Golden State Warriors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Davis, Ibaka, Bagley, Poole

April 24th, 2021 at 11:55am CST by marksuleymanov

In his return after a two-month absence, Anthony Davis‘ numbers were not overly impressive, as he scored just four points in 17 minutes. However, the Lakers’ superstar said he wasn’t giving any thought to the calf strain and Achilles tendinosis in his right leg that sidelined him for 30 games.

“I didn’t think about it one time tonight,” Davis said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Honestly, I just went out there and played. I think it can limit what you do if you’re out there thinking about your injury, so I just went out and played and not think about it. Just go out there and have fun and be excited to be back on the floor. That was my main thing. I was just excited to be back on the floor with the guys, so I never thought about it. I never did a limit to any moves. Wasn’t hesitant with anything, so that was a good sign for me.”

Injuries have limited Davis to 24 games this season, and he’s averaging just 21.8 PPG and 8.2 RPG when he has played, his lowest marks in several years. However, as he rounds back into form and LeBron James moves toward a return, the Lakers are poised to have some serious firepower back on the court as they seek to defend their NBA championship.

More Pacific Division notes here:

The Clippers says that center Serge Ibaka is making progress in his return from lower back tightness that has sidelined him since mid-March, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register writes. “He’s progressing,” head coach Ty Lue said. “We’re not sure the timetable when he’ll be back, but that was his first time getting on the floor and actually doing some playing so that’s a good start.”
In the midst of an up-and-down season for the Warriors, Jordan Poole has emerged as a bright spot in the team’s future, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. Poole has shown an innate ability to score, prompting head coach Steve Kerr to laud his 21-year-old. “We can’t have our decision to play him based on whether he’s making shots or not,” Kerr said. “That’s not a recipe for consistent performance. He has to take that next step and he’s showing signs. Which is great.”
With Marvin Bagley III seemingly close to returning, NBC Sports’ James Ham analyzes what the big man’s role with the Kings might be once he’s back on the court.

Warriors’ Bazemore Expected To Miss One Week Due To Protocols

April 23rd, 2021 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Already missing Damion Lee due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the Warriors have now placed swingman Kent Bazemore in those protocols as well, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

According to Slater (Twitter link), Bazemore is expected to be out for the next seven days, which suggests he may have been a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Bazemore confirmed in a tweet that he didn’t test positive for the virus himself.

It’s possible that the person with whom Bazemore had contact was Lee, since his expected absence of 10-14 days suggests he may have tested positive for the coronavirus. In any case, Golden State will have to get by without both players for the next few games, potentially forcing the team to further shorten a rotation that has already been hit hard by injuries.

In addition to being without Bazemore and Lee, the Warriors are, of course, missing Klay Thompson and James Wiseman, who previously suffered season-ending injuries. Eric Paschall is out with a left hip flexor strain, while Juan Toscano-Anderson has missed Golden State’s last two games due to a concussion — he’s listed as questionable for Friday’s game vs. Denver.

If Toscano-Anderson is unavailable tonight, the Warriors would be down to 10 healthy players. The Warriors figure to lean on Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre for big minutes on the wing, while Mychal Mulder could take on an increased role. Players who have been out of the rotation, such as Gary Payton II and Nico Mannion, could also see some action.

Damion Lee Out 10-14 Days Under COVID-19 Protocols

April 22nd, 2021 at 7:14pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Warriors reserve wing Damion Lee will miss at least 10-14 days of action as he enters the NBA’s coronavirus health and safety protocols, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Slater notes that the 28-year-old Lee has been a big help for the Warriors’ depleted backcourt. Across 57 games (one start), Lee is averaging 6.5 PPG and 3.2 RPG across 18.9 MPG this season, while connecting on 39.7% of 3.4 three-point looks per night.

Lee’s absence could spell trouble for a team already battling serious rotational absences. Starting center James Wiseman is out for the year after suffering a meniscus tear earlier this month. Juan Toscano-Anderson remains in the league’s concussion protocols, and, of course, maximum-salaried starting swingman Klay Thompson is missing his second straight full season as he recuperates from an Achilles tear.

