Year: 2024

Warriors Notes: Bradley, Payton, Lee, Green, Myers, Wiseman

October 14th, 2021 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

With just one preseason game left on the Warriors‘ schedule, they may be down to three choices for their 15th roster spot, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic: Avery Bradley, Gary Payton II, or luxury tax savings.

As Slater outlines, Bradley looked like the frontrunner early in the fall, but he hasn’t wowed the team during the preseason, leaving the door open for Payton to push for a roster spot following his return from hernia surgery. Payton had a strong debut in Tuesday’s contest vs. the Lakers, scoring 12 points and providing energy and solid defense off the bench. He’ll have another opportunity in Friday’s preseason finale vs. Portland to make a case to stick around.

The Warriors have just 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, since swingman Damion Lee only has a partial guarantee, so technically two roster spots could be up for grabs. But Lee showed on Tuesday why he has been penciled into that 14th spot, as he put up 16 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes of action as a starter.

“He’s had a great camp, and he’s a guy on our team who we kind of take for granted,” Kerr said of Lee, per Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s such a pro. He’s such a rock-solid player. He’s ready every night, whether I play him 20 minutes or whether I don’t play him at all. He’s always prepared.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio (video link), Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers explained why he didn’t feel the need to talk to Draymond Green about comments Green made on a podcast over the summer. Green said in the podcast that the front office mishandled its response to his on-court confrontation with Kevin Durant during KD’s last season in Golden State. “He’s allowed to feel how he feels about that and so is Kevin,” Myers said. “I’ve been through too much with him. I’ve watched that guy win three championships with us. I can’t get upset about (his comments) — I just won’t. … Him and Kevin, the good they’ve done for me and our franchise way outweighs anything like that.”
Once James Wiseman gets healthy, the Warriors don’t intend to shuffle him back and forth between the NBA and G League, Slater writes for The Athletic. The team might send Wiseman to Santa Cruz as he gets back up to speed, but once he gets recalled to the NBA, the plan is for him to stay there, according to Slater, whose article takes an in-depth look at assistant coach Dejan Milojević‘s developmental plan for the young center.
The 20-year-old Wiseman is only the third-youngest player on a roster that includes a pair of teenagers, Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga. Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer explores the challenge Golden State will face as it tries to focus on winning games while also developing its young lottery picks.
Shaun Livingston and Zaza Pachulia, who both have roles in the Warriors’ basketball operations department, spoke to team broadcaster Bob Fitzgerald about how their experiences as players in Golden State made it an easy decision to rejoin the franchise once their playing careers ended.
In case you missed it, we published our recap of the Warriors’ offseason on Wednesday night.

Injury Notes: Diakite, P. Williams, C. White, Zion, Lakers

October 14th, 2021 at 9:04am CST by Luke Adams

Thunder forward Mamadi Diakite has been diagnosed with a left hip fracture and has been ruled out indefinitely, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter links). Diakite sustained the injury during Sunday’s preseason game against Milwaukee, Mussatto adds.

It’s an unfortunate turn of events for Diakite, who was claimed off waivers by the Thunder last month and was trying to prove he deserved a spot on the regular season roster. Only $100K of Diakite’s minimum-salary contract is guaranteed, making him a potential casualty of a roster crunch.

Although the Thunder haven’t revealed their plans for their 15-man regular season roster, they’re carrying 13 players on guaranteed contracts, and Kenrich Williams is a lock for the roster despite his non-guaranteed salary. That leaves just one available 15-man spot — if Diakite’s injury takes him out of the running, Gabriel Deck and D.J. Wilson would likely be the top contenders for it.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Bulls forward Patrick Williams appears to be nearing a return. He participated fully in Wednesday’s practice and said his injured ankle “feels good,” per Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Bulls guard Coby White, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, still isn’t close to being cleared for contact. Head coach Billy Donovan said on Wednesday the team is about three or four weeks away from determining the next step in White’s rehab process (Twitter link via Cody Westerlund of 670TheScore.com).
Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin said last month he thought Zion Williamson, who underwent offseason foot surgery, would be ready for opening night. However, head coach Willie Green confirmed on Monday that Williamson still isn’t running or participating in team activities, according to William Guillory of The Athletic, who says Zion’s uncertain status leaves New Orleans in limbo with the regular season around the corner.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is hopeful that Malik Monk (groin) and Kendrick Nunn (ankle) will be ready to go by opening night, per Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group (Twitter links). However, veteran guard Wayne Ellington is dealing with a hamstring strain that makes him more of a question mark for the start of the season.

