Warriors To Sign Douglas, O'Neal
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) With the NBA's moratorium on free agency set to lift Wednesday, the Golden State Warriors wrapped up most of their major work ahead of schedule.
The Warriors added some depth by reaching agreements with guard Toney Douglas and center Jermaine O'Neal on Tuesday, a person with knowledge of the situation said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because teams can't confirm moves until the new league year begins Wednesday.
Both are believed to be one-year contracts.
The moves cap a busy and bountiful period for general manager Bob Myers and his staff since free agent talks began July 1. While there will surely be additional roster moves, it's unlikely the Warriors will do any more major shuffling this summer.
Golden State already has agreements in place to sign Andre Iguodala, Marreese Speights, Douglas and O'Neal. The team even announced Tuesday that the Warriors' first-round pick, Serbian point guard Nemanja Nedovic, signed his rookie contract.
Nedovic had been working on a buyout with his Lithuanian pro team since the Warriors drafted him 30th overall. He will play with the Warriors' summer league team Saturday in Las Vegas before returning to Serbia to fulfill his commitments to the national team.
The Warriors, which entered free agency with severe salary cap restrictions, kept finding ways to clear space the past nine days- and could clear even more through additional sign-and-trade deals with some of those agreements. Through free agency or trades, they parted ways with Jarrett Jack, Carl Landry, Brandon Rush, Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson, two first-round picks and two second-round picks.
The last of those moves, which can be officially announced as soon as Wednesday, should solidify the end of coach Mark Jackson's rotation.
Douglas played for the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings last season, averaging 7.5 points and 2.1 assists in 18.1 minutes per game. The 27-year-old gives Golden State some added backcourt depth to help alleviate the loss of Jack, who agreed to a four-year, $25 million deal with Cleveland.
The Warriors are hoping the 34-year-old O'Neal can be a reliable backup to Andrew Bogut while Festus Ezeli recovers from right knee surgery, which is expected to sideline him another five to eight months. O'Neal showed he might have some NBA life left with Phoenix last year after knee and wrist surgeries had turned the six-time All-Star into a shell of his former self.
O'Neal averaged 8.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 18.7 minutes with the Suns. The 6-foot-11 center is entering his 18th season in the NBA.
Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP
