Tyreke Evans is meeting with the Warriors

There should be no surprises with this one. Free agent guard Tyreke Evans is meeting with the Golden State Warriors. Evans has been linked to the Warriors for a while, as many believed the team would try to trade for him at last season’s trade deadline. But the Memphis Grizzlies’ asking price was too high, and now they’re likely to lose a valuable player.

Evans’ brother was on Memphis’ ESPN radio station today and revealed that Tyreke has a meeting with the Warriors today, in addition to meetings with the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets. There is also mutual interest with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

This comes on the heels of a report mentioning the connections between the 28-year old Evans and Golden State:

Now it comes down to what Evans prioritizes. The most the Warriors can offer him is the mid-level exception of $5.3 million, which the team appears a little hesitant to use (it will cost them more than $20 million, after accounting for luxury taxes).

It seems very possible that another team will be willing to offer him a bit more money. But if he wants to win a title, the Warriors are obviously his best option. He could also take the single-year deal with Golden State, and cash out next year when the market will have a lot more money.

Evans’ fit is also interesting to consider. On the one hand, he had a stellar year last season, averaging 19.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, while shooting the ball with pretty nice efficiency. On the other hand, he’s a ball-dominant guard who does not play good defense, and that doesn’t fit with what the Warriors want.

Much depends on how the team views his shooting. After making just 27.8% of his three-pointers in his first six NBA seasons, Evans has shot 38.7% over the last three years. That would give the Warriors a much-needed element off the bench, if it can hold.

Now we wait and see if Evans wants a ring, or if he’ll chase more minutes and dollars elsewhere.