already dealing with real questions about depth.
Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are both expected to miss the opening months of the season while they rehab from injury, so the effective roster is smaller than the 15 names on paper suggest.
Niang gives Steve Kerr another shooter to lean on if the wing rotation gets thin early, and Williams adds a scoring option behind Stephen Curry in the backcourt.
Golden State fans and analysts have spent the last few days debating whether this roster has a real shot at contending after such a mild summer, and moves like these two show a front office filling out the margins rather than making a big swing.
The offseason has featured plenty of roster change around the league, including Draymond Green's public reaction to a former teammate landing elsewhere.
Golden State's own outlook still leans heavily on health, especially with Curry's next contract extension becoming a bigger topic as training camp gets closer.
Niang and Williams will not decide that outlook either way, but the structure of their deals shows a team that left itself room to adjust if either signing does not work out.
That level of caution makes sense for two players filling out the back of a roster instead of chasing a starting job, and it costs Golden State almost nothing if camp shows either deal was not the right fit.
