The Golden State Warriors are signing Otto Porter Jr. for the minimum salary, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Porter reportedly had offers for the mid-level exception but wanted to sign with the Warriors badly enough to accept the minimum. He is coming off of a four-year maximum contract that he originally signed with the Washington Wizards, but he was dealt midway through it to the Chicago Bulls.
He has struggled to stay healthy over the last two years, and that contributed to his relatively uninspiring offers. Porter Jr. played only 14 games in the 2019-20 season and was only slightly better by playing in 28 last season. The sort of foot and back injuries Porter played through are risky, but for the minimum, this is an extremely high-reward signing.
Porter is one of the best shooters in the NBA. He has made 40.2 percent of his attempts in the NBA, and with Golden State's incredible spacing, he should have plenty of open looks from behind the arc next season. When healthy, Porter is a solid rebounder and defender as well, giving Golden State exactly the sort of all-around veteran forward it needed for its bench. If Draymond Green closes games at center, there is a good chance Porter could be the power forward in those lineups.
After giving him the minimum, the Warriors still have their taxpayer mid-level exception to other targets. Having landed the wing they were looking for, Golden State will likely now shift its attention to finding a backup point guard. Patty Mills is a reported target, but the Warriors reportedly have competition from the Lakers and Nets on that front. No matter what they end up doing, the Porter signing stands out as a big win for Golden State this offseason.
