The Golden State Warriors have spent years leaning heavily on Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to provide reliable three-point shooting. While Thompson is no longer in the Bay Area, the Warriors may have found another veteran capable of helping ease some of the pressure on Curry.

“Free agent forward Georges Niang has agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Golden State Warriors, Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tell ESPN,” Shams Charania tweeted. “Niang — a career 40% 3-point shooter — enters his 11th NBA season after missing 2025-26 due to injury.”

Niang has been a consistent perimeter threat throughout his career, knocking down 39.9% of his three-point attempts while taking them at a healthy volume. That kind of shooting could be valuable for a Warriors team that needs to create more room around Curry.

Niang is returning from a lost 2025–26 season after fracturing his left foot in September, which kept him out of every game. Prior to the injury, durability was a hallmark of his career; he played at least 72 games in each of the five seasons leading up to it. His most recent healthy campaign was 2024–25, where he appeared in 79 games split between Atlanta and Cleveland.

Get the Essentially Dunk Newsletter. League-wide coverage every day on the All-Stars, MVPs, iconic legends, and the drama defining the NBA.

He averaged 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 21.5 minutes per game, while providing the type of shooting that can keep defenses from collapsing toward stars. His role in Golden State is expected to come off the bench.

Niang could provide frontcourt depth behind Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. There is also some familiarity between Niang and the Warriors.

He joined Golden State for training camp in 2017 and later played for the franchise’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors.

The goal isn’t for Niang to match Thompson’s production. If he can stay healthy and consistently hit open threes, it will create more space for Curry to operate.

Warriors fans have something to celebrate

With Thompson no longer on the roster, the Warriors have dedicated much of the offseason to securing additional offensive support for Curry. While the addition of Georges Niang may not constitute the blockbuster move fans anticipated, many view it as a positive step forward.

“Warriors finally signing a 40% shooter who isn’t named Curry or Klay… progress.”

Another similar comment was “Groundbreaking deal bro. He could be the answer to Steph’s prayer. Damn near the second coming of klay. Lol.”

The reaction also reflects how low expectations had become around the Warriors’ offseason. General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. faced heavy criticism after a quiet summer, especially following Golden State’s 37-45 record last season.

The team brought back veterans such as Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, while drafting Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11. Golden State also chased major names, including LeBron James, but failed to land a marquee addition.

That left the Warriors with little to show for their offseason until the late-August additions began to arrive.

“Warriors GM took till August 25th 2026 to wake up for the off season.”

So when Niang followed Brandon Williams as another role-player signing, some fans viewed it as the first indication that Dunleavy was finally making moves.

“Our GM is finally cooking.”

Niang brings a much-needed asset to Golden State. As a more natural three-point specialist than Kelly Olynyk, whom the Warriors were also reportedly considering, Niang offers a career 40% shooting rate from deep with solid volume. This makes him an ideal fit for a team seeking reliable perimeter shooting to support Curry.

“Better than Olynyk who was the other rumored player lol so that’s atleast a plus.”

Niang obviously does not replace what Thompson meant to the Warriors. But for a team that has relied so heavily on Curry for elite shooting, adding another proven floor spacer gives the two-time MVP a little more help.