Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Draft Notes: Guy, Herro, Diallo, Blackshear

April 16th, 2019 at 11:14pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Virginia junior guard Kyle Guy has declared for the 2019 NBA draft, as he announced on Twitter. In a message posted on his social media account, Guy explained that coming back to the school remained an option.

Guy isn’t the only prospect who’s attempting to make the jump to the NBA. Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

  • Kentucky guard Tyler Herro, who previously declared for the draft, said he plans to remain in it, as he explains in a video on his Twitter feed. Herro ranks 17th on ESPN’s Top 100.
  • Matas Jogela and Gytis Masiulis have each declared for the draft, Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com tweets. Neither of the Lithuanian natives is within ESPN’s Top 100.
  • Junior guard Alpha Diallo has also declared for the draft, according to Providence’s website. “I am excited to go through the workout process,” Diallo said. “I will be staying in school this spring and finishing my junior year.  I believe this process will help me grow as a player.  I enjoy being at Providence College and playing for the Friars.  The Friars have a strong group of players returning next season and I believe the team could compete for the conference championship.”
  • Virginia Tech junior forward Kerry Blackshear Jr. is testing the draft waters, as David Cunningham of WUTV Sports relays (via Twitter). Blackshear has also placed his name into the transfer portal, so even if he withdraws from the draft, he may not return to the Hokies.
Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

Eastern Notes: Wizards, Robinson, Celtics

April 16th, 2019 at 10:06pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Bradley Beal making the league’s All-NBA team could change the course of the Wizards‘ franchise, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports writes. If Beal earns the nod, then he will be eligible for a super-max contract that starts at 35% of the salary cap.

[Related: How All-NBA Choices Impact Contract Situations]

There’s no guarantee that Washington offers that kind of deal to Beal if the organization gains the ability to do so. It’s also not certain that Beal would accept it. Hughes argues the Wizards will be left with no choice but to trade Beal if they decide against offering the super-max contract or Beal opts against accepting it.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Many within the NBA believe Mitchell Robinson possesses the highest ceiling of any current member of the Knicks, Marc Stein of The New York Times writes in his latest newsletter. Stein compares Robinson’s potential to Clint Capela‘s game, writing that Robinson could become better than the Rockets big man.
  • Rookie Allonzo Trier didn’t hear his name called on draft night but Stein (in the same piece) believes that was a mistake. Trier played in 64 games for the Knicks this season.
  • The Celtics brought in Cam Johnson (North Carolina), Quinndary Weatherspoon (Mississippi State) and Justin Robinson (Virginia Tech) for workouts, according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). Boston could end up with as many as four first-round picks in the upcoming draft.
Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Stein’s Latest: Lakers, Sixers, Myers

April 16th, 2019 at 8:26pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka appears to be gaining more power inside of the team’s front office, Marc Stein of the New York Times writes in his weekly newsletter. The former agent is reportedly running Los Angeles’ search for a new head coach.

It’s curious that the team is searching for a coach before settling on an official head of basketball operations. Many organizations set up their front office structures prior to hiring a coach.

Stein provides more on the situation and passes along some additional nuggets in this week’s edition of the newsletter. Here are the highlights from his piece:

  • There’s chatter within league circles that Sixers assistant coach Monty Williams’ candidacy for the Lakers‘ gig is as strong in part because some within the front office fear giving the job to Tyronn Lue would hand too much control to LeBron James. Williams met with Pelinka to discuss the position earlier today. Lue and Juwan Howard are among the other candidates rumored to be in contention for the position.
  • The Sixers attempted to pry Warriors team president Bob Myers away from Golden State last offseason before deciding to promote Elton Brand to the role, Stein reports. Philadelphia also attempted to bring Rockets GM Daryl Morey to its front office.
  • Morey’s recent contract extension from the Rockets is estimated to pay the executive in the neighborhood of $8MM annually, Stein hears. Magic Johnson‘s salary as the Lakers’ team president was estimated to be $10MM per year and Stein argues that Los Angeles could feasibly offer a candidate double that salary if they wanted to lure a prized rival executive.
  • Stein writes that there is both “shock and relief” within the league that the Lakers haven’t attempted to poach a decorated rival executive, such as Myers, Spurs GM R.C. Buford, or Thunder GM Sam Presti.
Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

Allonzo Trier’s Playing Style Viewed As Cancerous?

