Golden State Warriors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors Re-Sign Juan Toscano-Anderson To Two-Way Deal

December 22nd, 2020 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

10:12am: Toscano-Anderson’s two-way contract is now official, the Warriors announced in a press release.

9:04am: After releasing him from their standard roster on Saturday, the Warriors will bring back wing Juan Toscano-Anderson on a two-way contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Toscano-Anderson cleared waivers on Monday.

A former Marquette standout, Toscano-Anderson went undrafted in 2015 and spent the first few years of his professional career playing in Mexico and Venezuela. The 27-year-old joined the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz for the 2019/20 season and was eventually promoted to Golden State’s NBA roster. He averaged 5.3 PPG and 4.0 RPG on .460/.348/.600 shooting in 13 games (20.9 MPG) down the stretch.

Toscano-Anderson’s contract with the Warriors included a non-guaranteed salary for 2020/21, so the team hung onto him through training camp and the preseason. Mychal Mulder beat him out for the 15th roster spot, but because Toscano-Anderson didn’t have a partial guarantee exceeding $50K, he remained eligible to sign a two-way deal with the club once he cleared waivers.

The Warriors, whose other two-way player is Nico Mannion, had been one of five teams with an empty two-way contract slot. As our tracker shows, the Pistons, Suns, Trail Blazers, and Kings still have open spots.

Stephen Curry On Potential Extension: “Nothing To Report”

December 21st, 2020 at 5:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Because he still has two years left on his current deal, today is the last day for Warriors star Stephen Curry to sign a veteran contract extension this season. But with that deadline approaching, it doesn’t appear the two sides plan to work out a new deal today.

“Nothing to report,” Curry said when asked about a possible extension (Twitter link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic).

Curry said two weeks ago that he and Golden State had spoken about a potential extension and that he was “fully committed” to the franchise. If the two sides don’t finalize anything today, that doesn’t mean that either side is any less committed to a long-term relationship — it just means that they’ll put off talks until the 2021 offseason.

Curry will earn $43MM in 2020/21 and then $45.78MM in 2021/22, the final season of the five-year contract he signed with the Warriors back in 2017. He’d become an unrestricted free agent in 2022 if he doesn’t sign an extension before then.

Extension-eligible veterans must be on expiring deals to sign a new contract during the season. In addition to Curry, the list of veterans who will no longer be extension-eligible until the 2021 offseason after today includes James Harden, Joel Embiid, Aaron Gordon, Jusuf Nurkic, Zach LaVine, T.J. Warren, and Marcus Smart, among others, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Roster Moves Still Required For Thunder, Kings

December 20th, 2020 at 4:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Nearly every NBA team currently has a roster in compliance with regular season limits — no more than 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.

However, there are still a couple teams that will need to make at least one cut before Monday’s regular season roster deadline: Oklahoma City and Sacramento.

The Thunder are currently carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts and one – Frank Jackson – on a partially guaranteed deal. Jackson appears likely to make the team, which means one of those players with a guaranteed salary will presumably be the final victim of the roster crunch.

While we don’t know for sure which player will be the odd man out, Kenrich Williams and Darius Miller appear to have the most tenuous holds on their roster spots. They came over from New Orleans in the Steven Adams deal and looked more like salary-matching pieces than players the Thunder were specifically targeting.

As for the Kings, they have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, one (Chimezie Metu) on a partially guaranteed contract, and one (Glenn Robinson III) on a non-guaranteed deal. Reporting on Saturday indicated that Robinson is expected to make the 15-man roster — that would make Metu the most obvious odd man out, though Sacramento may decide to cut Justin James or another player with a guaranteed salary.

If they do waive Metu, the Kings could theoretically bring him back on a two-way deal, since his partial guarantee doesn’t exceed $50K. He’d have to clear waivers first though.

As we explained on Saturday, while most teams completed their roster moves early, the Thunder and Kings can afford to take an extra day or two to consider their options without any financial ramifications, since they won’t be cutting a player who has a fully non-guaranteed contract.

While Oklahoma City and Sacramento are the only teams that still have to make moves today or tomorrow, we’ll likely see a little more roster shuffling before Monday’s deadline. Players who have been cut by one team might appeal to another club that has an open roster spot or an expendable 15th man.

