The Golden State Warriors will not be adding a 27-year-old three-time All-Star to their roster this offseason. According to Jason Quick of The Oregonian, former Portland Trail Blazers free agent Brandon Roy has come to an agreement with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With at least six teams vying for his services, the Warriors were a long shot for Roy. After David Aldridge of TNT and NBA.com broke the news that his deal was for two years and worth $10.4 million deal, the franchise was easily out of the running. With only the mid-level exception to work with, the team could have offered more years and more money, but the Warriors were not willing to use the entire mid-level exception because it would have put the team in the luxury tax. Also, there were still concerns about offering Roy a multi-year deal due to his knee injuries.
Despite general manager Bob Myers' relationship with Roy as his former agent with the conglomerate Wasserman Media Group, the other teams in the running for him had more to offer. Whether he was looking for more money, a longer contract, a team where he could definitely win now, or his best situation for playing time, the Warriors were unable to offer him any of these enticements.
Now that the Warriors are no longer waiting on Roy's decision, the team can now focus their interest on re-signing restricted free agent Brandon Rush. After extending a qualifying offer to him on June 26, the team can now match any offer he receives. Expected to earn more than the $2.96 million he made in 2011-12, Rush could be a Warrior next season if the team is willing to match an offer that is reasonably priced at a little more than $3 million.
While missing out on Roy isn't the worst thing in the world, as he does carry a chronic injury concern that initially made him retire, the team's limited cap space this offseason has made it very difficult to stay competitive in the free agent market. Although the Warriors want to keep Rush, other teams with interest and more money could sign him away from the team. For example, the Toronto Raptors are considering making an offer to Rush and still have a lot of money to spend after missing out on acquiring Steve Nash.
With so little money to work with and still possessing interest in other free agents like J.J Hickson, Jordan Hill, and Shelden Williams, the Warriors may be without Roy and Rush next season. Depending on the offers made by other teams, the Warriors will have to play the waiting game throughout the offseason before their final roster settles.
Sources:
@jwquick, Twitter.com
@daldridgetnt, Twitter.com
Roy spurns Warriors, will sign with Timberwolves, CSN Bay Area
Warriors extend qualifying to Brandon Rush, AP
Warriors waiting on Roy, Rush, CSN Bay Area
More from this contributor:
Fan's Review: Golden State Warriors 2012 NBA Summer League Roster - Part 2
Fan's Review: Golden State Warriors 2012 NBA Summer League Roster - Part 1
Fan's Take: Can the Golden State Warriors Afford to Sign Brandon Roy?
Golden State Warriors Trying to Sign J.J. Hickson Once Again: Fan's Take
Grading the Golden State Warriors' 2012 NBA Draft Picks: Fan's Take
Austin is a lifelong resident of the Bay Area, lifelong basketball fan and Golden State Warriors supporter, and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow this contributor on Twitter @_austinchang.
