Warriors sign two G League standouts to 10-day contracts

Warriors sign two G League standouts to 10-day contracts originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors’ roster is back to 14 players after signing two NBA G League talents on Wednesday.

Golden State announced it has signed forward Kevin Knox II and point guard Yuri Collins to 10-day contracts, adding a pair of depth pieces in preparation for the final 27 games of the 2024-25 NBA season.

Knox, who will wear No. 31 with the Warriors, has started all 28 games for Santa Cruz this season, averaging 21.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 32.6 minutes per game. The 6-foot-7 athlete recently was named NBA G League Player of the Week for Dec. 27 to Jan. 5, just a few months after impressing Golden State during the NBA Summer League.

The 25-year-old originally was drafted No. 9 overall by the New York Knicks in the 2018 NBA Draft and owns career averages of 7.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 18.0 minutes in 306 career games (77 starts) over six seasons with the Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons and Portland Trail Blazers.

“If I perform better and play better up top, I won’t be here,” Knox told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson before a Santa Cruz Warriors game on Jan. 24. “Being down here, I don’t really take it as a demotion or anything. I take it as you come down here to learn, and learn under a great system. Work on things you need to work on.”

The work paid off for Knox, who now could have a chance to contribute along with Collins as the Warriors look to make a late-season NBA playoff push.

Collins, 23, has appeared in 33 games (30 starts) for Santa Cruz this season, averaging 14.2 points, 9.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 32.0 minutes per game. The Missouri native leads the G League with 189 assists through 18 regular-season games. Unselected in the 2023 NBA Draft, Collins played four collegiate seasons at Saint Louis (2019-2023) before spending the past two seasons in Santa Cruz.

After acquiring Jimmy Butler at the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline and dealing away Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schröder, Kyle Anderson and Lindy Waters III, the Warriors converted two-way center Quinten Post to a standard contract in order to meet the 12-player minimum.

Golden State is known to maintain flexibility with its 13th and 14th roster spots, meaning more moves could be in order if the Warriors find someone they like on the buyout market.

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