The Warriors have been looking for a backup point guard to come off the bench and provide some depth for some time now. Steph Curry is obviously the starter, but the Warriors needed someone they can count on while Curry is on the bench and can run the offense efficiently.
The Warriors traded for Steve Blake last season, but he didn’t pan out like they had hoped and it doesn’t look like they are bringing him back next season. The Warriors have a full mid level exception at their disposal and according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, they have used it on free agent point guard Shaun Livingston:
Golden State has reached an agreement with Nets free agent guard Shaun Livingston, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 2, 2014
The Warriors’ deal with Shaun Livingston will be three years, $16 million, league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 2, 2014
The Warriors get their back-up point guard in Livingston and do so at a reasonable price. Livingston will be getting around $16 million over three years, but the third year is only partially guaranteed, which means the Warriors could cut him if he is no longer producing.
Livingston spent last season with the Brooklyn Nets and averaged 8.3 points and 3.2 assists per game. At 6-foot-7, Livingston is a big point guard and will create some matchup problems for opposing teams.Livingston has bounced back nicely and has had a decent career after going down with a gruesome injury that many believed should have ended his career.