Warriors to Sign Corey Maggette

Well, just a week after losing Baron Davis to the Los Angeles Clippers, it seems the Golden State Warriors have taken a player back from them in signing Corey Maggette to a five-year contract worth approximately $50 million, according to the Associated Press.

From the article:

The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be announced until Wednesday at the earliest, confirmed Maggette will leave the Los Angeles Clippers for a lucrative long-term deal with the fast-paced Warriors, who outbid several suitors for the former Duke star.

Maggette, a 6-foot-6 swingman who led Los Angeles in scoring last season, should fit splendidly into Golden State coach Don Nelson’s pell-mell style of play. He averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists last season for the moribund Clippers, finishing slightly off his career highs in all three categories.

With Baron Davis' departure, the Warriors had salary cap room available to add a high-scoring player to help fill the void left by Davis and Michael Pietrus, who is expected to sign with the Orlando Magic today. Maggette has been a Clipper since 2000, but he and teammate Elton Brand opted out of the final years of their contracts this week. Brand is expected to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers as early as today.

I think that the signing of Maggette will benefit the Warriors greatly as losing Davis was an enormous blow to the team's offense. Hopefully the Warriors will continue to look for another free agent to fill the final holes which have been made in the offseason. With a lineup of Maggette, Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington, the Warriors still have the fire power to contend in the Western Conference, but need another player or two to find themselves in the upper echelon.