Fan favorite departs Warriors as team awaits LeBron James’ decision: reports

Pat Spencer went from novelty to rotation player capable of backing up Steph Curry in three seasons with the Warriors

admin July 2, 2026 2 minutes read

A fan favorite is leaving the Bay Area in free agency.

Pat Spencer agreed to a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns on Thursday afternoon, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported. Spencer averaged a career-high 7.2 points per game in 66 appearances this past season for the Warriors, making 14 starts for the injury-riddled team.

After beginning his career more known as a great lacrosse player who had transitioned to a fulltime basketball player as a senior at Northwestern, Spencer, 29, got spot minutes in his first two seasons before breaking out last season as an athletic sparkplug off the bench.

He began the 2025-26 season on a two-way contract, but his strong play in the middle part of the campaign was enough to get the Warriors to give him a standard contract.

Spencer’s best stretch came in early December, when he averaged 15.2 points and 5.4 assists over a five game period, one that included back-to-back road wins in Chicago and Cleveland while Steph Curry sat with injuries.

After making just 20.8% of his 3-pointers over his first two seasons, Spencer developed into a credible outside threat and connected on 35.7% of his shots from behind the arc.

His decision to leave the Bay Area comes as the Warriors await LeBron James’ decision on where he will play next. The Warriors have agreed to re-sign Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton but have not added any other new free agents.