OAKLAND -- Joe Johnson might have looked good in a Warriors jersey, particularly in the postseason, but the veteran with a reputation for thriving in the clutch reportedly is headed for Houston.
So the Warriors shop on, and two NBA sources say they have an interest in Marco Belinelli, the ex-Warriors guard and 2014 3-point shootout winner bought out by the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
Both sources, however, indicated that Belinelli is attracting interest from several other teams in the playoff race.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The Warriors are not thrilled with their 3-point shooting off the bench this season. Adding someone like Belinelli makes sense, as general manager Bob Myers indicated earlier this week.
“I know there’s been a lot of discussion about shooting off the bench, and we haven’t been good at that in three years,” he said. “If you look at our numbers, we haven’t been a great 3-point shooting team off our bench.
“It seems to have worked a little bit.”
But the historic success during that span did not prevent the Warriors from seeking reserves who can make 3-pointers last summer. They addressed that with the signings of Nick Young and Omri Casspi. Young is shooting 39.1 percent (75-of-192). Casspi is shooting 50 percent but has attempted only 18 triples.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors last season finished 29th in 3-pointers off the bench (2.1 per game) but are dead last as they approach the 2018 All-Star break. They’re making an average of 2.1 triples per game, while ranking 25th in percentage (33.4) from deep.
Belinelli, originally drafted 18th overall by the Warriors in 2007, is the best deep shooter currently available. He shot 37.2 percent (92-of-247) beyond the arc for a wretched Atlanta team with few other scoring options off the bench. He shot 92.7 percent from the line, the best mark of his career.