The Warriors reportedly won't be giving Dragan Bender a second 10-day contract.
At least, not yet.
As Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported late Tuesday night:
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SIGN UP HERE The Warriors will not immediately sign him to a second 10-day, maintaining some flexibility, though a second 10-day for Bender soon isn’t out of the question.
The 22-year-old averaged 7.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists over six games with Golden State, while shooting below 37 percent from the field and 29 percent (7-for-24) from 3-point range.
“I really like Dragan,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the Dubs' 116-100 win over the Denver Nuggets. “I think he’s got a lot of potential. We’ll see what happens going forward. I’d love to give him another 10 days, if that's possible. We’ll figure that out as an organization going forward.
“He’s got a lot of potential. Fourth pick in the draft -- there’s a reason for that. He’s shown in the 10 days that if you give him a little confidence -- you give him a chance to play and he gains some confidence -- he can do a lot of good things out there.
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"He’s helped us win two games in a season when we’ve not won a whole lot of games. He's fighting and competing. I really like him. I think he's got a future in the league."
Assuming Bender is not on the squad for Thursday night's game against the Toronto Raptors, the Warriors could be extremely thin in the frontcourt.
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Draymond Green has missed five of the last six games, while Kevon Looney did not appear in the last two contests.
Fortunately for Golden State, the expectation is that Wardell Stephen Curry II will make his triumphant return against the Raptors.
