Which available players would the Golden State Warriors regret not being able to sign in free agency last offseason?

The Golden State Warriors entered 2023 free agency with little to work with. The franchise’s league-high payroll meant they had nothing but minimum contracts to offer prospective players, considerably limiting their ability to attract big name free agents.

By the time free agency rolled around, the Warriors had already made their big offseason move. The Jordan Poole for Chris Paul was their biggest splash, leaving free agency as a way to finalize the end of their roster.

Which available players would the Golden State Warriors regret not being able to sign in free agency last offseason?

As a result, Golden State’s free agency acquisitions have now resulted as underwhelming. Their biggest signing was Dario Saric, which at the time appeared like an incredibly savvy signing on a minimum deal.

That notion continued early in the season when the Croatian was one of the team’s better performed players through the first 30-40 games. However, the longer the season has progressed, the more obvious Saric’s defensive limitations have become.

His minutes as a small-ball five became untenable, forcing head coach Steve Kerr into playing him solely at the four next to either Trayce Jackson-Davis or Draymond Green. Yet that didn’t overly help, and nor did the return of Paul with whom he’d worked so well with earlier in the season.

As we currently speak, Saric is out of the rotation and without a path back to a regular role. In fairness, that might be just as much to do with Golden State’s deep roster than it is Saric’s ability.

The Warriors’ other signing was Cory Joseph, a veteran point-guard who it was hoped could step in when Paul or Stephen Curry were to miss games. Unfortunately things simply didn’t work out between player and franchise, with Joseph traded to the Indiana Pacers at the deadline for tax saving purposes.

So, with Saric having little impact right now and Joseph off the team all together, which realistically obtainable players would the Warriors have been better off signing? Let’s have a look at three players the franchise would regret missing out on, starting with a long-time rival guard:

1. Eric Gordon

We know for a fact that the Warriors were interested in signing Eric Gordon, with the veteran guard revealing he turned down interest from Golden State, Milwaukee and Houston to sign a two-year, $6.6 million deal (second-year player option) with the Phoenix Suns.

Gordon has been one of the best three-point shooters in the league over the last decade. That’s proven no different in Phoenix where the 35-year-old has averaged 6.2 attempts per game — his most since the 2020-21 season.

Gordon is making 38% of his threes and is averaging 12 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. The Suns’ injury issues meant they’ve probably leant on the former Sixth Man of the Year more than expected, with Gordon averaging 29.5 minutes including 24 starts in his 53 games.

While the presence of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson is always going to mean the Warriors rank highly in three-point attempts, this roster actually lacks some shooting outside the storied duo. Golden State had five players average more than two made threes last season, and four average two or more in 2021-22. Only Curry and Thompson are doing that this season, with Chris Paul third in average made threes at 1.4 per game.

That’s an element Gordon certainly could have helped with, having averaged 2.4 made threes this season. There’s also the element of adding another experienced playoff performer into the mix, something the Warriors certainly could have done with in Saturday’s shock loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

2. Malik Beasley

After averaging over 25 minutes per game for the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers last season, the Milwaukee Bucks were able to surprisingly snap up Malik Beasley on a one-year, $2.7 million contract.

Perhaps even more surprisingly, the championship-contending Bucks have found a more prominent role for Beasley than what he’s had for various teams in years past. The 27-year-old has started all 62 games for Milwaukee this season, averaging 29.6 minutes for the second-best team in the Eastern Conference.

Beasley has been a sharpshooter for much of his career, yet he’s taken it to a new level this season playing next to Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetekounmpo. His 43.6% from beyond the arc ranks sixth in the entire league, while he also ranks 11th in total made threes this season.

On top of his 11.3 points, Beasley is adding 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He’s also been tasked with being Milwaukee’s point-of-attack defender, which although has had varying levels of success, is quite the responsibility for a player on a minimum contract.

3. Kelly Oubre Jr.

While there was a realistic chance that Gordon or Beasley could have joined the Warriors last offseason, it’s highly unlikely that the franchise would ever reunite with Kelly Oubre Jr. after his rather unsuccessful stint in 2021-22.

That doesn’t change the fact that Oubre has proved one of the league’s most valuable signings from last offseason. The 28-year-old went a large period without a team, not signing with the Philadelphia 76ers until late September.

His offensive usage may have gone down after two seasons with the cellar-dweller Charlotte Hornets, but Oubre has remained a talented scorer capable of being a tertiary option in a starting lineup or as a scoring punch off the bench.

The former Warrior has averaged 14.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 29.2 minutes per game. His three-point percentage may be down at 30.2%, yet Oubre’s overall efficiency is up thanks to relying less on his shooting from beyond the arc — he’s only taken 4.5 attempts per game this season after over seven in each of the last two seasons with Charlotte, and over five with Golden State the year prior.

Given the inconsistent nature of Andrew Wiggins this season, there would have been points throughout where the Warriors could have utilized Oubre’s scoring ability. Would that have impacted the development of Jonathan Kuminga? Maybe. But even now there may be more use for Oubre than there is with Saric.