For the first time in six years! Warriors decline to match Post's offer sheet: He joins Grizzlies on a 3-year, $30 million deal.

On July 8, Beijing time, according to renowned reporter Fischer, the Warriors opted not to match Post's offer sheet, signaling his departure from the team. Post, a restricted free agent, had previously signed a three-year, $30 million offer sheet with Memphis. This is the first instance since 2020 of a franchise losing a player by refusing to match an offer sheet. Back then, Bogdan Bogdanovic signed a four-year, $72 million offer sheet with the Hawks, and the Kings ultimately chose not to match, allowing him to leave.

The Warriors selected Post with the 52nd overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. He steadily entered the team's rotation midway through his rookie season, providing much-needed floor-spacing shooting at the center position. In his rookie campaign, he played 42 games and made 73 three-pointers, shooting close to 41% from beyond the arc.

Last season, his three-point accuracy dipped to just 33.6%, yet he still attempted 4.1 threes per game in only 17.3 minutes of action—a highly valuable volume for a center. At the same time, he made notable strides defensively, posting impressive advanced metrics, which led the Grizzlies to pursue him in free agency.

The Warriors had previously extended Post a $2.6 million qualifying offer, as the team highly valued the big man. However, the inflated offer sheet made matching significantly more difficult. At this stage, Golden State needs to round out its bench rotation, continue pursuing unrestricted free agent LeBron James, and reserve salary cap space to re-sign Draymond Green as originally planned. These multiple priorities have squeezed the budget available to match Post's deal.

This month, the Warriors prioritized re-signing veteran big men Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis in free agency, pushing Post down the depth chart in the frontcourt rotation. This move further signaled that Golden State is prepared to lose Post.