Additionally, five teams still have one open two-way contract slot and may look to fill those openings before the season begins. Those clubs are the Pistons, Warriors, Suns, Trail Blazers, and Kings, as our tracker shows.

Warriors Still Eyeing Lin For Santa Cruz Affiliate

December 20th, 2020 at 2:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Warriors continue to eye point guard Jeremy Lin for their G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.

Lin did not receive a FIBA Letter of Clearance from China, where he played for the Beijing Ducks last season, in time for Golden State to sign and release him in time before yesterday’s waiver deadline. The team had hoped to sign the nine-year NBA veteran to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal and waive him to lock up Lin’s G League rights.

Golden State could still sign Lin to an Exhibit 10 contract and waive him before Monday’s regular season roster deadline if that Letter of Clearance arrives, but doing so on Monday would mean paying the veteran guard for two days of NBA service and increasing the club’s already-substantial projected tax bill.

According to Stein (Twitter link), the Warriors intend to “explore all avenues” for getting Lin’s G League rights if he remains open to pursuing an NBA return via the NBAGL. The Santa Cruz Warriors could theoretically claim Lin off waivers directly if he signs a G League contract, but there’s no guarantee a team higher in the waiver order wouldn’t poach him in that scenario.

Lin started his NBA career with the Warriors after going undrafted out of Harvard. The 6’3″ guard played in 29 games for Golden State during the 2010/11 season, averaging 9.8 MPG. Lin also impressed in the G League (then the D-League) that year, averaging 18.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 2.1 SPG in 20 games for the Warriors’ then-affiliate club, the Reno Bighorns. The next season, he caught on in a big way with the Knicks, going on an exciting run in Madison Square Garden that was dubbed “Linsanity.”

During the 2019/20 Chinese Basketball Association season, Lin averaged 22.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 5.6 APG for the Ducks. He was a starter in the CBA All-Star game and a finalist for 2019/20 CBA Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Warriors Sign, Waive Elijah Pemberton

December 19th, 2020 at 10:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors signed and waived undrafted rookie wing Elijah Pemberton prior to Saturday night’s waiver deadline, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter links).

A team that signs a player to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract and then waives him secures that player’s G League rights, assuming those rights aren’t already held by another NBAGL team. Golden State had hoped to sign-and-waive Jeremy Lin for that purpose, but he didn’t receive a Letter of Clearance from China by tonight’s waiver deadline after playing last season in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Based on the reports from Charania and Stein, it sounds like the Warriors will no longer complete that deal with Lin, since doing so after today would require the team to pay him a prorated portion of his minimum salary while he’s on waivers, increasing Golden State’s projected tax bill.

The club instead turned to Pemberton, who spent his four-year college career at Hofstra and averaged 17.6 PPG on .450/.380/.854 shooting in 34 games (36.3 MPG) as a senior in 2019/20. He’ll report to the Santa Cruz Warriors after the G League finalizes its plan for a revamped ’20/21 season.

No Letter Of Clearance, No Warriors Deal For Jeremy Lin

December 19th, 2020 at 9:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

9:55pm: Lin’s Letter of Clearance didn’t arrive in time for the Warriors to sign and release him by today’s waiver deadline, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Having failed to do so by today, it sounds like Golden State won’t sign and waive Lin after all, having turned to undrafted rookie Elijah Pemberton instead.

8:23pm: The Warriors would like to have Jeremy Lin under contract by 11pm Eastern today, but it may be hard to obtain the paperwork in time, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.

Lin and the team have reached an agreement, but are waiting for a FIBA Letter of Clearance from China. That type of document can be difficult to obtain on a weekend because international offices are closed, Stein adds.

Golden State was hoping to sign Lin and waive him before tonight’s waiver deadline so they can ensure they’ll have his G League rights (Twitter link). However, the transaction cannot be completed without the letter from FIBA.

The cost of waiting an extra day or two could be significant because the team is so far into the luxury tax, Stein notes. If the Warriors execute the move on Sunday rather than today, it would cost an extra $74,925 in tax penalties. Waiting until Monday would mean an extra $127,650 (Twitter link).

Lin, 32, has been working out in California recently with the G League Ignite, an NBAGL select team of top prospects and NBA veterans.

