Shaun Livingston could be an interesting pickup to help handle backup point guard duties for the Portland Trail Blazers after being waived by the Warriors.
In an effort to clear room for the newly added D’Angelo Russell and avoid dipping too far into the luxury tax, the Golden State Warriors have waived Shaun Livingston. With the Portland Trail Blazers still looking for a backup point guard capable of playing major minutes, Livingston could be an interesting option.
Livingston was under contract for $7.7 million next year with only $2 million guaranteed, so waiving him saves a considerable amount of money for Golden State.
Sources: Warriors are waiving guard Shaun Livingston, who is guaranteed $2M of his $7.7M salary for season. Livingston, 33, is determined to continue playing and becomes one more valuable free agent candidate for contenders. He’s won three NBA titles and reached five Finals.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 10, 2019
Meanwhile on the Blazers end, Anfernee Simons is being groomed to assume the backup point guard position. However, a shaky Summer League performance showed Simons is still a capable scorer but still learning how to properly run an offense with the second unit.
Even entering his fifteenth season, Livingston has proven his turnaround jumper is still unguardable. Last year, he averaged 9.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per 36 minutes while posting his highest PER since 2016.
He also proved he can still play defense at a high level, posting the third highest Defensive Box Plus/Minus of his career. Livingston is a proven glue guy that just makes his teammates better through his on-court presence and mentorship abilities off the court.
For those of you that have followed Livingston’s career, you’re not likely to forget his gruesome leg injury and dislocated knee cap in-game against the Charlotte Bobcats in 2007. Players in other professional sports have faced the grim reality of leg amputation and never playing again with the same injury.
His successful rebound from that injury and his career arc have been a testament to just how hard of a worker Livingston is. His work ethic and attitude would fit in perfectly with the environment Damian Lillard and the rest of the Portland Trail Blazers have worked hard to create.
Livingston is a high-character player that could help show Simons the ropes in a mentor role. As a three-time NBA champion that has been with Golden State for the entirety of their title run, Livingston has championship DNA coursing through his veins.
He also serves as invaluable injury insurance in the case Lillard or Simons go down temporarily. As so many playoff series have shown us in recent years, sometimes all it takes is the ability to survive injuries and keep the ball rolling to have deep postseason runs.
The Portland Trail Blazers would be wise to keep their eyes glued to the waiver wire to add valuable talent at a bargain of a price just like they did with Seth Curry last season.