April 16th, 2019 at 6:46pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Allonzo Trier showed promise as a scorer for the Knicks, and early in the season, the franchise converted his deal from a two-way contract to a two-year pact with a team option for the 2019/20 campaign. It’s unclear how the Knicks will approach his option, with rumblings that his stay in New York was problematic.

“His play on the court was cancerous,” a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. “A lot of guys didn’t like the way he didn’t play team ball. He cared about himself too much. He looked guys off who were open.’’

The 23-year-old shooting guard, who was in the running for our 2018/19 two-way contract MVP, played 64 games for New York and recorded just 1.9 assists per contest. Trier’s 17.1 shots per 100 possessions ranked fourth on the team behind Emmanuel Mudiay, Kevin Knox and Mario Hezonja, per Basketball-Reference. The results weren’t bad, as Trier (44.8%) only trailed Kadeem Allen (46.1%) in field goal percentage among all non-bigs on the team. Still, his iso-centric game apparently may have rubbed veteran teammates the wrong way, with Berman relaying that Trier was often picked last in team pickup games.

Where he ranks with current teammates may not ultimately matter, as New York could see a slew of new additions this offseason. Coach David Fizdale hinted that Mudiay won’t be back. The team will attempt to shop Frank Ntilikina, and while Hezonja would like to return to New York, there’s no word that mutual interest exists — especially if the former lottery pick sees his stock rise after his promising late-season point guard stint. New faces on the team could make Trier adapt his game.

Kevin Durant adamantly denies that he’s made a decision on his future, though those declarations won’t silence the Knicks rumors. Durant mentored Trier during Trier’s time in high school and the shooting guard previously said he’s “absolutely” hoping that Durant signs with the franchise.

The Knicks have a clear path to two-max level contract openings and Trier alluded that he won’t find out about any potential July news in the same way that most of the basketball world will.

“I don’t have to watch social media,’’ Trier previously said. “I’ll speak to [Durant] directly. Whatever he decides to do, it’s on him.”

Berman writes that when Trier was recently speaking with reporters, a member of the Knicks’ PR reminded him to be careful of crossing the tampering line. Trier said that he doesn’t bother Durant during the season but that KD sometimes sends words of encouragement via text.

“When we talk he says if I ever need advice, I should talk to him. He’s grown. I’m not a young man [any more,] I don’t want to be a burden. He’s a good family friend to have. He’s like a brother to me,” Trier said.

The University of Arizona product admits that he has to work on his game. He may get that chance to improve with the Knicks next season, or the team could look to decline his option with an eye on maximizing cap space.

“We’ll see how, I guess,’’ Trier said about improving his game. “Everything pointed toward me being here.”

Retweet 13 Share 0 Send via email0

2018/19 Hoops Rumors Contract MVPs: Part I

April 16th, 2019 at 4:59pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Hoops Rumors is breaking down each type of contract in the NBA to find out which players were the most valuable under each type of deal.

The rules are simple: To qualify, a player must have played under that contract during the 2018/19 campaign. Players who see their status change (such as 10-day contracts converted to full-season deals) maintain the same status they began with.

Without further ado, here are our 2018/19 “Contract MVPs”:

Two-Way Contract

Two-way contracts—a mechanism designed to allow a player to split time between a G League team and its parent club— were introduced in the latest CBA and implemented at the start of the 2017/18 league year. House is on track to become the most accomplished player ever on a two-way deal after stepping up during Houston’s unfortunate season filled with injuries (Monte Morris probably has the biggest claim to dislodge House from this the theoretical two-way contract throne; Quinn Cook may also stake a claim. Both players previously saw their two-way deals converted).

