In an ideal world, the Golden State Warriors would love to bring Shaun Livingston back next season. Since his signing in 2014, Livingston has been a vital cog in the Warriors’ rotation, whose length, playmaking and defensive versatility have made him a crucial piece behind Stephen Curry. It has allowed the Warriors to experiment with small, switch everything lineups that have terrorized the league for the better part of three seasons.
Lets not put the cart before of the horse just yet. It is very possible that the free agent Livingston remains a Warrior through at least next season. Though the 31-year-old is out of contract, if Kevin Durant does indeed take a slight pay cut this offseason, Golden State will have the flexibility to retain Livingston, assuming he agrees to a contract well below his market value, likely around $6-7 million per year for a maximum of two years. On the open market, however, many are estimating he could command a large multi-year offer of at least $10-12 for three or four years.
Depending on Livingston’s willingness to sacrifice money and job security, it is also very possible that he’s played his last game in a Golden State uniform. Keep in mind that injuries have cost Livingston the opportunity to earn a lucrative contract at any point in his career. It’s time to start thinking about what the Warriors’ options are when it comes to filling a vacancy at back-up point guard (or perhaps more accurately backup combo-guard, as Livingston played the 2 nearly as much as he played the 1 last season.)
“He’s been through a lot, he’s had the huge injury,” said Tim Kawakami of The San Jose Mercury News. “If he gets a three or four year deal, $10 million a year from somebody else, I think the Warriors are going to let him go. And they would love to have him back, but that’s not the guy they’re going to circle.”
If Livingston leaves, it is very unlikely that there will be anyone on the open market (willing to take a bargain deal) that will come anywhere close to filling the specific, and multi-faceted role that Livingston provided the Warriors. But Golden State will have to do something. If Livingston exits, Patrick McCaw (who is really a small forward), would be the only backcourt reserve on the roster.
What follows in an imperfect list of the best possible fits to fill Livingston’s vacancy, comprised of players slated to become free agents this offseason.
Devin Harris – Dallas Mavericks
At the moment, Harris is still under contract for 2017-18, but the Mavericks could save $3 million by waiving him this offseason, something many believe they will do after drafting point guard Dennis Smith Jr. Harris, once a 20-plus point-per-game scorer, played a career low 16 minutes-per-game last season, and saw his scoring (6.7 ppg) reach the lowest mark of his career.
Despite those ominous facts, Harris was a surprisingly impactful player when he was on the court for Dallas in 2016-17. He ranked 21st in real-plus-minus amongst all point guards and posted a relatively efficient PER of 13.84 last season, both numbers that were interestingly better than Livingston’s. Harris can also play both guard positions and is a capable defender, spending much of last season marking 2s and 3s, as head coach Rick Carlisle often experimented with a three guard lineup.
At 34 years old, Harris is a smart veteran who is still solid on both ends, can score efficiently and doesn’t turn the ball over. He’s also never won an NBA title and is in the twilight of his career, and if he’s waived, would likely welcome joining an outfit like Golden State. He’s nothing close to the All-Star caliber player he once was, but if available, may be the best all around combo-guard option for the Warriors.
Darren Collison – Sacramento Kings
From a pure talent standpoint, Collison is the best player on this list. For much of his career, Collison has been a fringe starting point guard, which continued last year, when he split time with Ty Lawson in Sacramento. Collison is still an excellent scorer who is efficient from behind the line (41.7 percent last year) and can get to the rim despite his size.
Defense for the 6-foot Collison is an issue, however, and he would immediately become the worst defensive player on a Warriors team that has for the most part avoided singing anybody who can’t contribute on that end since Bob Myers took over as GM. At 29, Collision is also still at the end of his prime, and probably due for the last decent contract of his career. Add in his domestic violence issues and inconsistent play last season, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what his value is, but he may not be willing to take a significant pay cut at this point in his career.
Michael Carter-Williams
It’s crazy to think how drastically Carter-Williams’ stock has dropped since he was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2014. Cue to one day ago, when the dysfunctional Chicago Bulls declined to extend him a qualifying offer for next season, making him a free agent, where he will hope to be signed by his fourth team in five years.
Of the players on this list, Carter-Williams is built the most similarly to Livingston — a 6-foot-6 point guard with impressive length. Carter-Williams’ Achilles heel has been his shooting, which has also been hampered by surgeries to his shoulder and hip. Only 9.9 of his shot attempts were 3s last year.
Like Livingston, Carter-Williams’ size gives him the ability to bully smaller point guards, and his floater is consistent when he can get it off. He also greatly improved his defending, finishing fifth in defensive real-plus minus amongst point guards last season, finally living up to a defensive potential that was squandered earlier in his career.
Carter-Williams’ last three years have been disappointing, but the backup point guard role might be ideal for the 25-year-old, who won’t be expected to carry a bulk of the scoring load. He would also fit right into Golden State’s switch everything small ball lineup.
Langston Galloway – Sacramento Kings
Another player whose option has been declined this offseason, Galloway is a combo-guard who excels on the defensive side of the ball, and has improved his 3-point shot greatly, finishing at 39 percent from beyond the arc last season.
At 25-years-old, Galloway also still has a bunch of upside to improve, which may also be the reason that he will command a better deal from a team looking to improve their bench, even if the lowly Kings just waived him. Galloway is more of a shooting guard, but is also a capable ball handler who can run the offense if need be, and rarely turns the ball over.