DECEMBER 30, 6:58pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN has confirmed previous reports and expectations that the Warriors are not planning to match the two-year deal for McCaw. The team officially has until 11:59 pm ET tonight to decide, but currently has no plans to do so, according to Wojnarowski.
DECEMBER 29, 6:23pm: The Warriors haven’t indicated how they plan to respond to Patrick McCaw‘s offer sheet, but a pair of writers who cover the team believe they won’t match the two-year deal from the Cavaliers.
Sources tell Anthony Slater of The Athletic that Golden State is “strongly leaning” toward refusing to match and letting the third-year shooting guard go to Cleveland. The Warriors kept a roster spot open for McCaw throughout his unexpectedly long holdout, but they have developed a more pressing need at center. With Damian Jones injured, the team’s top priority is finding another big man, according to Slater, with Robin Lopez the number one candidate if he negotiates a buyout in Chicago.
Alfonzo McKinnie has performed well in McCaw’s absence and seems likely to be kept on the roster as his contract becomes fully guaranteed next month. Slater states that Warriors owner Joe Lacob is unhappy about how McCaw handled the situation. Lacob paid $2.4MM to the Bucks two years ago to acquire the draft pick that was used to select him.
Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News believes the front office made its decision on McCaw a long time ago. There was limited contact with the 23-year-old after he turned down a $1.7MM qualifying offer and a subsequent two-year, $5.2MM deal.
“The whole thing has been surprising. We anticipated Pat would be part of our rotation this year,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It just didn’t happen, for whatever reason. We’ll see what happens. Obviously we have a decision to make.”
There are also concerns, both writers note, about bringing McCaw back into a locker room environment where he might not be fully welcome. The Warriors opted not to renounce him in case he became a trade asset, but they’re reached a point where a decision must be made.
Golden State must settle on its next step by tomorrow night — 48 hours after McCaw officially signed the offer sheet. The deal promises him $6MM over two years, although neither season is guaranteed. Contracts throughout the league become fully guaranteed on January 10, so whichever team winds up with McCaw would have to waive him by January 7 — a little more than a week from now — to avoid paying him $3MM for this year.
Because of the luxury tax, it would cost the Warriors more than $11MM to keep McCaw on the roster. He wouldn’t be eligible to be traded until the offseason if the offer sheet is matched.
Still can’t figure out why he waited all this time, out-waiting the Warriors interest, to get picked up by a really screwed up team/ownership like the Cavs. At this point, he’s fortunate to have been signed by any team. Not sure after McCaw’s craziness for not playing with the NBA champs this year, why he would prefer to play with a loser rather than a winner…? That was his only choice now. Too bad, cause he’ll always be remembered not for anything basketball, even though he has a ring, but for being that nutty guy who made a crazy decision and rejected a position with the world champs. WOW!
He wanted a chance for more playing time with another team. He didn’t think he would get it with the Warriors since they’re stacked. Besides, he didn’t like the way he was treated by the Warriors.
As a Warriors faithful, I can tell you that they played him as much as his skillset warranted. They offered him $1.7M which he rejected. OK. Then they offered him the $5.2M with the second year non-guaranteed, I think. It’s not $6M, but it’s with the champs, whose system he knows and who he already won one ring with, maybe another coming. I think he was mislead by “advisors” telling him to hold out/not accept the W’s offer. He’s not been a good enough player to try and manipulate a contract situation, with an NBA team, to go his way. And, here we are. So, hopefully his time with the Cavs works out, and he doesn’t come away with any regrets.
Take the money. 3M guaranteed is more than 2.6M guaranteed. And he can get to FA sooner if the 2nd yr is declined.
He wasn’t mistreated by the Warriors. He just wasn’t playing very well and then he got hurt. Nothing more and nothing less.
Read the Cavs only signed him to release him so he could become an unrestricted free agent.
what do they gain from that?
Force Warriors hand, then release and resign him to a smaller deal maybe?
What? They’d be paying him two contracts since this one is fully guaranteed.
What BS
Source?
Good for McCaw, it took too long but finally is in his way out of GSW & hopefully he can play more & be happier, all that matters. Rings only count if you are the one that wins it not the last guy in the bench.
Also I hope Chicago does their due diligence & trades RoLo instead of buying him out & let him go to GSW. Surely he is a valuable trade chip, they must be able to get something for him.
Anyway I can’t see why GSW would want him at the buy out time as DMC will be back by then & still will be better just back than whatever RoLo can do for them tbh.
The team that acquires Lopez could just end up buying him out though.
No one is trading for RoLo to let him go for free to GSW! Not happening dude!
That may be your state of mind. But realistically GM’s around the league have more important matters to be concerned about than Robin Lopez ending up in GS.
Even though a puzzling move, I will say it sure worked out for macaw. He must have known the talk behind the scenes that he’d get his money eventually. Good for him. Let’s hope he can turn his play around become the player we thought he would be instead of struggles of last year.
dan gilberts not good for basketball