The CBA limits players on these deals to just 45 days of NBA action – or fewer if a player signs during the season – and practice days count against that limit. House, who played 24.8 minutes per game and made 39.0% of his 3-pointers during his time spent on the two-way deal this season, hit the limit in mid-January. He began negotiations on a new deal, though Houston smartly attempted to leverage the situation into a three-year contract. House’s camp wanted to hit free agency as soon as possible. Progress toward a new deal stalled for two months.

Two-way players earn a different rate depending on whether they are in the NBA or G League. House earned nearly $4,800 on each of the 45 days he was called up to the NBA. The daily rate when he was in the G League: roughly $550. The bet made on himself in not taking the long-term, guaranteed minimum-salary deal offered by the Rockets didn’t come without opportunity cost.

With House trapped in the G League, the Rockets maintained their winning ways behind James Harden‘s historic scoring streak. From the outside, it created the illusion that House’s contributions could be easily replicated, but the front office knew it had to alleviate Harden’s burden or run the risk of him running out of gas by the time the playoffs arrived.

GM Daryl Morey inked House for the remainder of the season in mid-March. The 25-year-old Houston native will be a restricted free agent at the end of the year and the team will try to bring him back once that deal expires but first, our two-way contract MVP will have a chance to further improve his stock as part of the Rockets’ playoff rotation.

Honorable mentions: Jordan McRae, Alex Caruso, Shake Milton, Allonzo Trier

10-Day Contract

Consistent, yet not near elite, vs. much more impactful (relatively), yet short on sample size. It was the storyline of the 2017 rookie of the year award race between Malcolm Brogdon and Joel Embiid. Neither candidate had a particularly historic campaign for the award and calling it an underwhelming race might be overselling it. Those attributes have resurfaced in the battle for our 10-Day Contract MVP.

Brewer had four 10-day deals split between Philadelphia and Sacramento and he was able to turn his pair with the Kings into a $2MM deal worth more than the minimum. He provided good energy for the Sixers amid their injury woes and roster transitioning, though he proved to be a turnover machine. He coughed up the ball 2.1 times per 36 minutes during his time in Philadelphia, which is on par with higher-usage players such as Darren Collison, Mike Conley, and Kyle Kuzma. After seven games, the team opted not to offer him a contract for the remainder of the season and he eventually landed in California.

Carter-Williams, meanwhile, joined the Magic late in the season and helped engineer a 10-2 run toward the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed. Orlando’s defense was a bright spot all season, but backup point guard was the biggest need after other options behind D.J. Augustin failed to pan out.

MCW was the Parmesan cheese to the Steve Clifford‘s spaghetti and meatballs, a perfect complement to a hard-nosed defensive team needing that last element to make them palatable to a postseason audience. Brewer has seen more action, but his season just feels like empty calories. Unlike the 2017/18 ROY, this award goes to the player with the highest impact.

Honorable mention: Corey Brewer

Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception

Randle’s tale rivals Elle Woods’ in the movie Legally Blonde. The Lakers tossed Randle aside for the idea of a more illustrious catch, an addition that better fit their starry brand. The big man made the decision look foolish.

Randle set career-highs in points, rebounds, and blocks per game while improving his free throw percentage and adding a 3-pointer to his arsenal (he was just six 3-pointers short of averaging one make per contest). He has a player’s option worth slightly under $9.1MM for next season and if he opts to hit the free agent market again, the Lakers’ brass may now realize Randle’s value.

Honorable mentions: P.J. Tucker, Justin Holiday

Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception

It’s almost unfair to give Cousins this award. It took a devastating Achilles tear for him to flirt with the idea of signing this type of deal and he had a franchise preaching patience as he made his way back from the injury.

Are 30 games of star-level basketball more valuable than nearly a whole season of solid contribution, as are the cases with the Nuggets in Monte Morris and Torrey Craig? Does Seth Curry deserve the nod for stepping up and helping Portland maintain a top record in the West? Valid arguments for any of these players exist, though Cousins takes home the award here.