Kyrie Irving Confirms He’s Unvaccinated, Says He’s Not Retiring

October 14th, 2021 at 8:06am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on Instagram Live on Wednesday night (video link), Nets guard Kyrie Irving publicly confirmed for the first time that he remains unvaccinated against COVID-19.

Due to a New York City mandate that requires individuals to have received at least one vaccine shot in order to enter public indoor venues, Irving is ineligible to play in over half of Brooklyn’s games this season. The Nets announced this week that Irving won’t be permitted to play or practice with the team – even on the road – until he can be a full-time participant.

Repeating many of the same points that were conveyed through sources by Shams Charania of The Athletic on Tuesday, Irving claimed on Wednesday that his decision is “not about being anti-vax,” adding that he’s “being true to what feels good for me” and understands the ramifications of remaining unvaccinated, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN details.

“I am going to just continue to stay in shape, be ready to play, be ready to rock out with my teammates and just be part of this whole thing,” Irving said, though he gave no indication that he plans to receive the vaccine. “This is not a political thing; this is not about the NBA, not about any organization. This is about my life and what I am choosing to do.”

The death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 700,000 in the United States and 4.5 million worldwide, while many others are still dealing with long-term health effects from the virus. Data has shown that the vaccines reduce the risk of infection and drastically lessen the likelihood of an affected individual being hospitalized or dying. NBPA executive director Michele Roberts has stated that about 96% of the NBA’s players are vaccinated.

Irving said on Wednesday he was under the belief entering the fall that he’d be able to receive an exemption that would make him eligible to play in New York this season. It’s unclear whether or not he applied for a medical or religious exemption. Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins attempted to get a religious exemption in the hopes of circumventing a similar mandate in San Francisco, but his request was denied by the NBA and the city stated it wouldn’t have approved such an exemption anyway. Wiggins subsequently agreed to get vaccinated.

Irving, on the other hand, appears to be digging in his heels, telling viewers on his Instagram Live that he’s prepared to face the financial consequences of his decision.

The NBA has indicated that players who are ineligible to play in games due to local vaccine mandates will lose 1/91.6th of their salary for each game they miss. While the NBPA has pushed back against the league’s interpretation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the expectation is that Irving’s stance will cost him $381K per game over the course of 43 games (41 in Brooklyn, plus two at Madison Square Garden), for a total of nearly $16.4MM in lost base salary, plus more in incentives that he’ll be unable to achieve.

Though it remains unclear if we’ll see Irving at all on the court this season, he stressed on Wednesday that he has no intention of walking away from basketball altogether.

“No, I am not retiring. And no, I am not going and leaving this game like this,” Irving said. “There is still so much more work to do.”

Nets general manager Sean Marks previously expressed interest in signing Irving to a contract extension this offseason, but multiple reports have suggested those discussions are no longer taking place, for obvious reasons.

Raptors Sign Alex Antetokounmpo To Exhibit 10 Deal

October 13th, 2021 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

11:00pm: The deal is official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

9:31pm: The Raptors will sign forward Alex Antetokounmpo, the younger brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo, to an Exhibit 10 contract before the regular season begins next week, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link).

The Greek newspaper Ethnos first reported last month that Antetokounmpo was expected to sign with Toronto.

As Murphy notes, the plan is for Antetokounmpo to be waived shortly after he signs. His Exhibit 10 deal would allow the Raptors to gain his affiliate rights and ensure he receives a bonus worth up to $50K for eventually joining the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League team.

Antetokounmpo, 20, spent last season under contract in Spain with UCAM Murcia, then joined the Kings’ Summer League roster in August.

As we wrote earlier today, Toronto is also signing former Thunder forward Josh Hall to an Exhibit 10 contract for G League purposes.

2021 NBA Offseason In Review: Golden State Warriors

October 13th, 2021 at 10:10pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2021 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s offseason moves, examine what still needs to be done before opening night, and look ahead to what the 2021/22 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Golden State Warriors.

