The Golden State Warriors are one of the NBA’s oldest franchises and they have an absurdly random collection of players who have suited up for them.
A franchise almost 75 years old will have many players pass through its rosters over time. The Warriors have existed in Philadelphia or the Bay since the mid-1940s, making it one of the league’s longest.
The greats — Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Steph Curry, Paul Arizin, and so on — are obvious and many franchises would love to claim just one name of such stature.
At the same time, a franchise around so long will have many players slip through the minds of fans over time. These players often haven’t found their footing in the league or are on their way out of it. This lapse of memory could be due to players like this not sticking around often. Let’s take a look at five of the most random players to wear a Golden State Warriors uniform.
5. Mark Price
You may know Price as a four-time all-star and All-NBA player with Cleveland in his prime but Price was near the end of his career in the 1997 season. Price arrived in the Bay area as a 32-year-old, 10-year NBA veteran at the beginning of the 1996-97 NBA season. Price was coming off a season with the Bullets in which he played just seven games. Considering Washington gave a first-round pick to the Cavaliers for Price the previous offseason, they were probably unhappy with their return and let him walk in free agency.
Price likely surprised many people by playing 26 minutes a night across 70 games, including 49 starts. The former Cavaliers star averaged 11.3 points, 4.9 assists, and made 39 percent of his 3-pointers in his lone season with the Warriors. What else would anyone expect from a two-time former 3-point contest winner and member of the 50-40-90 club?
While Price had a bounce-back season, the Warriors sold high and flipped Price to Orlando for David Vaughn and Brian Shaw. This proved wise as Price would have a slightly worse season in 1998 and was waived shortly after. Hey, at least the Magic didn’t trade a first for Price.