Golden State Warriors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

LJ Figueroa Signs With Warriors

October 13th, 2021 at 6:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent swingman LJ Figueroa has signed a training camp contract with the Warriors, the team announced (via Twitter). No details of the deal were released, but it’s likely intended as a way to get Figueroa to Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.

After two years at St. John’s, the 23-year-old played for Oregon last season, averaging 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in 26 games. He went undrafted, then played for the Mavericks during Summer League.

The move brings the Warriors to the preseason roster limit of 20 players.

Warriors Sign, Waive Quinndary Weatherspoon

October 13th, 2021 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

OCTOBER 13: The Warriors have waived Weatherspoon, according to the team.

OCTOBER 11: The Warriors have signed free agent shooting guard Quinndary Weatherspoon, the team announced today in a press release. Weatherspoon claims the 20-man roster spot previously occupied by Langston Galloway, who was cut over the weekend.

Weatherspoon was selected by San Antonio with the 49th overall pick in the 2019 draft and spent his first two professional seasons on a two-way deal with the Spurs. He appeared in just 31 total NBA games during that time, averaging 1.9 PPG in 6.4 MPG.

The 25-year-old saw more action at the G League level, recording 14.9 PPG and 5.1 APG on .455/.333/.795 shooting in 37 games (29.1 MPG) for the Austin Spurs. However, San Antonio opted not to give him a qualifying offer this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Terms of Weatherspoon’s contract with the Warriors aren’t known, but it’s safe to assume it’s a non-guaranteed camp deal, likely with Exhibit 10 language. Weatherspoon almost certainly won’t make the 15-man regular season roster, but if he’s willing to play for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBAGL, Golden State could make Weatherspoon an affiliate player and give him a bonus worth up to $50K.

Pacific Notes: Green, Ayton, THT, Clippers

October 12th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr wants All-Defensive First Team power forward Draymond Green to shoot more, writes Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Simmons reports that, ahead of Golden State’s 2021 preseason, Kerr told Green that he hopes the former three-time All-Star can average two or three three-point looks a night. “If you’re open, let it fly,” Kerr said. Green connected on just 27.0% of his 2.0 attempts per night during the 2020/21 season. He has not shot better than 31% from deep since the 2015/16 season.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Suns center Deandre Ayton has expressed his frustration that he has yet to secure a rookie contract extension with Phoenix, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “I love Phoenix, but I’m really disappointed that we haven’t gotten a deal done yet,” Ayton said. “I mean we were two wins (away) from a championship (last season) and I just really want to be respected, to be honest. To be respected like my peers are being respected.” Several players among Ayton’s 2018 draft class, including Hawks All-Star point guard Trae Young, Mavericks All-Star point guard Luka Doncic, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nuggets power forward Michael Porter Jr., have been signed to maximum contract extensions this summer. The deadline for Ayton to complete an extension is October 18. Although Ayton initially seemed hopeful to get a deal done ahead of the season, reports last week suggested that talks were at an impasse — a separate report indicated that negotiations were still continuing.
Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker had a surgery to address a right thumb tear, and is set to miss at least the next four weeks of action, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). It was reported that Horton-Tucker injured the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb earlier this week. This is a significant blow for the Lakers’ perimeter depth. The club has high hopes for Horton-Tucker this season, having inked him to a three-year, $32MM contract during the summer.
Clippers forward Marcus Morris and big man Serge Ibaka are set to rejoin the club for their first full-contact practices following injuries suffered during L.A.’s 2021 playoff run, per Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. “This will be his first opportunity to change ends of the floor, play with some contact, trying to get acclimated to what we are trying to do,” head coach Tyronn Lue said of Morris. “Serge is a great man, he’s happy all the time, I think he’s almost back,” starting center Ivica Zubac said of reserve Ibaka.

And-Ones: Li. Ball, Restricted Free Agency, 2022 Draft, Floyd

October 12th, 2021 at 11:16am CST by Luke Adams

LiAngelo Ball, the brother of NBA guards LaMelo Ball and Lonzo Ball, is signing a G League contract and will enter the October 23 NBAGL draft, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

LiAngelo played for the Hornets in the Las Vegas Summer League, and Charania suggests he’s a candidate to be selected by the Greensboro Swarm – Charlotte’s G League affiliate – in the NBAGL draft. However, if the Hornets were prioritizing Ball for a spot on their G League squad, they’d likely sign him to an Exhibit 10 contract in order to make him an affiliate player.

As John Hollinger of The Athletic tweets, the G League draft isn’t expected to be packed with talent, so Ball has a good chance of coming off the board in the top 10 or 20 picks.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of ESPN (Insider link) have updated their top-100 list for the 2022 NBA draft. Within the article, Schmitz identifies French center Ismael Kamagate as the international prospect who is “making the most noise” early in the season. Kamagate is the No. 36 player on ESPN’s 2022 big board.
In an interesting piece for HoopsHype, Michael Scotto spoke with a handful of agents and team executives about how restricted free agency works behind the scenes. One agent suggested that restricted free agency is “not really free agency,” since rival teams are so reluctant to sign players to offer sheets that tie up cap space for several days at the start of the league year and may just end up being matched.
The Bucks (No. 2), Heat (No. 5), Suns (No. 6), Warriors (No. 7), and Hawks (No. 11) are among the biggest risers in ESPN’s latest installment of “future” power rankings from Kevin Pelton, Bobby Marks, Andre’ Snellings, and Tim Bontemps (Insider link). For a second consecutive year, the Nets rank first and the Cavaliers are dead-last on ESPN’s list, which is essentially designed to be power rankings that cover the next three seasons.
Free agent guard Jordan Floyd, who was on the Lakers’ Summer League roster, is signing with Kolossos H Hotels in Greece on a deal that includes an NBA out, a source told our JD Shaw (Twitter link).