Free agent signings:

Note: Exhibit 9 and 10 deals aren’t included here.

Nemanja Bjelica: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Andre Iguodala: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Otto Porter: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
Chris Chiozza: Two-way contract.

Trades:

Acquired the Grizzlies’ 2026 second-round pick (top-42 protected) from the Jazz in exchange for Eric Paschall.

Draft picks:

1-7: Jonathan Kuminga
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $24,855,347).
1-14: Moses Moody
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $17,024,109).

Contract extensions:

Stephen Curry: Four years, $215,353,662. Includes 15% trade kicker. Starts in 2022/23.

Departing players:

Kent Bazemore
Nico Mannion
Kelly Oubre
Eric Paschall
Alen Smailagic

Other offseason news:

Klay Thompson continues to recover from an Achilles tear and will miss the start of the season.
James Wiseman continues to recover from knee surgery and will miss the start of the season.
Hired Kenny Atkinson, Dejan Milojević, and Jama Mahlalela as assistant coaches; lost assistant coach Jarron Collins.

Salary cap situation:

Remained over the cap and above the tax line.
Carrying approximately $174.2MM in salary.
Full taxpayer mid-level exception ($5,890,000) still available.
Three traded player exceptions available, including one worth $2.25MM.

Lingering preseason issues:

The Warriors have 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts, plus Damion Lee on a partial guarantee ($500K).
Avery Bradley, Gary Payton II, Jordan Bell, and Mychal Mulder are on non-guaranteed contracts, vying for a roster spot, but Golden State could open the season with an open roster spot to save some money.
The Warriors have an open two-way contract slot.
Andrew Wiggins is eligible for a veteran contract extension until October 18.
Kevon Looney is eligible for a veteran contract extension all season.

The Warriors’ offseason:

The Warriors look considerably different than they did the last time they made a deep playoff run, when they fell to the Raptors in six games during an injury-riddled 2019 NBA Finals matchup. The club is hoping that its revamped depth – including some talented young prospects, a couple solid three-point shooters on minimum deals, and one old, old friend – will be enough to help its veteran core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and, at some point, Klay Thompson make another deep postseason run.

Most prominently, Golden State added two new lottery picks to its stable of veterans and youth, selecting 6’8″ forward Jonathan Kuminga from the G League Ignite and 6’6″ shooting guard Moses Moody out of Arkansas.

Those two picks – the seventh and 14th overall selections in the 2021 draft – were the subject of frequent trade speculation leading up to draft day, but the Warriors ultimately decided it made more sense at this point to hang onto them than to try to package them for a star, given the lack of viable options on the trade market.

Both Kuminga and Moody are viewed as intriguing long-term additions, though the Warriors probably aren’t counting on either teenager to make a significant contribution to a 2022 playoff push. Kuminga is already dealing with a knee injury that will likely sideline him to start the season.

2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala has returned to Golden State, following two seasons spent with the Heat and, technically, the Grizzlies, though he never suited up in Memphis. How much the 37-year-old can reasonably be expected to contribute on the floor in his 18th NBA season remains to be seen. The Warriors also took flyers on a pair of veteran wing shooters in Nemanja Bjelica and Otto Porter.

The forwards’ on-paper fit alongside Curry is intriguing, although there is a reason both were available on veteran’s minimum contracts. Bjelica is a career 38.7% shooter from deep, while Porter has connected on an impressive 40.2% of his triples. Last year, Bjelica struggled to stay on the floor for a competing Heat team that could have desperately used his floor-spacing during the 2021 playoffs, while Porter has appeared in just 42 games across the past two seasons due to fitness issues. If they can stay healthy and display some consistency, both vets could be useful rotation pieces.

The Warriors also let swingman Kelly Oubre join the Hornets in free agency after trading for him following the news of Thompson’s season-ending Achilles tear during the 2020 offseason. A solid athlete, Oubre never managed to develop a consistent outside shoot during his one-year tenure in Golden State, connecting on just 31.6% of his 5.2 long-range looks per night. The Warriors had hoped that Oubre would provide dependable help for Curry on the perimeter.

