Yuri Collins' ascension from undrafted guard, to G League player, and now to a 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors is a fairytale story that should be admired.
It's also arguably a mistake from the Warriors who are looking to continue a playoff push following the All-Star break, starting with Friday's meeting against the ninth-seed Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.
The Warriors need a player with NBA experience
Collins has been an excellent passer and playmaker during his collegiate and G League career, but he's also completely unproven at the NBA level. For a team that depleted some of their depth in the Jimmy Butler trade and is looking to make a run towards the playoffs, it doesn't make a ton of sense to bring in someone who doesn't figure to be part of the rotation.
Perhaps there's no player out there that would become part of the rotation, particularly given Steve Kerr should be shortening it as every game starts to mean all that much more. But while the buyout/free agency market hasn't materialized as some may have previously expected, there's surely other options the franchise could look at that have greater upside.
Their other recent signing, Kevin Knox II, does represent the sort of high upside move that is perfectly understandable. In Knox you've got a big 6'7" wing who has the physical tools that made him a top 10 pick, but who was stuck at losing organizations throughout his first six years in the NBA.
It can certainly be argued that Golden State needed to address their point guard depth after losing Dennis Schroder in the Butler trade, but acquiring a 6'0" Collins who is a questionable 3-point shooter isn't necessarily the player to fill that gap.
Is there any chance Collins surpasses two-way contracted guard Pat Spencer as an option for Kerr? That's unlikely, not that Spencer is in the main rotation himself anyway. If you wanted a non-spacing point guard who can handle the ball and be a playmaker, why not push harder for Ben Simmons before he signed with the L.A Clippers, or another former number one overall pick in Markelle Fultz before the Sacramento Kings pounced?
The saving grace is that this is just a 10-day contract, so the Warriors can easily pursue a different option once the deal ends. Based on everything laid out above, you'd expect that to be the case.
This signing seems more like a case of the franchise having to simply meet the minimum roster requirement, rather than one that's going to have a huge impact on the remainder of this season. That's further evidenced by the fact that Collins has remained with Santa Cruz ahead of their game against the Oklahoma City Blue on Friday, instead of joining Golden State for what could have been a potential NBA debut against the Kings.
