One of the Warriors’ few weaknesses this season is the backup shooting guard spot, a void that free agent Ray Allen would fill perfectly, Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group opines. Golden State has been having internal discussions about making a run at adding Allen to its roster, should he decide to play this season. With Corey Brewer once again being made available by Minnesota, he could also become a potential trade target, though that is just my speculation.
Here’s more from out west:
- The Warriors have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to the Santa Cruz Warriors, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Kuzmic’s second trek to the D-League this season.
- Sources close to the Kings have denied reports that team owner Vivek Ranadive tried to dictate who ex-coach Mike Malone played, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). Although, one known instance of Ranadive suggesting whom to play was this past Saturday when Ranadive suggested that Ryan Hollins start after the death of his father, a move that Malone reportedly agreed with, Broussard adds.
- The Clippers‘ Jamal Crawford has parted ways with agent Andy Miller, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (Twitter link).
- Crawford has said that the trade rumors regarding himself don’t bother him, and though he would prefer to stay with the Clippers, Crawford intimated that he could play “wherever,” Dan Woike of The Orange County Register tweets.
- Most league executives unsurprisingly believe Brook Lopez will pick up his $16.744MM player option for next season with the Nets, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes amid a broader look at the Warriors and possible trade fits for David Lee.
- Pops Mensah-Bonsu is set to be released by Hapoel Jerusalem, David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter link). Mensah-Bonsu, who was briefly in training camp with the Nuggets this fall, was brought in by Hapoel on a month-to-month deal for the EuroCup competition, and is no longer needed since the team has been eliminated from the tournament, Pick adds.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.