Following a successful three-year spell with the Golden State Warriors, Marreese Speights has found a new home in free agency. The 28-year-old big man reportedly agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Despite rejuvenating his career and winning an NBA title in Oakland, California, Speights looked likely to leave the Warriors. With the salary cap potentially climbing to $94 million, per The Vertical's Shams Charania, role players like Speights are going to earn much more than they would have in the past.
Golden State didn't have a ton of money to throw around this offseason without letting some free agents walk. Immediately after the Warriors lost Game 7 of the NBA Finals, team owner Joe Lacob made it clear big moves could be on the horizon, per ESPN's Marc Stein:
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 20, 2016
Many read that as a reference to Kevin Durant, this summer's most prized free agent. Lacob also could've been referring to a major extension for Harrison Barnes. Either way, re-signing Speights would've made adding any new players to the roster difficult.
While Speights was a valuable role player for Golden State, he's not vital to the point of being irreplaceable.
In terms of his value on the free-agent market, Speights hurt himself a little this past season. His performance on the court dropped a bit from where it was during the 2014-15 campaign. His scoring average per 36 minutes dropped from 23.6 to 22.2, and he shot 43.2 percent from the field, compared to 49.2 percent in 2014-15.
The Warriors were also a better team when Speights was on the bench. According to NBA.com, Golden State had a 1.7 net rating per 100 possessions when he was on the court and a 14.1 net rating with him off the court.
It will be interesting to see what Speights can do outside Golden State. He won't have Draymond Green, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson standing on the three-point line to force the defense out of the paint. Speights has, however, expanded his game to extend beyond the paint.
Below is Speights' field-goal distribution by distance during his three years with the Warriors, per NBA.com:
Speights has improved as a defender, but he continues to be a liability at that end, which is part of the reason he averaged under 10 minutes a game in each of the last three postseasons. His scoring helps to offset his defensive deficiencies, though.
And with spacing such a vital component for NBA teams, the fact that Speights showcased a somewhat consistent three-point shot (38.7 percent) last season bodes well for his continued progression on the offensive end.
It would be an overreaction for the Clippers to look at Speights' run with the Warriors and think he can be a regular NBA starter. A lot of his production in Golden State came against opponents' second units, so there's a major question as to whether he could produce similar numbers when matched up with tougher opposition.
As long as he's used in the right situations, Speights should be a nice piece of the Los Angeles rotation starting next season.
Note: Stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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