What’s going on with Pat McCaw?

No one expected there to be much drama in the offseason for Patrick McCaw. There seemed to be two options for the restricted free agent whom the Golden State Warriors openly wanted to re-sign: Either re-up straight away, or seek out an offer sheet from another team, wait for the Warriors to match it, and then re-sign.

A third, less likely option loomed in the shadows. What if McCaw signed an offer sheet and the Warriors didn’t match? In an offseason where few NBA teams had fiscal flexibility, would someone make the daring move to give the 22-year old more money than Golden State would be willing to pay?

Of those three options, none have played out. It’s been 36 days since the start of free agency and McCaw remains a free agent, with nary a rumor nor report about his situation.

So what does it mean? Understandably, some fans are worried that McCaw may be on his way out. The team has been quick to make moves - signing DeMarcus Cousins and Jonas Jerebko to one-year deals, and inking Damion Lee to a two-way contract - so silence on the McCaw front can feel a little off-putting.

In all likelihood, silence from both the team and player means good news for a reunion.

Golden State remains with only 13 players on guaranteed contract; they can have up to 15, though they’ve strongly suggested that they’ll only carry 14. That the Warriors have yet to fill that 14th spot, with very few quality free agents remaining, suggests that they’re holding onto it for McCaw. There haven’t even been rumors of free agents that Golden State is interested in; the lack of news from the Warriors camp makes it feel like the roster is already set, even if, on technicalities, it isn’t.

From the player standpoint, it seems unlikely that McCaw has many suitors if he’s still a free agent. Free agency goes quickly, as teams want to gobble up as much talent as possible while it’s still available. Look around the league, and the most notable free agents are Dwyane Wade, Rodney Hood, and Nick Young. It’s not exactly a raging party of players watching their bidding wars unfold.

If someone were going to offer McCaw the type of deal (say, three-years, $24 million) that would make the Warriors hesitate and potentially say goodbye, it almost surely would have happened before Day 36 of free agency. Long before.

So with every passing day, it becomes more likely that McCaw will be returning to the Bay Area, where he’s won titles in his first two NBA campaigns. Who knows what’s causing the hold-up - perhaps he’s waiting until the last minute, just in case an offer can give him a little leverage - but, at this point, it would be shocking to see McCaw in any jersey other than a Warriors one next year.