Will the Warriors pick up Paul Millsap?

The 36-year old power forward showed he can still play last year, but adding him could have costly luxury tax implications for Golden State.

As the Golden State Warriors float through the expanse that is the dead zone between Summer League and the start of training camp, there’s a simmering buzz in Dub Nation over the 2021-2022 season. After all, the Warriors did go from “ruining the NBA” with their greatness to suddenly out of the playoffs for back-to-back seasons. Their fans had been enduring this drought with the memories of better days tiding them over until a new hope would emerge.

But now? Golden State’s mission to regenerate their health and add quality talent around their championship core looks to be fully on schedule.

• The two lottery picks of Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody look like the exact players the Warriors needed to pick up to both compete now and in the future.
• The Warriors added fresh voices onto their coaching staff like Kenny Atkinson, Dejan Milojević, and Jama Mahlaela with the intent of developing their young players. Milojević is known as the guy who coached MVP center Nikola Jokić overseas. I can’t to see how he’ll help maximize the tantalizing potential of James Wiseman, the #2 pick of the 2020 draft.
• Klay Thompson, one of the most deadly scorers in NBA history, appears to be gearing up for a Christmas return after missing two whole seasons.
• Stephen Curry, greatest point guard alive, signed a 4yr/$215m extension that retains his services in the Bay for the foreseeable future.
• The Warriors picked up a franchise hero Andre Iguodala in free agency as well as intriguing role players in Nemanja Bjelica and Otto Porter Jr.

With all that good news, there’s still one burning question remaining: will the Warriors use their mid level exception to add another veteran to this team? I thought we got this answer earlier this month on 95.7 The Game when Warriors GM Bob Myers expressed the team’s hesitancy:

I don’t think we use it. I think we tried, we put it out there for some players we thought were difference-makers. But it’s not wise, and I would almost protect Joe from himself if he said go spend it on anyone. It does cost us about $25 million to spend the $5 million, which again I laugh, I know listeners or fans don’t care about that part, but we have to,” Myers said on “Damon, Ratto and Kolsky.”

The team is already eleventy gajillion dollars over the salary cap. Which free agent would be worth the tax penalty implications?

But that gosh darn social media feed keeps popping up one name: Paul Millsap.

Hmmmmm, Millsap you say? Warriors fans have been eyeing him as a front court bolstering addition for a while now. But how much does he have left in the tank? Here’s the vet’s season review courtesy of our blog buddies at Denver Stiffs:

Millsap played about as well as you could expect him to. He’s not someone that is going to be going 35 minutes strong every night, including back-to-back’s anymore. He’s an aging power forward who can hit a 3-pointer, block a shot here and there, fight on the glass, and knows how to attack an offense as a defensive anchor.

The athleticism is fading, but he still was important for them in winning games. He’s a PB&J guy for the team — you know what you’re getting, it’s good and reliable, and it’ll help get you through the day. Nothing flashy, but not trash. Definitely not a negative for the team.

If the Warriors can stomach the price tag, I wouldn’t mind seeing this skilled, bruising veteran come ring chase with the Dubs. How about you?