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The Golden State Warriors are reportedly interested in a veteran guard as they look to stabilize themselves before a playoff run.
Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported Tuesday that the Western Conference team plans to meet and work out Tyreke Evans at some point this week. Charania noted Evans, who hasn’t played since the 2018-19 campaign, was reinstated from a three-year suspension.
The NBA announced Evans was reinstated Feb. 14, which made him an unrestricted free agent.
The announcement explained the Memphis product was “dismissed and disqualified from the league on May 17, 2019, for testing positive for a prohibited substance under the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.”
Golden State isn’t the only contender that has been connected to him, as Charania reported last month the Milwaukee Bucks hosted Evans for a workout and meeting.
It shouldn’t come as much surprise that the Warriors are looking for potential reinforcements considering they entered Tuesday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers on a five-game losing streak and with an ugly 2-9 record in their previous 11 contests.
They are still third in the Western Conference at 43-22 thanks to a quick start to the campaign, but the short-handed club that has been without Draymond Green since Jan. 9 hasn’t looked like a legitimate championship contender of late.
Whether Evans could be a difference-maker after so much time away remains to be seen, but he was the No. 4 overall pick of the 2009 NBA draft and has played for the Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers.
The 2009-10 Rookie of the Year has always been a solid scorer and posted double-digit points per game in each of his first 10 seasons in the league. His athleticism allowed him to get past defenders in transition or half-court sets, and he was strong enough to finish through contact at the rim.
One concern from Golden State’s perspective could be his outside shooting, but Evans showed improvement in that area before the suspension.
He shot under 30.0 percent from deep in four of his first five seasons but hit 39.9 percent of his triples in 2017-18 and 35.6 percent from three-point range in 2018-19.
Evans isn’t someone who would be asked to be a primary scorer on the Warriors with Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson and others, but he has a proven track record as an offensive playmaker and could take advantage of the spacing created by playing alongside so many other options.
original source: Warriors Rumors: Tyreke Evans Working Out for Golden State
