Where would the Warriors be right now if they hadn't signed Andrew Bogut in March?
In light of DeMarcus Cousins tearing his quad in Game 2 of the NBA playoffs against the Clippers, Bogut's late addition is looking like a shrewd move.
"He's a necessity right now," Warriors general manager Bob Myers told NBC Sports Bay Area's Greg Papa during Pregame Live on Wednesday night. "He's doing great."
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The move apparently was months in the making. According to Myers, the idea of bringing Bogut back from Australia was first floated in December.
"When Damian Jones got hurt, I got on the plane, I think I was on the trip or the next one, and whether it was Draymond or Kerr, somebody grabbed me and kinda said 'What about Bogut?'" Myers said. "And I said 'Yeah, he's an option.' And it's fascinating, because that decision, we can always find who to give credit to, but it was almost an organizational thing where the players were saying it, Kerr was open to it and our front office, obviously Larry Harris went out and saw him."
Bogut's first tenure with the Warriors ended following the 2016 NBA Finals. The Warriors signed Kevin Durant and needed to clear contracts to accommodate his salary, so Bogut was sent to the Dallas Mavericks.
"The best part of it is, most of the time when you trade a player away, there are bitter feelings, right?" Myers said. "And he had every right to feel that way even though we were getting Durant. But he wanted to come back. And he had other opportunities."
Golden State Warriors
In another trying season full of drama and free agency rumors, Myers appreciates the clear mind Bogut has brought to the Warriors.
"Just the kind of joy he's playing with has been great for us because he hasn't been through some of the rigmarole of the last few years," Myers said. "So he's coming in with a great attitude, which has been great for us."
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So, where would the Warriors be right now without Bogut? Probably starting Kevon Looney and playing Jordan Bell a lot more minutes than they'd prefer.
Yeah, we'd say the reunion with Bogut has worked out well for both sides.