The Warriors’ upcoming season:

Thompson has missed two consecutive seasons with two of the worst injuries a player could suffer in basketball, an ACL tear and an Achilles tear. No one is expecting him to return to his All-Defensive peak when it comes to guarding the opposition’s best perimeter players, but the Warriors will need him to at least approximate his scoring output of years past if they hope to really threaten the top teams in the West this year.

With Thompson not expected to return until possibly December, the starting shooting guard position on the team remained up for grabs entering training camp. Jordan Poole has all but locked up the spot, averaging 23.3 PPG in four preseason contests.

Hyper-athletic second-year center James Wiseman, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft out of Memphis, flashed plenty of promise during his rookie season, but also missed nearly half the year after suffering a season-ending right meniscus tear that required surgery. The seven-footer appeared in just 39 contests last season, and appeared very much to be a raw prospect still in need of development. The timeline for his return, in addition to Thompson’s, remains fairly murky, and it’s unclear how much he’ll even be able to contribute to winning games during his age-20 season.

After initially refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, small forward Andrew Wiggins listened to his wallet and got the shot. He’ll be available for Golden State come opening night, and will be heavily leaned upon to score on the wing until Thompson’s return. Though he’s technically eligible for a veteran contract extension until October 18, a new deal for Wiggins seems very unlikely unless he’s willing to take a pay cut.

Hoops Rumors readers just barely voted in favor of Golden State besting an over/under of 48.5 wins, which feels somewhat optimistic. The team is riddled with question marks beyond its All-NBA point guard.

Last season, buoyed by outrageous scoring outbursts from Curry and the all-defense/no-shooting output of Green, Golden State was able to achieve a 39-33 regular season record, eighth in the West, but failed to secure a playoff spot in the play-in tournament. Stretched to an 82-game schedule, that record translates to 44 wins, which feels about right. Green himself, in a recent podcast, expressed his uncertainty regarding the championship pedigree of the team’s current roster.

Each member of Golden State’s core big three is on the wrong side of 30, and all have dealt with injury issues in recent years. It may be unfair to expect Curry, in his age-33 season, to replicate the 32.0 PPG, 5.8 APG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.2 SPG he averaged last year across 63 games, on typically eye-popping shooting percentages (.482/.421/.916).

Golden State is hoping that its new supporting cast, including several not-ready-for-prime-time players, will be enough to support Curry on offense until Thompson returns, ideally as a reasonable facsimile of the five-time All-Star who helped lead the Warriors to five consecutive Finals appearances.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post. Luke Adams contributed to this report.

Rockets Convert Armoni Brooks To Two-Way Contract, Waive Tyler Bey

October 13th, 2021 at 9:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets are converting the contract of three-point shooting specialist Armoni Brooks to a two-way deal, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The move is official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log. To make room, Houston has waived Tyler Bey, who was occupying one of the team’s two-way slots.

Brooks has been a consistent weapon all preseason, averaging 10 points per game and shooting 56.2% from the field. He poured in 15 points in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game at Toronto. Brooks signed a two-way deal with Houston in April and averaged 11.2 PPG over the final 20 games of the season.

Bey signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Rockets in August, then was waived September 18 when Houston re-signed Dante Exum. He was brought back on a two-way deal eight days later. Bey, who was with the Mavericks last season, saw action in just one of Houston’s preseason games.

The Rockets will also sign former EuroLeague guard Marcus Foster, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 26-year-old played for both Panathinaikos and Turk Telekom Ankaran last season.

Raptors Sign Josh Hall To Exhibit 10 Contract

October 13th, 2021 at 9:00pm CST by Luke Adams

9:00pm: The deal is official, per RealGM’s transactions log.

3:50pm: The Raptors are signing former Thunder forward Josh Hall to an Exhibit 10 contract, a source tells our JD Shaw (Twitter link).

Hall, 21, went undrafted in 2020, but caught on with Oklahoma City and spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with the team. He appeared in 21 games for the Thunder, averaging 4.1 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 16.0 minutes per contest. The 6’9″ forward has impressive athleticism, but struggled to score efficiently, posting a shooting line of .303/.108/.500.

