OAKLAND -- Patrick McCaw has been a Warrior for two seasons, showing promise, earning a reasonable of praise and helping the team win back-to-back NBA championships.
McCaw’s future with the Warriors, however, is in doubt after the deadline for him to sign a $1.71 million qualifying offer passed Monday night without a signature. A multiyear offer also was on the table, according to league sources.
The third-year pro had until 8:59 p.m. PT to sign the qualifying offer, so he remains a restricted free agent.
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While McCaw spent the summer looking for leverage, or a better contract, with neither materializing, the Warriors consistently expressed a desire for him to rejoin the team.
Acquired when the Warriors bought a second-round draft pick (38th overall) from the Milwaukee Bucks in 2016, McCaw had a promising rookie season, but his performance dipped in 2017-18, as he averaged 4.0 points (shooting 40.9 from the field, including 23.8 percent beyond the arc) and 1.4 assists per game.
McCaw missed 25 games last season, including the last six regular-season games and then the first 15 postseason games after he sustained a serious back injury last March 31 at Sacramento.
The Warriors last June drafted another guard, Jacob Evans III, who would be a candidate for minutes should McCaw not sign. The Warriors have two open roster spots, but they likely would fill only one.
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They were holding it for McCaw. They still are -- he could sign a deal in the coming days -- although the season opener is just two weeks away.
“We think about it. We talk about it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Monday afternoon. “But we still go about our business.”
Reservations were starting to form long before the deadline passed, which left McCaw’s future -- with the Warriors or any other team -- cloudier than ever.
