The Golden State Warriors made their first free agent signing from a rival team on Sunday, acquiring veteran point-guard Cory Joseph who becomes the team’s 12th contracted player for next season.
The one-year, minimum contract for Joseph secures the Warriors a third point-guard behind Stephen Curry and the recently added Chris Paul. Furthermore, it provides more evidence of Golden State looking to atone for one of their biggest issues this season.
The Golden State Warriors’ front office is clearly putting an emphasis on addressing the team’s major turnover issues during the 2022-23 season.
The Warriors’ high-motion offense under Steve Kerr is and has always been prone to an array of turnovers, even if their offense can look beautiful when things are clicking. Still, the turnover issues hit a new high in 2022-23, an area Kerr and his team were left to lament after a disappointing second-round exit against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Golden State led the league in turnovers this season with 16.3 per game. Of the top ten teams in turnovers, only three teams made the playoffs which included the six-seed Warriors. Individually, Jordan Poole had the fourth most turnovers in the league, and Draymond Green ranked 15th.
Aside from the contractual status of both players, it’s clear that the Warriors decision to trade Poole for Paul on draft day was born about by their desire to feel more safety and comfort when Curry is off the floor.
Golden State gave up an exciting but mistake-ridden young guard for a veteran who will go down as one of the greatest playmakers in NBA history. While Joseph isn’t of Paul’s calibre, nor is expected to have the same kind of impact, it continues the trend of the Warriors wish for a more efficient offense.
With Paul and Joseph, Golden State have added the fourth and eighth ranked players in assist-to-turnover ratio from this season (minimum 200 assists). Add in Kevon Looney and they now possess three of the top eight in that category.
It’s one of the reasons the Warriors sought to retain Ty Jerome before his defection to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. The 25-year-old saw significant playing time on a two-way deal because he was a steady presence for Kerr, recording a healthy 4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio in his 45 games.
With Jerome out of the mix, Joseph was a logical replacement as another trustworthy player to run the offense if Curry and Paul are off the floor. It may have been a slow start to free agency, and Joseph may not be the most inspiring acquisition, but Mike Dunleavy Jr. has to be applauded for putting a clear direction in place.