Golden State is swapping one young center for another this summer, and the move says plenty about how the Warriors want to spend what is left of their money.
The Golden State Warriors are bringing Charles Bassey back for a second stint.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the two sides have agreed on a one-year deal that returns Bassey to the Bay Area for his sixth NBA season.
The move comes two days after Golden State lost center Quinten Post, who signed an offer sheet with the Memphis Grizzlies that the Warriors chose not to match.
Bassey fills the spot Post left open, giving Golden State a cheap, familiar body to plug into the middle of the rotation heading into training camp.
Why Golden State Made This Move
Bassey earned this second look the hard way.
He spent most of last season bouncing around on short deals with Memphis, Philadelphia, and Boston before Golden State signed him in April, and he made the most of his five games with the Warriors, averaging 10.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 67.7 percent from the field.
Numbers like that from a player making close to the minimum are hard to find, and the Warriors clearly remembered it once a roster spot opened up.
Post is the one who opened that spot up.
He turned two productive seasons in Golden State, including career averages of 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting better than 36 percent from three, into a three-year, $30 million offer sheet from Memphis.
Matching it would have cost close to $10 million a year for a backup center on a roster that already runs Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford at the same spot, and Golden State wants every available dollar open in case LeBron James joins them.
Memphis, coming off a 25-57 season and still rebuilding, could afford that bet in a way a veteran team trying to win now could not.
Where the Depth Chart Stands Now
Golden State came into the summer with only two proven bigs on the roster in Porzingis and Horford, and a reunion with Kevon Looney once looked like the natural third option.
That plan fell apart when Looney signed with the Los Angeles Lakers instead, and it left Bassey as the trusted fallback once the Post situation resolved.
Behind a 40 year old Horford and an often banged up Porzingis, Bassey is depth rather than a lock for real minutes, and he fits a summer in which the front office has mostly re-signed its own free agents rather than chasing outside additions.
The Warriors are still waiting to bring back Draymond Green, who opted out of a $27.6 million player option at the end of June specifically to give the front office more spending room this summer.
He is expected to return on a cheaper, longer deal once the rest of the roster takes shape, and until that gets finalized, Golden State is holding the flexibility open for a run at LeBron James and a possible trade for Anthony Davis.
Bassey will not move any of those bigger dominoes, but he gives a front office chasing two stars a cheap, familiar option at center while everything else gets sorted out.
