Friday, July 11, 2008

Warriors sign Maggette, make move for Turiaf

The Golden State Warriors have made up for the loss of Baron Davis by signing Corey Maggette to a five-year deal, the Oakland Tribune reported on Thursday.

The Warriors secured the guard/forward to a $50 million contract one day after losing guard Davis to Maggette's former team, the Los Angeles Clippers.

The 28-year-old Maggette had less lucrative offers from the San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons and NBA champion Boston Celtics but turned them down in favor of Golden State.

For the Warriors, the signing also effectively replaces swingman Mickael Pietrus, who left the team to join the Orlando Magic on a four-year contract worth a little over $5 million.

Maggette is coming off possibly the best season of his career in which he averaged 22.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

The Warriors also moved to sign restricted free agent Ronny Turiaf to an offer sheet, the 25-year-old Los Angeles Lakers forward agreeing to a four-year $17 million deal.

To retain one of their more dynamic bench players, the Lakers have seven days to match the offer.

The Warriors missed out on the playoffs last season despite finishing third in the Western Conference Pacific Division with a 48-34 record.

(Writing by Jahmal Corner; Editing by John O'Brien)

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