SAN FRANCISCO – The best player from the Warriors’ ragtag Summer League squad will not return to the Bay Area.
Australian point guard Taran Armstrong signed with Dubai Basketball in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
Because Golden State tendered a qualifying offer to the 6-foot-5 Armstrong in June, the NBA team retains his exclusive negotiating rights in the event that he returns to the NBA.
The 23-year-old signed with the Warriors in February and played 11 games for Santa Cruz, but did not suit up for the Warriors in the regular season or playoffs.
Before that, Armstrong won the Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year award at Cal Baptist in 2022, and played pro basketball in Australia following his early departure from college.
Armstrong averaged 7.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists for the Warriors across five Summer League games in Las Vegas and San Francisco in July.
He credited the Golden State veterans for his improvement over the summer.
“It was such a cool experience being in the playoff locker room, and being able to sit in and be a part of those meetings and see what goes into preparing for a game seven,” Armstrong told the Bay Area News Group in July.
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He was previously linked to Serbian powerhouse KK Partizan, a perennial participant in the EuroLeague competition.
Dubai will also participate in the EuroLeague this season. He is expected to play a featured role on the team, something that he would not have had with the Warriors.
At shooting guard, the Warriors added Steph Curry’s younger brother and noted sharpshooter Seth Curry this offseason, and expect third-year Santa Clara product Brandin Podziemski to take a more featured role. The team also drafted Will Richard out of Florida in the second round, and still has Buddy Hield as a sixth-man off the bench.