The NBA negotiation deadline came and passed Thursday, and Kelly Oubre Jr. is still a member of the Warriors.
And although the 25-year-old remains in the Bay Area for the last two months of the season, his future is furthermore uncertain.
After being traded several times in his young NBA career, Oubre will hit the free unrestricted agency this summer. This coincides with the expectation that Klay Thompson will return fully healthy early in the NBA’s 2021-22 season.
This makes Oubre’s situation with the Warriors complicated. He is a starter in the NBA, but if he were to sign again with Golden State, he would probably have to leave the bank.
“I cannot talk about the future … but at the end of the day, I am growing up, I am improving my skills in this league and I can offer much more than leaving the bank.” Oubre told reporters on a videoconference after the Warriors lost 141-119 to the Kings. “At the end of the day, this is my life, so I cannot predict the future, only God can.”
Oubre has been at the center of negotiating rumors for weeks, before Thursday’s negotiation deadline, and the Warriors reportedly had strong offers for him, but decided to keep the choice of the first round of the previous draft.
Commercial speculation did not seem to bother Oubre.
“It comes with the territory,” said Oubre. “This is a very important year, but I am in a great situation right now, so overall, I am happy to be here.”
Coach Steve Kerr has publicly stated that he would like Oubre to sign this off season again and stick around, but assuming the Warriors don’t lose their salary, bringing Oubre back can be very costly.
Still, Oubre wouldn’t mind staying in the bay area for a few years.
“I would love to,” said Oubre. “At the end of the day, this is a business. We took a step. The next step is to give all of me to this team so that we can reach our goals this season and this summer is another step. So, I’m kind of at the moment now . And I am here. I am a warrior. “
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Oubre scored 19 points in 33 minutes on Thursday, and averages more than 15 points and just under six rebounds per game this season. Their addition did not give the Warriors the boost they expected when they acquired it after Thompson’s Achilles injury.
But talented and versatile wings like Oubre are hard to find, so the Warriors should try to keep it going this summer, even if it’s expensive.
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