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Good Morning Dub Nation,
There are only 17 games left in the regular season as the Golden State Warriors continue to make their final push for the playoffs. They currently hold the fifth seed in the West and have been playing well as of late despite dealing with absences from key players such as Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins.
The impact of their depth has been huge during this span; however, it may be taking a hit as last Sunday’s game marked the 50th game for Warriors two-way player Anthony Lamb. This means he’s reached the limit of his two-way contract and will be unable to play for the Warriors unless they convert his contract for the rest of the season. Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area says the Warriors will most likely convert Lamb’s contract while breaking down how the situation unfolded during a segment on Warriors Live.
“(The Warriors) didn’t foresee this turning out the way that it did. What changed things was Andrew Wiggins’ absence. If Andrew was still here, (Anthony) Lamb wouldn’t be at 50 games. He would have had some inactive games because Wiggins is out there. But just like Ty Jerome who got more games because Steph (Curry) was out, Wiggins’ absence meant that Anthony Lamb was more important to this team and more necessary. So, Wiggins’ absence has had sort of an effect on what happened with Lamb.
“I think, in the end, (Lamb) is probably the guy that I think they end up signing — because he’s such a versatile guy, he can do so many little things. Now, if everybody’s healthy though, he’s not going to get big minutes. If everybody’s healthy, but how often have we had that this season.”
After Sunday’s game, head coach Steve Kerr shared his thoughts on Lamb’s situation. Kerr made the case for adding Lamb to the official roster, citing his ability to connect multiple lineups as a key factor.
Steve Kerr says he'd "love to get [Lamb] on the roster" after Lamb reached the two-way limit of 50 games today pic.twitter.com/QEz9eRiMmU
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 5, 2023
The Warriors technically do not have an open roster spot to convert Lamb right now due to the 10-day contract they used on Lester Quinones. Quinones’ contract ends this Saturday, Mar. 11, meaning the Warriors will most likely convert Lamb on Mar. 13 before their game against the Phoenix Suns. Adding Lamb to the roster this way serves a purpose from a cap perspective as explained by GSWCBA on Twitter.
Today will be the final game Lamb will be eligible to play for the Warriors while on his two-way.
— GSWCBA (@gswcba) March 5, 2023
With Lester Quiñones's 10-Day expiring on 3/11, it seems like 3/13 will be the day that the Warriors will convert Lamb onto their 15-man roster so he can continue playing for them. https://t.co/ciTQb7vdnA
Converting Lamb on 3/13 at the pro-rated minimum salary rate of $295,463 would increase the Warriors' total roster cost for the season by $2.1M.
— GSWCBA (@gswcba) March 5, 2023
Every additional day they hold off doing so will save a little bit off of that, just depends on if they want him available for games.
In the meantime, it should be interesting to see how Lamb’s minutes are spread out during the next three games. He currently averages 20.1 minutes per game which could mean bigger roles for Jonathan Kuminga and even Patrick Baldwin Jr. are on the horizon.
Here are the rest of today’s stories:
In case you missed it from Golden State of Mind:
- Player grades: Warriors vs. Lakers
- Warriors’ road record falls to 7-24 after losing to the Lakers
- Jordan Poole and the disconnect between three-point volume and efficiency
- Warriors unable to keep up with Anthony Davis in 113-105 loss to Lakers
- Appreciating Klay Thompson filling in the superstar shoes
Other Warriors News:
- Steve Kerr wants Anthony Lamb on Warriors roster with two-way games used up (NBC Sports Bay Area)
- Steph Curry perfectly recreates iconic 2016 Oklahoma City game-winner (NBC Sports Bay Area)
- Kawakami: Warriors/Joe Lacob timeline notes, schedule analysis and lineup stats (The Athletic)
- Steph Curry, Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors ‘changed the NBA landscape’ (The Mirror)
- Andre Iguodala didn’t score in his return, but Warriors felt his impact. Can he stay healthy? (Mercury News)
NBA News:
- Taylor Jenkins says no ‘definitive timeline’ for Ja Morant’s return amid NBA investigation (The Athletic)
- Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant could help himself by following the Carmelo Anthony blueprint (Andscape)
- Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant form unbreakable bond on road to back-to-back titles (NBA)
- LeBron James: Bronny Is Better Than Some NBA Players, ‘S—t Lightweight Hilarious’ (Bleacher Report)
- The path for the Mavericks to become a true contender has never felt so clear (SB Nation)
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