Monta Ellis reportedly isn’t the only former Warriors fan favorite eyeing an NBA comeback.
Veteran big man Marreese Speights, otherwise known as “Mo Buckets,” hosted a workout Wednesday for scouts in Las Vegas, according to HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy.
Marreese Speights held a free-agent workout for NBA teams today in Las Vegas. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel was in attendance along with staffers from several other teams. Last year in China, Speights averaged 22.7 points, 7.5 boards and 3.1 threes (while shooting 36% from deep).
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 10, 2019
Sepights, 31, averaged 22.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 31.9 minutes per game with the Chinese Basketball Association’s Guangzhou Long-Lions last season. It was Speights’ first in China after spending a decade in the NBA.
Three of those NBA seasons were with Golden State, with an NBA championship sandwiched in the middle during the 2014-15 season. Speights averaged 8.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game during three seasons with the Warriors, evolving into a strong 3-point shooter (38.7 percent) in his final season in the Bay Area.
He made 35.7 percent of his 3-pointers last season with Guangzhou, marking the fourth straight professional season in which he made at least 35 percent of his shots from downtown. Despite that, it’s pretty difficult to envision a Warriors reunion.
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Golden State’s roster seems just about set, with the team appearing to try to stay below the luxury-tax apron. The Warriors have 14 players under contract, and sit $219,000 below the apron, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Barring a corresponding move, signing Speights to even the veteran’s minimum (over $2.5 million in Speights’ case) would put the Warriors above the apron, which now effectively serves as a hard cap.
If Speights does indeed return to the NBA for more buckets, don’t expect it to be with the Warriors.
NBA rumors: Ex-Warriors fan favorite Marreese Speights hosts teams at workout originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
