Center gets 1-year deal to remain Warrior.
Free-agent center Zaza Pachulia has agreed to re-sign with the Warriors on a oneyear, $3.5 million deal, a source has confirmed to The Chronicle.
Pachulia, 33, is returning to Golden State on the collective bargaining agreement’s non-Bird exception, a 20 percent bump from the $2.89 million he made last season. His return leaves the Warriors with one open spot on their 15player roster for the 2017-18 season.
Pachulia acknowledged his return on social media, tweeting, “Let’s keep it going.” Minutes later, in a text message to The Chronicle, he wrote that he was “happy to be back.”
Though he didn’t agree to terms with Golden State until seven days into free agency, Pachulia had long been vocal about wanting to return. He told The Chronicle in February, “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here. Even after June, I’m staying here.”
The fifth member of a starting five that boasts four All-Stars, Pachulia thrived last season as the fulcrum of the Warriors’ movement-heavy system. He shot a career-best 53.4 percent from the field. A force on the boards, Pachulia led the team in offensive rebound average (two per game) and total offensive rebounds (140). His plus-minus of plus-6 led NBA centers.
Pachulia weathered a tumultuous Western Conference finals, when he got death threats from Spurs fans for his role in the ankle injury that forced Kawhi Leonard to miss the final three games of the series. Three weeks later, Pachulia became the first player from the nation of Georgia to win an NBA title.
Now, he’ll have a chance to win another. His return moves the Warriors one step closer to keeping their center rotation intact. David West has already agreed to come back on the veteran’s minimum, and Golden State is working to use its final roster spot to re-sign JaVale McGee.
Within the past three days, McGee has reportedly met with the Clippers and Kings. Both of those teams could offer more than the minimum, which is likely all the salarycap-strapped Warriors can afford. Golden State’s current luxury-tax bill is $29.1 million, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
If Golden State can’t bring back McGee, it might target 6-foot-10 free-agent forward Willie Reed. In 14.5 minutes per game for the Heat last season, Reed averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds. He owns a career shooting percentage of 56.9.