The Golden State Warriors have signed Rodney McGruder to a deal. According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the veteran forward will compete for a roster spot at Golden State’s training camp.
McGruder is a sneaky threat from beyond the arc with a career 36% clip from three. He spent his last three seasons in Detroit as a solid contributor off the bench. McGruder averaged 5.5 points as a Piston but posted 9.8 points per game as a starter.
Last season, McGruder sank a career-high 1.3 threes per contest on a sublime 42.3% mark. Two seasons prior, he shot an outstanding 45.8% from deep, albeit in only 16 games played.
If he makes the final cut for the Warriors, McGruder will enter his eighth season as a pro. During his time in the league, the sharpshooter has shot 40% or better from distance in three separate seasons. His long-range accuracy would fit the perimeter-oriented system Golden State has become so renowned for.
McGruder’s most productive years came with the Miami Heat, where he started in over 100 games and averaged 7.7 points across those contests. McGruder’s career-high scoring night still came with Detroit in 2022 when he poured in 26 points against the Milwaukee Bucks.
While he has not played for Golden State before, McGruder has somewhat of a past with the seven-time champions.
After a 2021 regular-season game between the Warriors and Pistons, McGruder approached Juan-Toscano Anderson about some words that were exchanged during the contest. Following the game, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green talked about McGruder in their postgame interviews and didn’t hold back.
“This dude might be out [of] the league soon,” Thompson said. “He’s probably mad about that. Over here checking my guy… Over here trying to start something like he’s a good player or something.”
Green doubled down on the disrespect with a few comments of his own.
“I think it was something Juan said in the first or second quarter to Wayne Ellington,” Draymond said. “Yeah, I don’t know. There’s too many tough guys in the league these days for me. But I know no one [is] scared of no damn Rodney McGruder…”
The following season, McGruder and Green made amends with an on-court embrace. If the Warriors ultimately add McGruder to their final roster, it will be interesting to see if the beef is fully squashed.
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