Honorable mentions: Monte Morris, Torrey Craig, Seth Curry

Room Exception

  • Ed Davis (Nets): One year, $4,449,000.

No player signed via the room exception came close to making the impact that Davis did during his season in Brooklyn. To be fair, only six players ended this year under this type of contract, with players such as Ron Baker and Michael Beasley getting waived before completing their deal. Still, Davis’ season compared to his contractual peers was 2015/16 Stephen Curry-level dominant.

The big man suited up in all but one game for the Nets, providing the team with a consistent force in the frontcourt. He ranked third on the team in player efficiency rating and fourth in NBAMath’s TPA Metric. While Davis is only on a one-year deal in Brooklyn, he’s found a potential long-term home after a career of bouncing around the league and underperforming at nearly every stop.

Honorable mention: Alex Len

Bi-Annual Exception

The Lopez signing almost seems unreal. There aren’t many centers who would have fit in as well in a Giannis Antetokounmpo-led attack. With his shooting ability, Lopez is able to help the Bucks maintain floor spacing so that the Antetokounmpo can attack the paint more freely. On the other end, Lopez anchored the best defensive unit in basketball, altering shot after shot in Mike Budenholzer‘s conservative defense.

Honorable mention: Elfrid Payton

Part II coming later this week.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Bulls Rumors: Ball, Ellington, I. Smith, Point Guards

April 16th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bulls figure to cast a wide net as they seek out point guard help this summer, as it’s the position most in need of an upgrade on their roster. In fact, Chicago has already had at least one interesting discussion involving a point guard this year.

An NBA executive tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that the Bulls and Lakers had “initial conversations” about Lonzo Ball after Ball’s camp leaked that Chicago would be on the point guard’s list of preferred destinations if he were traded.

It’s not clear whether those in-season discussions went anywhere or if either team plans on revisiting them this summer, but it’s a signal that the Bulls figure to explore plenty of options as they consider how to fortify their point guard position.

Here’s more out of Chicago:

  • According to one scout, the Bulls have “taken interest” in the Pistons’ roster, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, adding that the club likes Wayne Ellington‘s shooting and Ish Smith‘s ability to run a team. Both veterans will be free agents this offseason.
  • While he recognizes that the Bulls aren’t likely to be major players for top free agents this year, executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson believes Chicago is on the right track to eventually become an attractive destination again, as Mark Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago relays. “I do think that when you establish yourself, which we’re trying to do right now as a relevant team again, and as we get better positioning ourselves to have money when guys come up in the future, I think this will be a destination place,” Paxson said last week. “But we have to get better. That’s the thing. We have to get to a point where we are playing for important things. But our young guys have to develop into the type of players that other guys want to play with. And I think we have a couple guys right now on the roster and hopefully we’ll have more in the future.”
  • Mark Schanowski of NBC Sports Chicago takes a closer look at the Bulls’ roster by position, identifying which players are likely – or unlikely – to return, and reiterating that point guard tops the club’s list of offseason needs.
Retweet 4 Share 0 Send via email0

2019 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Cleveland Cavaliers

April 16th, 2019 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

After four straight NBA Finals appearances, the 2018/19 season was one of transition for the Cavaliers, who lost their best player (LeBron James), dismissed their head coach (Tyronn Lue), and shifted their focus to the future. While Cleveland may have moved on mentally from those LeBron-led squads, the team’s cap sheet is still catching up — many of the Cavs’ priciest veteran contracts run for one more year.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Cavaliers financially, as we launch our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2019:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • J.R. Smith ($11,810,000) 1
  • Total: $11,810,000

Restricted Free Agents

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $109,000,000
Projected Tax Line: $132,000,000

Offseason Cap Outlook

  • Realistically, there’s no way the Cavaliers will be able to create cap room for 2019/20. Dumping salary to get under the cap would almost certainly mean attaching assets that they’ve accumulated during their rebuild, and since they were willing to take on salary to acquire those assets in the first place, it would be counter-intuitive to switch gears now.
  • In fact, with $123MM+ in guaranteed money already on their books for 2019/20 and the possibility of adding even more salary if they can find a favorable J.R. Smith trade, the Cavs will likely be more concerned with staying below the $132MM luxury tax line than with finding a way to create cap space.

