After a wildly successful free agency period, the Warriors have one remaining roster to fill.
And with the signings of wing players Nick Young and Omri Casspi, Ian Clark is realizing his spot on the Warriors probably does not exist.
Speaking at a Boys and Girls club in his hometown of Memphis, Clark held a Q&A session with the crowd, where he said it’s unlikely he’ll be back next year in Golden State.
“It’s not looking like it,” Clark said via Logan Murdock. “I’m going through that situation right now. As much as I want to stay, it’s a business. We’ll find out. Anything can happen.”
A report surfaced Monday that the Milwaukee Bucks have interest in Clark, who developed into a nice bench piece for Steve Kerr last season. Clark set career-highs in games played (77), minutes per game (14.8), points per game (6.8), field goal percentage (48.7), and 3-point percentage (37.4). The 26-year-old found a permanent home this past year after spending some time with the Santa Cruz Warriors two seasons ago. Kerr found a role for him and Clark developed into a solid player — someone who could start for a handful of NBA teams.
The development of Patrick McCaw is a big reason why the Warriors feel okay letting Clark walk. McCaw helped close out the NBA Finals in a gutty Game 5 effort; Clark didn’t see the court. McCaw continued to show his worth Saturday night in Summer League action, scoring 25 points and made 5 of his 11 3s.
Clark became very close friends with several teammates, including Draymond Green. The two were spotted at Soul Cycle in Berkeley earlier last week. Clark’s presence will be missed, but the Warriors are going to be absolutely fine without him.
Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers left the door open for JaVale McGee’s return, but said maintained he’s not optimistic about anything during free agency.