This offseason, Chat Sports is bringing you all the latest Golden State Warriors rumors and speculation.
It’s easy to forget that the Warriors had four picks in the 2012 draft. Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green came together as the Warriors’ best draft class in recent memory, and the fourth pick – Ognjen Kuzmić, didn’t play a single minute.
In fact, Kuzmić never left Europe – he’s been playing in Spain for several years now. The Warriors secured his rights with the 52nd pick in 2012, but in effect, all that does is give the Warriors first dibs on him when his European contract expires. According to the latest rumors, we've heard the Warriors are trying to buy out the remainder of Kuzmić’s contract so they can bring him over a year early.
At 7’1 and 231 pounds, Kuzmić would add some serious size to the Warriors’ front line. The Bosnian big man is a gritty, focused hard worker who can move surprisingly well for a player of his size.
Kuzmić is definitely a project, and wouldn’t do more for Golden State than Andris Biedrins did last year. There’s one area where Kuzmić provides a clear upgrade over Biedrins, though: he shoots 70% from the free-throw line. Compare that to Biedrins’ average, and Kuzmić may as well be Rick Barry.
This season, Kuzmić moved from Unicaja Malaga’s second team to Spanish heavyweights FIATC Joventut, but Unicaja still own the player’s contract. Moving up a league didn’t faze Kuzmić, and he averaged a respectable 6.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in about 18 minutes per game. The Warriors could probably bring Kuzmić to Oakland this season for just over $1 million, but they’ve yet to reach a deal with his Spanish club.
If the Warriors don’t end up securing Kuzmić for this season, it won’t be a huge loss – there are plenty of free agent big men on the market who could provide the same output. If Kuzmić does end up coming over, don’t expect him to get more than garbage time minutes. It’s highly likely he’d also spend some time with Golden State’s D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz as he learns English and acclimates to America.
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