McCaw sat on waivers for two months instead of joining the Warriors. He clearly was over playing there and thought he deserved a bigger deal. And if the Warriors felt they needed him, they'd have negotiated with him further, but they were willing to let him chill at home. (Plus, if the big narrative people are crafting is the Warriors' "chemistry issues," would adding a bench guy who's pissy about his contract really help that?) So yeah, I don't think the effect on the Warriors was really part of the thought process.

Gilbert DID, however, certainly did this to fuck McCaw out of the guaranteed money from the offer sheet. It'd be one thing if they waived him because they thought he had a shitty attitude and didn't want to play in Cleveland (and no one would blame him for feeling that way)-- but it says they're interested in re-signing him after he clears waivers! That's a pretty transparent move on Gilbert's part. He sees the lack of interest in the dude at the current price point that the Warriors said they'd match, so he gives McCaw a contract above the GSW price point to get McCaw to sign-- then cuts him, avoiding the guaranteed 2-year deal, and will almost certainly offer something less lengthy and/or binding.

Remains to be seen if McCaw will clear waivers without generating other interest-- though considering the NBA had two months to try to beat a 2-year, hair-over-5-mil deal and flatly refused, it seems that he'll be available for Cleveland. Also remains to be seen if McCaw would want to go to Cleveland after this... though I wonder if Gilbert could entice him with a 1-year deal for a higher paycheck this year, with the selling point that he could be a free agent again next season. Maybe McCaw has a change of heart and accepts the Warriors' previous offer if they offer it again.

But yeah, as much as I love petty owner antics, seems more like this is just Gilbert being his usual shitheel self, trying to get a better deal for him than the player's current price.