Cap Exceptions Available

  • Trade exception: $2,760,095 (expires 12/9/19)
  • Trade exception: $1,544,951 (expires 2/7/20)
  • Trade exception: $1,512,601 (expires 2/7/20)
  • Mid-level exception: $9,246,000 4
  • Bi-annual exception: $3,619,000 4

Footnotes

  1. Smith’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.
  2. The salaries for two-way players don’t count against a team’s cap, but their cap holds do during the offseason.
  3. Because Chriss’ fourth-year rookie scale option was declined, the Cavaliers are ineligible to offer him a starting salary greater than his cap hold.
  4. These are projected values. Additionally, the Cavaliers will not be able to use these exceptions if their team salary exceeds the tax apron. In that scenario, they’d instead receive the taxpayer mid-level exception, worth a projected $5,711,000.

Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0

Wolves Expected To Meet With Clippers’ Winger, Rockets’ Rosas

April 16th, 2019 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

2:59pm: The Timberwolves have also requested and been granted permission to speak to Rockets VP Gersson Rosas, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Rosas has also been linked to the Pelicans and Wizards this spring.

2:30pm: The Timberwolves have received permission to speak to Clippers general manager Michael Winger about a potential president of basketball operations role in Minnesota, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

It’s not clear when the meeting will take place, but Wolves owner Glen Taylor has targeted a short list of potential candidates to become the club’s head of basketball operations, and Winger appears to be emerging as one of the favorites in that group, as Wojnarowski tweets.

Taylor and the Wolves announced last Wednesday at the end of the regular season that they were formally launching a search for a new president of basketball operations. While general manager Scott Layden has been running the club’s front office for most of the season and may ultimately be retained, Minnesota wants to bring in someone who can oversee the team’s basketball operations, filling Tom Thibodeau‘s old role.

Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported last week that the Wolves are targeting a strong communicator who places high value on the draft and player development.

For Winger, the Timberwolves’ position would represent a promotion, since he currently serves under head of basketball operations Lawrence Frank in Los Angeles. Before he was hired by the Clippers as their general manager in 2017, Winger worked in the Thunder’s front office as an assistant GM under Sam Presti.

Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0

Hoops Rumors’ 2019 NBA Award Picks: Coach Of The Year

April 16th, 2019 at 2:09pm CST by Hoops Rumors

While the NBA won’t announce this year’s award winners until June, we’re making our picks for 2019’s major awards over the next two weeks.

The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our choices below, but we also want to know which players, coaches, and executives you think are most deserving of the hardware this season, so jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts.

We’re keeping things going today with the award for Coach of the Year. Here are our selections:

Austin Kent: Mike Budenholzer (Bucks)
While it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a top-five player evolve into a superstar, the Bucks benefited immensely from the excellent decision to hire Budenholzer, who took a good team propped up by its best player and morphed it into a well-oiled machine.

With Budenholzer at the helm, the Bucks increased their pace from 20th in the league to fifth. More impressively, they did so while also improving their defense. The Bucks were 18th in the league in defensive rating last season and first in 2018/19.

Suddenly, just one season removed from finishing as a 44-win squad and a relatively easy out, the Bucks are a 60-win behemoth and a legitimate title contender. Attribute some of that to the obvious strides Giannis Antetokounmpo took, but attribute the rest to the man that led the transformation from the sidelines.

Chris Crouse: Kenny Atkinson (Nets)
The Spurs were essentially forced to trade away Kawhi Leonard, and Gregg Popovich picked up the pieces and made the postseason. Doc Rivers took a Clippers team whose front office appeared to de-emphasize this campaign (perhaps as part of a plan to pursue Leonard this offseason) and improbably delivered the City of L.A.’s only playoff berth. Mike Budenholzer surveyed the Bucks’ roster and implemented a scheme that led Milwaukee to become the best team in the East.

