The Golden State Warriors have reportedly signed four free agents to training camp deals on Monday, including NBA journeyman center JaVale McGee.
ESPN reported that the Warriors added McGee, Phil Pressey, Elgin Cook, and Cameron Jones to their 15-man roster as they for training camp later this month. NBA teams are allowed up to 20 players in their rosters during training camp, but would have to cut down to only 15 before the new season starts.
The addition of the four players brings Golden State's current roster to 19 with 14 of the players having "fully guaranteed salaries for 2016-17 and all of them will likely make the opening-night regular-season squad in late October", according to the report.
McGee, Pressey, Cook, and Jones, together with five-year veteran shooting guard Elliott Williams, do not include salary protection in their deals and will be set to compete for the 15th and last spot in the Warriors roster for this upcoming season, as per the SF Gate.
Of the five players, the 7-foot, 270-pound McGee is the favorite to make it in the Warriors lineup next season.
The 28-year-old former Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Dallas Mavericks center can provide rim protection to fill-in the void left by the exits of traditional centers Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli. He also offers a lot of entertainment for the fans with his dunks, athleticism, and silly antics on the court, which made him a popular player in the league.
Plus, McGee is affordable and does not demand that much of a playing time, which is important since head coach Steve Kerr often prefers to field in his "death lineup" with Draymond Green as his center.
Last season, the former Nevada Wolf Pack standout suited up in 34 games for Dallas, averaging 5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in only 10.9 minutes of playing time, which is decent enough for a role players.
McGee is also capable of producing starter-level numbers if given enough minutes on the floor. During his starting days in Washington, the long-limbed Flint, Michigan native averaged 11.9 points and 8.8 rebounds, shooting 53.5 percent from the field, in 27.4 minutes of playing time a night.
