Warriors Sign Former 1st-Round Pick Marquese Chriss to 1-Year Deal

The Golden State Warriors are adding more talent to their roster, and this time they signed free agent forward Marquese Chriss to a one-year deal.

Chris Haynes was the first to confirm the information. He reported, “Free agent forward Marquese Chriss — 8th pick in 2016 NBA Draft — has reached an agreement on a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.”

According to Anthony Slater, the one-year deal is a non-guaranteed camp invite.

“I hear it’s a non-guaranteed camp invite for Chriss. Warriors don’t really have room for 15th man (hard cap), but McKinnie (very likely to remain on roster) has a non-guaranteed deal and other pieces could be shed if Chriss impresses.”

Chriss was picked No. 8 overall in the 2016 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns and averaged 9.2 points per game. The 22-year-old made the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in his first season. In the 2017-18, his average went to 7.7 points per game.

In 2018, Chriss was active in 16 games for the Houston Rockets and 27 for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 6-foot-10 player averaged 4.2 points per game and 11.6 minute in his 43 games.

Chriss will have to prove everyone that he deserves a spot on the Warriors’ roster. According to experts, bringing him into camp is a low-risk and high-reward move for the Warriors. He had a lot of problems during his time in the league, but the Warriors are the most talented set of teammates Chriss has ever had. Hopefully, a well-run team and a strong head coach could help Chris unleash his talent.

Well, there aren’t too many reasons to be optimistic. Chriss struggled on both sides of the ball. He’s got great athleticism, and that’s his only virtue at the moment. Some say Chriss will become a strong pick-and-roll partner for Stephen Curry and D’Angelo Russell. If this doesn’t work for the Warriors, they will release him after camp.

At the moment, Chriss fits the Warriors strategy for the upcoming season. They missed the chance to win the Finals, but they won’t give up easily this season.