Kelly Oubre Jr. Rumors: Knicks, Heat, Spurs Linked to Warriors Wing in Free Agency
June 10, 2021
Impending free-agent wing Kelly Oubre Jr. appears to be garnering interest despite a subpar 2020-21 campaign with the Golden State Warriors.
According to Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill, the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks are interested in adding the Kansas product. After a cold streak to begin the year, Oubre settled in to average 15.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 43.9 percent from the field.
The 25-year-old made only one three-pointer in his first 21 tries in December and finished 31.6 percent from behind the arc for the season.
The decrease in Oubre's production came after he averaged 18.7 points per game and shot 35.2 percent from deep with the Phoenix Suns in 2019-20.
There are seemingly several fits out there. Per Goodwill: "Playing next to Jimmy Butler with Bam Adebayo underneath the rim, or in Tom Thibodeau’s aggressive defensive scheme on a Knicks team in need of athletic wings, [a fit is] certainly feasible.
Oubre had improved his output each year since entering the league in 2015-16 before he joined the Warriors. It likely didn't help that he spent all offseason preparing to return to Phoenix before an Achilles injury to Klay Thompson prompted Golden State to acquire the wing in November, just a month before the season started.
It appears suitors won't get too hung up on his stint with Stephen Curry and Co. when free agency opens in August. With contenders like the Knicks and Heat reportedly jumping into the race for Oubre, he could be fighting for a championship in 2021-22.
