NBA Rumors: Former Golden State Warrior Could Be Coming Out Of Retirement For Short-Term Stint

KEY POINTS

Steve Kerr is contemplating signing Leandro Barbosa to a 10-day contract, a report says
Barbosa has not played since the 2016-17 NBA season
Barbosa's potential addition is seen as a way to give the Dubs more options heading into postseason wars

The Golden State Warriors continue to consider their options, and head coach Steve Kerr continues to have sleepless nights. Although the Dubs are at the ninth spot of the Western Conference, they still have an outside shot of making the playoffs via the NBA play-in tournament.

While there is still time, the Warriors can improve their current run. But with the current crop of players he has, Kerr may need to tap some help from the free-agent market. If not via that route, the Dubs could look at other options, such as asking old faces to suit up on a short-term lease. The name being mentioned is Leandro Barbosa, someone Kerr is very familiar with.

The Warriors head coach is contemplating using Barbosa on a 10-day deal, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

“I’m dead serious that he could be very effective if we ever do that,” Kerr said. “He’s still in great shape.”

At an even 30-30, Kerr needs all the help they can get. With the 38-year-old guard still being in great shape, the familiarity is a plus factor. Barbosa was a mentor coach for the Warriors in September 2020, meaning he is pretty familiar with the system the Dubs are using right now.

An old face possibly playing again is nothing new. Several players in the past tried that, most coming in by the NBA playoffs. But in the case of the Brazilian, there are questions in mind.

One of them is the fact that his last known stint in the NBA was with the Phoenix Suns way back in the 2016-17 NBA season. From there, the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year awardee headed to Brazil to play in a domestic professional league. The 6-foot-3 cager owns NBA career averages of 10.6 points, 2.1 assists and 2.0 rebounds.

Adding Barbosa may either make or break the Warriors' aspirations this NBA season. Even if they make the NBA playoffs, they face an uphill climb with the competition they are facing. Hence, Kerr may be trying to keep the team’s chances afloat this season. But after that, the Warriors need to deal with reality and rebuild.

As mentioned in a previous report, only Stephen Curry and James Wiseman are not on the trading block. It will be interesting to see what Kerr and Dubs management have in mind for the future of the team.