Draymond Green To Miss Season Opener

December 19th, 2020 at 6:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors will begin the season Tuesday night without Draymond Green, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN. Green injured his foot during a scrimmage this week and is dealing with a mild muscle strain. Coach Steve Kerr has decided to be careful with the veteran forward, who missed most of training camp after an apparent bout with COVID-19.

“Draymond did not practice, so he’s doubtful for Tuesday,” Kerr said today. “He tweaked his foot in the scrimmage two days ago. Didn’t really know (how severe) until the next morning when he woke up; it was a little sore … he got an MRI. It’s clear. But we’re trying to be very, very careful … It’s not a long-term thing. We feel very confident that if he doesn’t play Tuesday or Christmas Day, he’ll be on the trip and we think he’ll be available pretty quickly.”

Kerr had better news about rookie center James Wiseman, who also sat out most of training camp. Wiseman was a full participant in today’s practice and is expected to be ready for the first game at Brooklyn, possibly as part of the starting lineup.

“James is going to be our starting center before too long,” Kerr said. “It might happen Tuesday, but clearly he is our long-term starting center. And when we feel he’s ready for that, then we’ll put him out there and then it’s a matter of minutes and how long he can play. And for me as a coach, for my staff, it’s let’s give him the experience of seeing the different pictures that are going to be in front of him.”

Warriors Waive Juan Toscano-Anderson

December 19th, 2020 at 4:34pm CST by Arthur Hill

Golden State has waived Juan Toscano-Anderson, the team announced in a press release (via Twitter).

The 27-year-old forward signed with the Warriors in February and appeared in 13 games before the hiatus, averaging 5.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per night. He also played 31 games for the team’s G League affiliate. Toscano-Anderson had a three-year contract, but it didn’t carry any guaranteed money beyond last season.

The move leaves Golden State with a 15-man roster and one of its two-way slots filled. Toscano-Anderson could be re-signed to fill the other opening, although there’s no indication that’s what the Warriors are planning.

Warriors Waive Kaleb Wesson, Axel Toupane, Dwayne Sutton

December 18th, 2020 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have officially released three training camp invitees, announcing today in a press release that they’ve requested waivers on forwards Kaleb Wesson, Axel Toupane, and Dwayne Sutton.

Wesson, Toupane, and Sutton were all on Exhibit 10 contracts and weren’t expected to make Golden State’s 15-man regular season roster, so today’s announcement doesn’t come as a major surprise. Sutton was viewed as a candidate to have his Exhibit 10 pact converted into a two-way deal, but it appears that won’t happen after all.

All three players are good bets to join the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate, assuming the club takes part in the proposed NBAGL bubble, as is expected.

The Warriors now have 17 players on their preseason roster. Since 16 of those players are on standard contracts and just one (Nico Mannion) is on a two-way deal, they’ll need to make at least one more roster move before they’re set for the regular season. Juan Toscano-Anderson, one of three players with a non-guaranteed salary, may be the odd man out.

Golden State will reportedly sign Jeremy Lin as well, though he’s ticketed for Santa Cruz and will be released shortly after inking his deal.

NBA GMs Vote Lakers As Offseason Winners, Title Favorites

December 18th, 2020 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s general managers liked the Lakers‘ offseason moves and are bullish on the team’s chances to repeat as champions in 2020/21, as John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes in his annual survey of the league’s GMs.

An impressive 81% of the responding general managers picked the Lakers to win the championship in 2021, which is the third-highest percentage any team has received since Schuhmann began conducting his annual GM survey 19 years ago. The Clippers ranked second at 11%, while the Nets and Heat received one vote apiece.

Meanwhile, the Lakers (37%) beat out the Suns (22%) and Thunder (15%) in the voting for best offseason roster moves. The Hawks, Bucks, and Sixers each received two votes, while the Trail Blazers got one too.

Here are a few more of the interesting responses from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:

The Suns‘ acquisition of Chris Paul (44%) and the Bucks‘ trade for Jrue Holiday (33%) were voted the moves that will have the biggest impact this season. The Clippers‘ signing of Serge Ibaka (15%), the Pelicans‘ deal for Steven Adams (11%), and the Trail Blazers‘ trade for Robert Covington (11%) were the front-runners for the most underrated offseason player acquisition. