Malcolm Brogdon’s landing spot for next season remains on hold because of situations out of his control.
Brogdon remains one of the best free agent guards still on the market — he was the Sixth Man of the Year just two seasons ago. His stock has slipped due to injuries, which limited him to just 63 combined games over the last two seasons (in Portland and Washington). However, when healthy last season, he averaged 12.7 points and 4.1 assists per game. This is a low-risk opportunity for teams, a healthy Brogdon could provide quality depth to a team that sees itself as a contender.
The Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves have expressed some interest in Brogdon, reports Jake Fischer at The Stein Line. However, in all three cases, the teams are waiting on other situations to play out before signing Brogdon (or any guard). With the Warriors, that is the Jonathan Kuminga free agency drama.
“In Brogdon’s case, Golden State’s long-running stalemate with restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga has contributed to the uncomfortable wait. We won’t know if the Warriors emerge with more serious interest in Brogdon until the state of their roster and luxury tax bill becomes clear in the wake of a resolution to Kuminga’s fate and the subsequent signings that have been long anticipated.”
Once the Kuminga situation is resolved, the Warriors will know how much money they have to spend on expected signings such as Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Gary Payton II, and Will Richard (a second-round pick). Brogdon may or may not be one of the players signed.
With the Knicks and Timberwolves, the situation keeping Brogdon in limbo is the federal gambling investigation tied to Malik Beasley. He is no longer a “target” in that investigation — meaning a principal at the heart of the case — but remains a “subject” tied to the investigation and potentially could be charged with a crime. Both New York and Minnesota have been in touch with Beasley, who was second in Sixth Man of the Year voting for the Pistons last season. With there still being a month to go before the start of training camp, the Knicks and Timberwolves (and Pistons, and other teams with interest in Beasley) can wait to see how things play out, then make their move later. Brogdon could be a fallback for those teams.
That leaves a quality guard waiting for his opportunity. He’s going to end up signing for the veteran minimum wherever he lands, a step down from the two-year, $45 million deal (from the Pacers) that he just completed.