The Warriors are the latest team to tap into the G League for a 10-day hardship replacement player, as they are adding guard Quinndary Weatherspoon from the Santa Cruz Warriors. The Athletic's Shams Charanaia first reported the news Wednesday morning.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr confirmed the signing Wednesday afternoon, saying, "He’ll be very helpful. We’re without several wings and we need to have some depth there.”
Kerr also said Andre Iguodala missed Wednesday's practice with swelling in his knee, casting doubt on his availability for Thursday.
Starting guard Jordan Poole (since Friday) and starting wing Andrew Wiggins (since Sunday) are currently sidelined for the Warriors under the NBA’s health and safety protocols. According to an earlier report from Charania, teams are required to sign a replacement if two players are in the health and safety protocols.
The NBA recently amended roster rules as the omicron variant of COVID-19 has caused a spike in positive tests around the league. The Christmas Day slate of NBA games is also subject to contingency plans, as several contests have been postponed throughout the past week.
The 25-year-old Weatherspoon is listed at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds and is averaging 16.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in nine games for the Sea Dubs this season. He’s shooting 44.2 percent from the floor but isn’t much of a 3-point threat, as he’s made just 28.1 percent this season. Though Jordan Bell is putting up some spectacular numbers and is familiar with Kerr's system, the Warriors went for positional depth on the perimeter.
The San Antonio Spurs drafted Weatherspoon with the No. 49 overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft out of Mississippi State. He appeared in 31 games over the past two seasons for the Spurs, averaging 1.9 points in 6.4 minutes of play.
