We may now have a clue as to why things went south between Patrick McCaw and the Golden State Warriors.
In a piece that ran on Friday, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic reported that McCaw was upset with the Warriors for signing Nick Young two summers ago in a move that put his role in doubt. Coach Steve Kerr was also said to have made matters worse during training camp by declaring an open competition for the backup shooting guard spot. Thompson goes on to cite some unnamed insiders, who said that the Young signing was “the first grievance” that McCaw had with the team as well as “the only tangible issue” that was vocalized.
The now 23-year-old McCaw carved out a role for the Warriors as a rookie in their title-winning 2016-17 campaign, making 20 starts in 71 regular seasons appearance plus three starts in 15 playoff appearances. However, McCaw’s production dipped slightly with Young aboard the next season (albeit partially due to a bruised lumbar suffered on a bad in-game fall last March).
McCaw then hit restricted free agency last summer but refused multiple offers by Golden State to retain him and held out several months into the 2018-19 season. Late last month, he finally agreed to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers but was waived not long thereafter under bizarre circumstances. McCaw has since joined the Toronto Raptors on a one-year deal for the veteran minimum.
The former second-round pick’s handling of the entire situation with the Dubs confused many of his teammates at the time, but frustration over a perceived marginalization of his role may very well have been a legitimate gripe.
