Grading Warriors' Early Moves in NBA Free Agency

The Golden State Warriors are back in familiar territory: reigning over the NBA as defending champs and working feverishly to prepare their roster for the next title push.

So far this summer, they've seen more subtractions (notably, Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr.) than additions, but they have inked three free agents to new deals.

We're putting those three signings under the microscope here and assigning each a letter grade based on contract value and potential impact.

Had James Wiseman spent his sophomore season leaping into (or anywhere near) stardom, perhaps the Warriors wouldn't have felt compelled to give Kevon Looney a three-year, $25.5 million deal.

The fact that Wiseman actually spent the entire campaign sidelined by a torn meniscus meant retaining Looney was an absolute must.

With seven seasons in this system under his belt—and three championship rings in his jewelry collection—he has a genius-level understanding of how he helps this team. There's no flash in his game, but there is a ton of solid screens, gritty glass work and enough close-range finishing to make him a viable threat on rim rolls or quick duck-ins.

In a perfect world, Looney's three-year pact will be the ultimate bridge for this frontcourt. He can handle starting duties now and, ideally, eventually hand the reins to Wiseman as Looney settles into a reserve role.

Grade: A-

With a luxury tax bill stretching as high as San Francisco's tallest skyscrapers, the Warriors needed some luck to turn their tiny bit of financial flexibility into a consistent contributor.

They apparently got that luck by way of Donte DiVincenzo's ankle injury, which torpedoed his stock and saw him transform from a key cog in Milwaukee to a disposable player in Sacramento. Warriors fans should start preparing their best offerings to send to the basketball gods if they haven't already.

DiVincenzo's ankle injury, suffered in May 2021, is completely in the rearview, so he should be on track to play a significant role in Golden State's perimeter rotation. At his best, he's a two-way asset. He can play on or off the ball, pile up points in transition and create havoc as a pesky defender.

If his three-ball falls like it can—he shot 37.9 percent in 2020-21 and 36.8 percent after his trade to Sacramento—he should enjoy a seamless transition to his new team. That the Warriors got him on board without using their full mid-level exception (two years, $9.3 million) is masterful work by the front office.

Grade: A

Lester Quinones doesn't have a lot of name power at the moment, but he is the third player the Warriors have signed (he got a two-way deal), so he gets a spot in this exercise.

Undrafted out of Memphis—where he once teamed with Wiseman—Quinones landed in a potentially perfect spot, as he'll now share a locker room with the blueprint for his game.

"Klay [Thompson] has been a favorite player of mine for years now," Quinones told HoopsHype's Sam Yip. "With him being a three-and-D player...just watching guys like that really just helps with studying film and really just perfect my craft and get my game to the next level."

Painting Quinones as the next Klay Thompson is on the hyper-extreme end of wishful thinking, but at least Quinones is already on board with the idea of filling a complementary role. He has a pure shot (99 triples at a 39.4 percent clip the past two seasons) and competes defensively, so he has a chance to eventually settle into a three-and-D gig.

Grade: C+