The Thunder liked Hall enough to make him a restricted free agent this offseason, and he ended up signing his qualifying offer, briefly occupying one of the team’s two-way slots. However, Oklahoma City opted to go in another direction with that spot and waived Hall last month when Paul Watson was signed to a two-way contract.

The Raptors already have a handful of veterans on partially guaranteed contracts vying for the final spots on their 15-man regular season roster, so Hall appears likely to end up as an affiliate player for Toronto’s G League squad, the Raptors 905.

Atlantic Notes: Simmons, Irving, Brown, Horford

October 13th, 2021 at 8:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers are preparing to use the same strategy whether Ben Simmons is part of the team or not, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The situation is surrounded by uncertainty even after Simmons made a surprise appearance in Philadelphia Monday night, then met with management on Tuesday. He still wants to be traded and the Sixers have promised to oblige, but no traction has been reported on any potential deal.

Coach Doc Rivers is downplaying the level of distraction, telling reporters, there’s not a Plan A and Plan B depending on whether Simmons is involved. “It’s only a Plan A,” Rivers said. “What we run, you don’t change just because one guy comes on the floor.”

Simmons’ absence has left a void at point guard because he typically initiates the offense when he’s on the court. Injuries have delayed Rivers’ plans to name a starter as Tyrese Maxey, who has adductor tightness, and Shake Milton, who’s dealing with a sprained ankle, both missed Monday’s preseason game.

“Obviously, spacing is going to change with Ben out there,” Seth Curry said. “But we know how to adjust. Everybody knows how to play basketball. It’s not too different from the stuff we did last year. It’s just trying to execute stuff better.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Nets star James Harden confirms that he and Kevin Durant were both consulted before management reached the decision not to allow Kyrie Irving to be a part-time player, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Harden says he supports his teammate, but doesn’t want the situation to become a distraction. “Kyrie believes in his beliefs, and he stands firm and strong on that. And for us, we respect it,” Harden said. “We all love Ky. But as far as us, we have a job to do. Individually, myself, I am still wanting to set myself up for a championship. And I feel like the entire organization is on the same path and we are all in this as a collective unit.”
Celtics coach Ime Udoka expects Jaylen Brown to be ready for opening night following a bout with COVID-19, tweets Boston writer Mark Murphy. He added that it will be a “tight timeline” for Al Horford to play.
Rich Levine of Boston.com examines the long-term prospects for Celtics second-round pick Juhann Begarin, who will play this season in France.

Sixers Sign, Waive Jared Brownridge, Braxton Key

October 13th, 2021 at 6:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers used the two open spots on their 20-man preseason roster to sign Jared Brownridge and Braxton Key to Exhibit 10 contracts, according to reports from our JD Shaw and Nicola Lupa of Sportando (Twitter links).

Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that both players have already been waived, which confirms that the 76ers signed them with the G League in mind. Brownridge and Key should now be in line for bonuses worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with the Delaware Blue Coats this season.

Heading to Delaware will be nothing new for Brownridge, who has played for Philadelphia’s G League affiliate in each of the last four seasons. In 2020/21, he averaged 12.3 PPG with a .402 3PT% in 15 games (24.9 MPG) for the Blue Coats.

Key, meanwhile, had his first season with Delaware in the 2021 G League bubble. He had a very limited role, recording 4.3 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 12 contests (12.3 MPG).

Wizards Cut Jay Huff, Jordan Schakel

October 13th, 2021 at 6:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards removed a pair of players from their preseason roster, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve waived Jay Huff and Jordan Schakel.

A 7’1″ forward/center, Huff spent his college career at Virginia and was a full-time starter for the first time as a senior in 2020/21. He averaged 13.0 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 2.6 BPG with a stellar .585/.387/.837 shooting line in 25 games (27.0 MPG). Huff, who won a national title in 2019, made the All-ACC Second Team and the ACC All-Defensive Team in 2021.

The 6’6″ Schakel averaged 14.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.0 APG, and 1.0 SPG on .473/.461/.908 shooting in his final college season at San Diego State in ’20/21. The 23-year-old was named to the All-Mountain West Second Team and to the Mountain West All-Tournament Team.

Both players had signed Exhibit 10 contracts with Washington as undrafted free agents and now appear on track to join the Capital City Go-Go, the Wizards’ G League affiliate.

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