Kerr leaves open possibility Simmons could be fit for Warriors

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Jonathon Simmons is one of the five players participating in the Warriors' voluntary minicamp who is currently without an NBA contract.

For now, at least.

When asked about Simmons' minicamp performance thus far on Thursday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr not only offered a positive review, but left open the possibility Simmons could be playing for him well after the minicamp concludes.

"Jonathon Simmons has had a good week of camp and still has years to offer in the NBA, in my opinion," Kerr told The Athletic's Anthony Slater.

As for being a potential fit with the Warriors? "Possibly," Kerr added. "We could use the length on the wing."

Andrew Wiggins and Juan Toscano-Anderson are the only true small forwards currently under contract with the Warriors, and while Klay Thompson conceivably could play up a position at times, there's no question that it's an area of relative weakness in a league where wings are becoming more and more important. Adding Simmons, 31, would help address that need, and he'd come cheap.

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Though it has been a few years, Kerr and the Warriors saw firsthand the kind of impact Simmons can have when he averaged 15.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game for the San Antonio Spurs in the 2017 Western Conference finals. He started 50 games for the Orlando Magic the following season and averaged 13.9 points per contest, but has bounced around since. Simmons joined the Santa Cruz Warriors at the end of the last season and averaged 19.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals over five NBA G League games.

The Warriors need more wings, but they don't have much financial wiggle room with which to acquire them. There's still a long way to go until next season begins, but they might not have to look very far to find what they're looking for.

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