Every win counts at this point in the season for the scrappy Warriors. At 29-30, Golden State is currently the ninth seed in the crowded Western Conference, mere percentage points ahead of the tenth-seeded Spurs.

“And for those wondering, I did get the (coronavirus) vaccine and continued to practice the property safety protocols,” Lee mentioned in a tweet soon after the news of his absence was announced.

Whether or not Lee himself contracted COVID-19 or has entered protocols after coming into contact with someone who later tested positive is unclear.

Checking In On Open NBA Roster Spots

April 22nd, 2021 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

It has been nearly a month since the NBA’s trade deadline passed, but we’ve still seen a flurry of transactional activity during the last four weeks, as teams have signed and waived players ahead of the postseason.

While some clubs have full rosters and seem unlikely to make any changes between now and the end of the regular season, that’s certainly not the case across the board.

With the help of our roster counts tracker, here’s our latest look at open roster spots around the league, as of April 22:

Teams with one or more open 15-man roster spots:

Golden State Warriors
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans (2)
New York Knicks
Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs

The Heat, Timberwolves, Knicks, and Spurs each have 14 players on standard contracts and one opening on their 15-man rosters. They’re all good bets to sign a 15th man before the season ends, either for developmental purposes or for added postseason depth.

The Warriors and Trail Blazers have 13 players apiece on standard deals, one on a 10-day contract – Gary Payton II for Golden State and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for Portland – and one open spot. Hollis-Jefferson’s 10-day pact runs through next Tuesday, while Payton’s goes through Wednesday. Once those deals expire, the Warriors and Blazers will each have up to two weeks to get back to 14 players.

Since the NBA only allows teams to dip to 13 or fewer players for up to two weeks at a time, the Pelicans are very much on the clock. They’ve been at 13 players for the last nine days, since Isaiah Thomas‘ 10-day contract expired. The expectation is that New Orleans will sign draft-and-stash prospect Didi Louzada as a 14th man by early next week.

Teams whose 15-man rosters are full due to one or more 10-day contracts:

Cleveland Cavaliers (Mfiondu Kabengele)
Denver Nuggets (Austin Rivers)
Los Angeles Clippers (DeMarcus Cousins; Yogi Ferrell)
Memphis Grizzlies (Tim Frazier)
Oklahoma City Thunder (Justin Robinson)
Orlando Magic (Donta Hall; Robert Franks)
Philadelphia 76ers (Anthony Tolliver)
Sacramento Kings (Damian Jones)
Toronto Raptors (Freddie Gillespie)
Washington Wizards (Jordan Bell)

These 10 teams have full 15-man rosters as of today, but that might not last long. The dozen 10-day contracts listed here will begin expiring as soon as tonight (Hall), so if those players aren’t re-signed, the clubs will have roster openings.

The Nets will also fall into this group once they officially waive LaMarcus Aldridge and sign Mike James to a 10-day deal.

Teams with an open two-way contract slot:

Cleveland Cavaliers
Minnesota Timberwolves
Phoenix Suns
Toronto Raptors

The Suns have only carried a single two-way player all season long, so there’s no guarantee they’ll fill their second slot before the end of the regular season.

The other teams listed here are all better candidates to do so — Cleveland (Lamar Stevens) and Toronto (Yuta Watanabe) just recently promoted two-way players to their respective 15-man rosters, while Minnesota was carrying a pair of two-way players until waiving Ashton Hagans in February.

The Cavs reportedly intend to sign Jeremiah Martin to fill their two-way opening.

Kelly Oubre Accepts Move To Bench

April 20th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors forward Kelly Oubre made some comments in March suggesting he wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea of coming off the bench, but he accepted a reserve role in stride upon his return to action on Monday, head coach Steve Kerr told reporters (video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic). Oubre’s role as a sixth man gives the second unit a boost this season and could be a preview of next season’s rotation if the 25-year-old re-signs with Golden State, writes Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Warriors Give Gary Payton II Another 10-Day Contract

April 19th, 2021 at 4:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

APRIL 19: The Warriors have officially re-signed Payton, per a team tweet.

