NBA rumors: Warriors ‘petition' GM Bob Myers to keep Marquese Chriss

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Marquese Chriss made quite the impression during the Warriors' exhibition opener last Saturday against the Lakers.

Despite fouling out in 14 minutes, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft registered eight points, six rebounds and four assists off the bench.

According to Marcus Thompson of The Athletic, Chriss' performance reportedly turned heads:

Not long after the Warriors’ first preseason game, there was a meeting somewhere in the bowels of Chase Center. It wasn’t a meeting, sources said, as much as it was a petition, a reiteration, an emphasis, to Warriors general manager Bob Myers. The request was simple in scope. Yet, it was also profound, considering it included an important voice in the locker room, considering it was about a player many have given up on.

The request? Get Marquese Chriss on this team.

So, who was this "important voice in the locker room?" We are not saying that it was Draymond Green, but ...

... he's certainly a leading candidate. Why? Well, consider what the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year told reporters about Chriss after the 123-101 loss:

“I think he played great. I think he’s been great all training camp. He’s been on a couple teams, and everybody has kind of written him off.

"But he’s been amazing in camp, and to me it looked like he’s figuring it out and he's turning a corner."

It's safe to assume that Draymond wants to share the floor with a guy who can do stuff like this:

As you probably are well aware, Chriss is on a non-guaranteed contract and the Warriors can't sign him to their open 15th roster spot because they are "hard-capped."

They could cut Alfonzo McKinnie -- whose contract is not guaranteed until early January -- or give Chriss one of the two-way deals that currently belong to Ky Bowman and Damion Lee (Lee isn't going anywhere).

But the Sacramento native might refuse a two-way contract no matter what.

The situation will be resolved in the coming days or weeks. For now, Chriss just is focused on what he can control.

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“I’ve heard good things, positive things from the coaches,” Chriss told Thompson. “I’m just trying to stay open-minded and keep being coached. Whether or not it works out here, I was able to come here and learn some things that I would be able to take other places.

"I think at the end of the day, my goal was to show them that this was where I should be and put the pressure on them.”

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