None may be as impressive as Atkinson. The Atkinson-led Nets found their way to the postseason as a result of the coach’s on-court precision in play-calling and off-court player development. Several coaches deserve to be considered for the COY award, but Atkinson tops the field for his work in Brooklyn.

Arthur Hill: Mike Budenholzer (Bucks)
Budenholzer transformed the Bucks by emphasizing 3-pointers and defense, posting the league’s best record with a team that won 44 games last season. Antetokounmpo has taken a noticeable leap forward under Budenholzer, who has maximized the Greek Freak’s potential by surrounding him with shooters. Michael Malone, Kenny Atkinson, Steve Clifford and Doc Rivers all deserve consideration, but Budenholzer stands out for turning the Bucks into legitimate title contenders.

Luke Adams: Mike Budenholzer (Bucks)
In a crowded field of Coach of the Year candidates for 2018/19, Budenholzer wasn’t necessarily the one who did the most with the least, but he had a major hand in the Bucks‘ breakthrough season. Even those of us that were high on Milwaukee entering the season didn’t expect this — the team’s 60 wins were an NBA high, and its +8.6 net rating was the best mark since the 2016/17 Warriors.

Although much was made of Budenholzer’s ability to unlock the Bucks’ offensive potential by spacing the floor around Antetokounmpo with shooters, his work on the other end of the court impressed me more. Milwaukee ranked 18th in the league in defensive rating in 2017/18, and its offseason additions – including Brook Lopez and Ersan Ilyasova – weren’t exactly All-Defense contenders. The Bucks were nonetheless the hardest team to score on at the rim in 2018/19 despite rarely fouling, and improved their overall defensive rating to a league-best 104.9.

Dana Gauruder: Doc Rivers (Clippers)
Stripped of his title as president of basketball operations a couple years ago, Rivers was able to fully concentrate on what he does best. He did a masterful job of massaging victories out of an ever-changing roster. The Clippers won 48 games despite trading their top scorer (Tobias Harris) at the deadline. They also changed centers and shooting guards in mid-stream and had a rookie point guard running the show. Yet they got better as they went along, going 18-8 after the first week of February.

Who is your pick for Coach of the Year? Share your choices and your thoughts in the comment section below!

Previously:

Still to come:

  • Sixth Man of the Year
  • Most Improved Player
  • Rookie of the Year
  • Defensive Player of the Year
  • Most Valuable Player

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0

DeMarcus Cousins Diagnosed With Torn Quad

April 16th, 2019 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors‘ fears have been confirmed, as big man DeMarcus Cousins has been diagnosed with a torn left quad, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

According to Charania (via Twitter), the tear will almost certainly end Cousins’ season, though he and the team will see how he responds to the first couple weeks of rehab. For now, the Warriors have ruled him out indefinitely.

The injury isn’t expected to require surgery, sources tell Charania. Marc Spears of The Undefeated adds (via Twitter) that the former All-Star is still waiting to learn the “full extent” of the injury, which presumably includes a recovery timeline.

As we detailed earlier today, Cousins’ latest injury is a brutal break for the 28-year-old, who has now had two consecutive contract years cut short by major leg injuries. After missing the postseason in his first seven NBA seasons, Cousins has been on playoff teams in each of the last two seasons, but was unable to suit up last spring for the Pelicans due to his Achilles tear, and now will likely end up playing just 25 playoff minutes for Golden State.

Cousins, who spent the first half of the 2018/19 season recovering from his Achilles injury, averaged an impressive 16.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, and 1.5 BPG in 30 games (25.7 MPG) for the Warriors, positioning himself for a more lucrative contract than his current one-year, $5.34MM deal. Faced with another major injury though, he may have to take a second consecutive one-year, prove-it contract this summer in the hopes of once again rebuilding his value.

With Cousins sidelined, the Warriors will lean more heavily on Andrew Bogut and Kevon Looney at the five, with Jordan Bell perhaps seeing occasional minutes as well.

Retweet 5 Share 0 Send via email0
Load More Posts