APRIL 18: Gary Payton II will sign a second 10-day contract with the Warriors, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

The versatile guard appeared in five games during his first 10-day deal, averaging 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 3.6 minutes per night. He was effective in Saturday’s loss to the Celtics, Slater notes, displaying his defensive skills in seven minutes of action.

Payton, 28, has logged brief stays with four teams in a five-year NBA career. He has also spent extensive time in the G League and was named Defensive Player of the Year during the league’s abbreviated season in Orlando.

Payton will earn $118,983 during his second 10-day contract. If it’s finalized today, it will expire April 27, and the Warriors would have to sign him for the rest of the season if they want to keep him on the roster beyond that.

This Season’s Disabled Player Exceptions Set To Expire

April 19th, 2021 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

The disabled player exceptions that teams have been granted throughout the 2020/21 season will expire if they go unused on Monday. April 19 is this year’s deadline to use or lose those exceptions.

As our breakdown shows, the Warriors, Nets, Heat, and Wizards each received a disabled player exception this season for injuries to Klay Thompson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Meyers Leonard, and Thomas Bryant, respectively. The Magic were given a pair of DPEs due to season-ending injuries suffered by Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz.

None of those five teams have used their disabled player exceptions — the Heat forfeited theirs when they decided to trade Leonard to the Thunder in a deal for Trevor Ariza, but the rest are still available.

We go into more detail on how exactly disabled player exceptions work in our glossary entry on the subject. But essentially, a DPE gives a team the opportunity to add an injury replacement by either signing a player to a one-year contract, trading for a player in the final year of his contract, or placing a waiver claim on a player in the final year of his contract.

At this point in the season, any free agent on the open market typically commands no more than the minimum salary. And since the trade deadline has passed, it’s extremely unlikely that Golden State, Brooklyn, Washington, or Orlando will use their exceptions before the end of the day.

Theoretically, any one of those teams could use its DPE to place a waiver claim on Moritz Wagner‘s $2.16MM expiring contract, but he’ll likely end up just clearing waivers later today.

Juan Toscano-Anderson Diagnosed With Concussion

April 18th, 2021 at 9:11pm CST by JD Shaw

Warriors guard Juan Toscano-Anderson has been diagnosed with a concussion, Mark Medina of USA TODAY tweets. Toscano-Anderson suffered a brutal fall in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game against Boston and left the contest early. As a result, he’s now in the league’s concussion protocol.

Eric Paschall Makes Progress Toward Return

April 17th, 2021 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors forward Eric Paschall is going through controlled individual workouts and hopes to practice with the team after its current road trip is finished, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Paschall suffered a hip flexor strain that has kept him out of action since April 2.

Warriors Notes: Curry, Wiseman, Toscano-Anderson

April 16th, 2021 at 7:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors star Stephen Curry will be entering a contract year in 2021/22 if he doesn’t reach an extension agreement in the offseason with the team. However, he doesn’t sound like someone eager to test free agency. Asked by ESPN’s Rachel Nichols (video link) how much of a priority it is to spend his entire career in Golden State, Curry affirmed that’s his plan.

“It’s always been a priority,” Curry said. “When you look at guys like Dirk (Nowitzki), Kobe (Bryant), that I played against and have heard them talk about what that’s meant, they don’t speak on it lightly. There’s a reverence for that club.

“You never know what can happen, obviously, but I feel like that’s always been something that would mean so much to me. You want to stay competitive, you want to stay in that fight where you’re winning championships. If I can accomplish both, that’s the ultimate goal.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr confirmed on Thursday night that James Wiseman‘s surgery was the more intricate meniscus repair, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. That procedure involves a longer recovery time, as we discussed earlier this week. It’s the same route the Grizzlies took with Jaren Jackson Jr., who has yet to play this season.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic breaks down the takeaways from Wiseman’s rookie season and looks ahead to what’s next for the young center, noting that the 20-year-old’s offense was ahead of his defense in year one.
Juan Toscano-Anderson has outplayed his two-way contract this season and figures to earn a promotion to the standard roster at some point, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “You hope that (two-way) tag doesn’t last too much longer,” Curry said. “But while it does, he’s obviously playing way above that label.”
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a closer look at the challenging financial situation that the Warriors face this offseason and beyond.