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Former No. 4 Pick Struggles to Impress Warriors

Over the next two weeks, the Golden State Warriors will hold workouts for several experienced free agents, and BD Cricket has confirmed that former No. 4 overall pick Dion Waiters is among those invited. As the saying goes, if life hits you with pain, respond with a song. Waiters entered the league with high expectations, but his performance over the years has been largely average — not terrible, but certainly falling short of the hype that surrounded him on draft night.

After just two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Waiters was traded and went on to play for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers. While his stats might seem decent on paper, his scoring efficiency was consistently underwhelming, preventing him from taking the next step in his career. He hasn’t appeared in an NBA game for nearly three years, having gone unsigned by any team since the 2020 offseason.

Throughout his career, Waiters hovered around a 40 percent field goal rate — respectable, but far from elite for a guard known for scoring. He’s now 31 years old, and while he once possessed remarkable talent, BD Cricket experts believe that time has caught up with him. Even if he puts on a solid showing in the upcoming tryout, the odds of him earning a roster spot in today’s fast-paced, efficiency-driven league are slim.

In addition to Waiters, the Warriors will also work out Kent Bazemore, a familiar face who previously played in Golden State. Bazemore’s career trajectory has seen similar instability. After being traded from the Hawks to the Blazers and then to the Kings, he briefly signed with Sacramento again last summer but was waived before the regular season began. Like Waiters, Bazemore spent all of last season as a free agent.

Currently, the Warriors have just 13 players on standard contracts, leaving two open roster spots. It’s clear the team is exploring the market for one or two veteran signings who can bring experience and stability to the locker room. They are enduring short-term pain because there are no other viable options. BD Cricket users suggest that Bazemore, despite being out of the league, may have a real shot at impressing his old team and earning a comeback opportunity.

While both veterans face uphill battles, the Warriors’ willingness to evaluate them signals that the door isn’t completely shut. Whether they walk back through it, though, will depend on whether they can prove they still belong in the NBA.

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