The Warriors threw another haymaker in free agency Sunday, and, once again, they were countered with a knockout punch.

Well, make that a standing eight count.

The Clippers are expected to match the four-year, $42.7 million offer sheet the Warriors signed with restricted free-agent center DeAndre Jordan, but Los Angeles has until Wednesday to make it official. That leaves the Warriors in three days of limbo, struggling to get off the mat while NBA movement buzzes around them.

To make room for the Jordan offer, the Warriors amnestied Charlie Bell and his $4.1 million contract, rescinded their qualifying offer to Reggie Williams and have delayed the signings of rookies Klay Thompson and Jeremy Tyler.

Head coach Mark Jackson is left with a roster lacking a single backup guard who has played a single NBA minute. He's losing valuable teaching time with Thompson and Tyler, who can't participate in practice until they sign contracts. And the Warriors are no bigger and no deeper.

"The bottom line is: I came to this team to coach the guys who are in the locker room today," Jackson said. "I'm excited to have that opportunity. I made the playoff promise based on what's in the locker room right now. I couldn't be happier with the way they're working.

"We've talked about getting better across the board. We have an opportunity to get better, and we're going to be very aggressive. We've taken our swings, and we're going to continue to do so."

The Warriors have taken at least two big swings but have come up empty. They offered the world to top free-agent center Tyson Chandler, but he chose to sign with New York. They tried to overpay for Jordan, but it appears as though the Clippers are willing to write a check to keep Blake Griffin happy.

Executive board member Jerry West was in the Bay Area on Sunday for the first time since training camp opened Friday. He liked the unselfish play he saw among the Warriors' core at practice and expressed doubt about Jordan.

"He's a young, active player who's probably coming into his own," West said. "Those are the kinds of players who people are willing to take chances on in terms of paying a lot of money. At the end of the day, you have to find out what's in store for anyone. I'm just not really sure about him."

As general manager Larry Riley predicted at the beginning of the free-agency signing period, the Warriors might not be able to make any major acquisitions this offseason. They might have to start looking at one-year stopgap options at center.

That pool could start to dry pretty quickly. Kurt Thomas, who has been an enforcer inside for eight teams during the past 16 seasons, signed with Portland on Sunday. If the Warriors have to wait until Wednesday for their next move, the Kwame Browns and Joel Przyzbillas of the free-agent crop already might have been picked, too.

"It's obvious that they need a low-post defender to help who they have, somebody who's big and long and takes up a lot of space," West said. "But at what price? I would never recommend or even consider signing someone unless it was just going to be a one-year fix for you.

"To me, everything has to play out, and, by Wednesday, we'll know where things are. Then, you go to Plan B."

Or Plan D. The Warriors also dabbled in the Chris Paul trade talks, but refused to include Stephen Curry in a deal. After the league vetoed a three-team deal that would have landed Paul with the Lakers, the Clippers have emerged as the frontrunners for the All-Star point guard.

"There are a lot of teams that are struggling while trying to do things," West said. "It's always difficult to make trades or acquire players. ... At the end of the day, there has been a significant effort made up here.

"Hopefully, something will come out of it."