Warriors’ additions seek staying power
Wanamaker: Guard grew his game overseas
Brad Wanamaker shook his head slightly and smiled before pausing to consider the question.
It was January 2019, and Wanamaker — then a seldomused reserve guard for the Celtics — had just delivered the best performance of his nascent NBA career in Boston’s 11493 win over the Mavericks at TD Garden. Referencing a 38second, firstquarter stretch in which Wanamaker drilled two 3pointers, a reporter asked him postgame what those shots did for his confidence as a young player.
“I’m not young,” Wanamaker
said. “I’m 29.”
Wanamaker was an NBA rookie, but he was also an experienced professional, having excelled in the highest levels of Europe for seven years before he turned down sevenfigure offers to stay overseas and signed a oneyear, minimum contract with the Celtics worth $ 838,000. That gamble took a while to pay off. But after emerging as a reliable backup for Boston last season, Wanamaker agreed Saturday to a oneyear, $ 2.25 million deal with the Warriors.
This amount, little more than the veteran minimum, was hardly an inconsiderable investment for a team already facing a luxurytax bill north of $ 134 million during a pandemic that threatens to keep fans away from Chase Center indefinitely. In Wanamaker, the Warriors see someone worthy of being Stephen Curry’s primary backup.
Though Wanamaker’s highlights won’t amaze, he is wellrounded. In addition to leading the NBA last season with a freethrow percentage of 92.6, he is a career 37.6% 3point shooter whose 44.4% clip from beyond the arc in the recent playoffs caught the attention of teams throughout the league, including the Warriors.
Wanamaker, 31, limits his turnovers and understands how to dictate offensive tempo. On defense, he is strong and quick enough to guard at least three positions, which will be important in the Warriors’ switchheavy system. The Celtics had a slightly better defensive rating last season when Wanamaker was on the court than when he was off it.
His character and toughness helped separate him from other proven guards Golden State could’ve pursued in free agency. A husband and father to two kids, Wanamaker’s Instagram is filled with pictures of his family. Teammates rave about his professionalism and selflessness.
Two seasons ago, while Wanamaker was buried on the Celtics’ depth chart, he made a point to not miss one of the Celtics’ voluntary workouts — even though such sessions are typically reserved for younger players. When the departures of Kyrie Irving and Terry Rozier freed minutes for Wanamaker in highstakes situations last season, he offered Boston a stabilizing presence.
Such resolve was forged during his more than halfdecade playing in raucous arenas throughout Europe. After going undrafted out of Pittsburgh in 2011, Wanamaker joined Teramo of Italy’s top league in hopes of impressing NBA scouts and returning stateside. His focus began to shift, however, when he led Bamberg to a German league title in 2015 and earned Finals MVP honors.
Wanamaker saw that being one of the best players in Europe came with certain perks: a sevenfigure salary, a teamprovided house and car, lucrative endorsement deals, a chance to expose his kids to new cultures. Instead of thinking NBA or bust, he became focused on winning more championships overseas.
In June 2018, while in the middle of the Basketball Super League finals with Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce, Wanamaker received a call from the Celtics asking if he’d be interested in signing a rookie minimum deal to provide Boston more backcourt depth. But at first, he felt conflicted.
The NBA had been his goal since he learned the game on Philadelphia playgrounds. But the Celtics were offering far less money than Wanamaker was making in Istanbul, and he had come to appreciate his featured role on championshipcaliber teams.
After discussing it with his family, Wanamaker decided that he’d always have regrets if he didn’t give the NBA a serious shot. His former Bamberg teammate, Daniel Theis, had made a similar move the year before and blossomed into a key rotation player for Boston. There seemed little reason for Wanamaker to think he couldn’t find that same type of success.
What he hadn’t known, however, was that the 201819 Celtics would have such a toxic environment that even winning streaks were marked by infighting. As Boston played more like a bunch of individuals than an actual team, Wanamaker was forced to watch from the bench.
After finishing the season with just 360 total minutes ( including the playoffs), he considered a return to Europe. Fenerbahce had offered him another sevenfigure contract and his old starting pointguard job. And even though Boston head coach Brad Stevens wanted to bring back Wanamaker to an overhauled roster, he couldn’t promise Wanamaker significantly more playing time.
Still confident that he could help the team, Wanamaker resigned with Boston and made himself a promise: Another disappointing year stateside would signal the end of his NBA experiment. Within 20 games, he had logged more playing time than he had the previous season, establishing himself as an essential role player for a contender.
When Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart missed time with injuries, Wanamaker helped prevent the Celtics from sliding back into bad habits. But last week, just a day after it used a firstround pick on Oregon point guard Payton Pritchard, Boston declined to extend Wanamaker a qualifying offer and made him an unrestricted free agent.
Despite his strides with the Celtics, Wanamaker still has some shortcomings. Not much of a playmaker, Wanamaker often looks for his shot in transition instead of passing to open teammates. He struggles with body control and misses more shots around the rim than he should.
But given that the Warriors often ask forward Draymond Green to initiate the offense and make plays, they don’t need Wanamaker to be a traditional backup point guard. They view him as a savvy combo guard who can knock down the open jumper, play hard on defense and attack closeouts.
Though not young by NBA standards, Wanamaker is a good budget acquisition for a team that prizes consistency and grit.
“It’s kind of funny,” said an Eastern Conference scout, who spoke under the condition of anonymity because he’s not authorized to speak about other franchises’ players. “Wanamaker was probably pretty disappointed when he went undrafted and had to go overseas, but those experiences in Europe are exactly why the Warriors want him.
“He can handle adversity, and he knows what it takes to win at a high level. Sounds like a pretty good role guy to me.”