Warriors Waive Langston Galloway

October 9th, 2021 at 6:22pm CST by Rory Maher

The Warriors have waived veteran guard Langston Galloway, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link). Galloway had been signed to a non-guaranteed training camp deal.

The 29-year-old Galloway played for the Suns last season but saw limited action with the team, appearing in 40 games with 11.0 minutes per contest. His role was even more limited in the playoffs, appearing in just 15 minutes over two games, none in the NBA Finals. He was reportedly unhappy with his part-time role after the season, having hoped for an opportunity for more minutes.

Galloway has been a solid outside shooter in the NBA, holding a career three-point mark of 37.0%. He’s known as a combo guard, playing more off-ball than on, but considered too short (6’1″) to play shooting guard full-time. He has played in 445 NBA games over his seven-year career for the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings, Pistons, and Suns, with career averages of 8.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 21.9 minutes per night.

It’s unclear when and where the next NBA opportunity might arise for Galloway. He’s ineligible for a two-way contract, as they’re unavailable for players who have at least four years of service. Perhaps he’ll receive another non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed offer if a player gets injured, as teams are always looking for shooting. Considering he went until the end of September before signing the non-guaranteed pact with the Warriors, a fully guaranteed contract seems unlikely at this time. However, I’m sure guaranteed money would be available to Galloway if he’s willing to play internationally.

The Warriors training camp roster now stands at 19 players, with 13 on guaranteed contracts. They have one two-way spot available.

Moses Moody Beginning To Settle In With Warriors

October 9th, 2021 at 2:46pm CST by JD Shaw

Warriors rookie Moses Moody is starting to settle in with the team, Anthony Slater notes for The Athletic. Moody showed flashes of potential against the Lakers on Friday night, playing against veterans such as Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo. “We’ve seen the last few days — we’ve seen him start to pick up on things,” coach Steve Kerr said. “The first few days were kind of a whirlwind for him, but it’s a testament to his basketball instinct how quickly he’s picking things up.”

Payton Remains In Running For Roster Spot

October 9th, 2021 at 11:05am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors are hopeful Gary Payton II can play in a preseason game next week, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Payton is working his way back from a hernia issue. Payton remains a contender for the team’s final roster spot. Payton will need to make the opening-night roster to receive a $659K partial guarantee on his $1.98MM contract.

Kuminga Sidelined By Knee Injury; Poole Claims Starting Spot

October 7th, 2021 at 6:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors lottery pick Jonathan Kuminga has a strained patella tendon in his right knee, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Kuminga will be reevaluated in a week, so it’s likely he’ll miss some early-season games. It’s a setback for a rookie forward trying to find his place on a team with postseason aspirations.

Warriors Notes: Poole, Wiggins, Looney, Iguodala

October 6th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

It was just one preseason game, but Jordan Poole‘s performance on Monday vs. Portland was an incredibly positive sign for the Warriors, writes Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports Bay Area. Poole racked up 30 points – including seven 3-pointers – in just 22 minutes of action.

“This is what he’s looked like in camp,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “Not hesitating, he’s getting to the rim, playing with an unbelievable confidence … He’s earned that confidence.”

As Marcus Thompson of The Athletic writes, the Warriors explored potential trades for stars during the offseason and ultimately didn’t make a move. While Golden State isn’t expecting Poole to become an All-Star, there’s a ton of confidence within the organization that he’s poised to make a major leap and could potentially become the sort of complementary impact player the team sought on the trade market.

“He’s one of our best players,” Kerr said, per Andrews. “I think what we have to determine is how he holds up defensively with the different lineups he’s playing with. But you got a guy that explosive, you got to get him on the floor.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Although Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins ultimately agreed to be vaccinated, he made it clear this week that he did so reluctantly, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. Wiggins, who said he’s the only person in his family to receive the vaccine, expressed concerns about possible long-term effects, but felt as if he had no choice but to get vaccinated. “The only options were to get vaccinated or not play in the NBA,” Wiggins said on Monday. “It was a tough decision. Hopefully, it works out in the long run and in 10 years I’m still healthy.”
John Hollinger of The Athletic isn’t expecting a big bounce-back season from the Warriors, projecting them to finish ninth in the West with a 39-43 record. Within his season preview, Hollinger also explores Golden State’s tax situation, speculating that a Kevon Looney trade could be something the team considers during the season in order to reduce its year-end bill.
Andre Iguodala was an important part of the Warriors’ title teams in 2015, 2017, and 2018, but he’ll turn 38 this season, so it’s unclear how much he’ll contribute to this year’s team, writes Kendra Andrews of NBC Bay Area. Even if they don’t get much out of Iguodala on the court, the Dubs will benefit from having his voice in the locker room, Andrews adds.