Warriors let Quinten Post walk and his Grizzlies deal already looks like a steal

Quinten Post is officially a Grizzly and the numbers already make sense for Golden State

It's still August, training camp is a month away, and yet the Golden State Warriors' decision to let restricted free agent Quinten Post walk to the Memphis Grizzlies is already looking like the right call. Memphis handed the 52nd pick of the 2024 draft a three-year, $26.1 million contract — a structure clearly built to make it painful for the Warriors to match.

Inside the contract that scared off Golden State

Memphis got creative. Post's deal is a descending contract that's fully guaranteed only in year one, and it comes with nearly $4 million in unlikely incentives that still count against the cap. The end result: Post will pocket $9 million this season, but his cap hit balloons to $10.35 million once those incentives are factored in.

For a rebuilding Grizzlies roster, that's a calculated gamble worth taking. For a Warriors team chasing a title with a taxed-out payroll, matching that number for a third-string big man one who was in and out of the rotation late last season and finished the year injured — simply wasn't justifiable.

The league's free agency market backs up Golden State's decision

What really vindicates the Warriors is what other players have signed for around the league since Post's deal was finalized. It's still jarring for Golden State fans to process, but Post — the 52nd overall pick — will out-earn Jonathan Kuminga, the seventh overall pick in 2023, who just agreed to a two-year, $12.4 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The gap gets even more eye-opening with Bennedict Mathurin. The former sixth overall pick just signed with the New Orleans Pelicans for less annual value than Post  despite averaging 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists across 54 combined games with the Pacers and Clippers last season.

• Post will out-earn former teammates Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton.
• He'll also make more than former All-Stars Bradley Beal and Khris Middleton.
• Even a two-year, $7.9 million deal signed by LeBron James this offseason falls below Post's number.

Taken together, these deals paint a clear picture: this year's market for role players and veterans alike shifted in a way that made Post's price tag look steep for anyone chasing a championship on a tight budget.

Why the Warriors might still miss what Post brought to the floor

None of this means Golden State won't feel a pinch down the line. Over his first two NBA seasons, Post flashed real signs of becoming a legitimate 3-and-D big shooting over 40% from three in year one and showing flashes of improved interior defense and physicality in year two. That's exactly the type of modern frontcourt piece contenders covet.

Memphis is betting it can put those two seasons together into one complete player. Whether that bet pays off remains to be seen, but the logic behind the Grizzlies' aggressive offer sheet is easy to understand young, cost-controlled shooting bigs don't hit the market often.

What this really comes down to for Golden State

If there's a real regret here, it's not letting Post walk this summer — it's not locking him into a longer, team-friendly extension earlier, before restricted free agency turned into a bidding war Golden State wasn't willing to enter. Two promising seasons later, Post's next chapter belongs to Memphis.

What's next

Keep an eye on how Post's role shapes up in Memphis' frontcourt rotation once training camp opens — and whether Golden State's cap flexibility this season ends up paying bigger dividends than a $10 million reserve big man would have.