{"id":159163,"date":"2025-09-16T12:21:56","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T16:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=159163"},"modified":"2025-09-16T12:21:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T16:21:56","slug":"eurobasket-isaac-bonga-linked-to-warriors-but-he-cant-sign-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/16\/eurobasket-isaac-bonga-linked-to-warriors-but-he-cant-sign-yet\/","title":{"rendered":"EuroBasket DPOY Linked To Warriors But He Can’t Sign Yet"},"content":{"rendered":"

RIGA, LV \u2014 Isaac Bonga<\/a> just capped a career-defining summer. The 25-year-old guard-forward anchored Germany\u2019s defense while drilling shots at a startling rate. His work earned him EuroBasket\u2019s first-ever Defensive Player of the Year award. He also helped his team claim the championship with a win over T\u00fcrkiye. In that title game, Bonga surprised with 20 points. He didn\u2019t miss a three, hitting 4-for-4 from deep. That shooting matched the rest of his tournament showing, where he hit 45 percent from distance and 53 percent overall.<\/p>\n

EuroBasket DPOY, Isaac Bonga Linked To Warriors But He Can’t Sign Yet<\/h2>\n

The NBA\u2019s Eyes Turn Back<\/h3>\n
\"Isaac
March 1, 2020; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Damion Lee (1) shoots the basketball against Washington Wizards forward Isaac Bonga (17) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bonga has been on the NBA radar before. Drafted in 2018, he logged minutes with the Lakers<\/a>, Wizards<\/a>, and Raptors<\/a>. His NBA stint stalled after 2022, sending him back to Europe. Since then, he has sharpened his game with Partizan Belgrade.<\/p>\n

Reports<\/a> from Marc Stein confirm that several NBA teams were already interested in him before EuroBasket. Those whispers have only grown louder. The Warriors and Isaac Bonga connection makes sense on different levels. Golden State needs depth. They currently have only nine players rostered while the Jonathan Kuminga<\/a> standoff drags on.<\/p>\n

The Contract Roadblock<\/h3>\n

Here is the issue: Bonga cannot sign today. His NBA exit clause with Partizan expired this summer. That locks him into Europe for at least another season. He recently extended his deal in Serbia, keeping him in the EuroLeague and ABA League.<\/p>\n

That clause matters. It prevents teams like Golden State from bringing him in this season. For now, Isaac Bonga\u2019s fit on the Warriors\u00a0is theoretical. They will have to wait until 2026 to act.<\/p>\n

Why Golden State Should Care<\/h3>\n

The Warriors lack wings with size who can defend multiple positions. Bonga offers that profile. He also brings improved shooting and the confidence of an EuroBasket champion. His versatility fits Steve Kerr\u2019s motion system.<\/p>\n

A parallel exists with Guerschon Yabusele<\/a>. His Olympic breakout with France earned him an NBA return. Philadelphia signed him. Now he will join the Knicks<\/a>. That path could have been Bonga\u2019s\u2014if not for the expired clause.<\/p>\n

Looking Ahead<\/h3>\n

Bonga\u2019s NBA comeback feels delayed, not denied. His performance in Latvia ensures teams will keep watching. Isaac Bonga\u2019s logical fit on the Warriors highlights a need they still must solve. Golden State cannot act yet, but they might in a year.<\/p>\n

Credit:\u00a0 \u00a9 Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RIGA, LV \u2014 Isaac Bonga just capped a career-defining summer. The 25-year-old guard-forward anchored Germany\u2019s defense while drilling shots at a startling rate. His work earned him EuroBasket\u2019s first-ever Defensive Player of the Year award. He also helped his team claim the championship with a win over T\u00fcrkiye. In that title game, Bonga surprised with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":159174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,25,61,3],"tags":[50219,49691,1131,1626],"class_list":["post-159163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-warriors","category-international-basketball","category-news","tag-2025-nba-free-agents","tag-2026-27-season","tag-eurobasket","tag-isaac-bonga"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159163"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":159177,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159163\/revisions\/159177"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/159174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}