The former Warriors guard will not be returning to Golden State for the time being.
The Orlando Magic have signed guard Mychal Mulder to a two-way contract. Mulder had been with the Golden State Warriors over the past two seasons and was competing for the final spot on their roster in training camp but was ultimately released in favor of Gary Payton II.
There had been speculation that the Warriors would try to retain Mulder on a two-way contract, but they filled their final two-way spot when they claimed Jeff Dowtin off waivers. Coincidentally, Dowtin had been released by the Magic.
Mulder was an undrafted free agent out of Kentucky back in 2017 and spent the bulk of the following three seasons in the G-League. Mulder developed into one of the best three-point shooting threats in the NBA’s developmental league, shooting 40.5% from three on 709 attempts between the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons.
As the Warriors scrambled to fill their roster in 2019-20, they signed Mulder to a pair of ten-day contracts near the end of the season. Mulder averaged 11 points per game in extended playing time and soon agreed to a non-guaranteed multi-year contract to stay in Golden State.
Mulder was relegated to a bench role last season, where he remained one of the few viable deep shooting threats on the roster. However, while he shot 39.7% from three on 214 attempts, he struggled to perform in crunch time. Limited in other facets of the game, particularly defensively, Mulder needed to shoot his way onto the Warriors roster. When Golden State added several veteran shooters this offseason, it was clear the front office did not trust him to play a sizable role this season.
Now, Mulder will head to Orlando, where he will oscillate between the Magic and their G-League affiliate. If he can develop just a bit more consistency from behind the arc, Mulder has the potential to be a valuable role player.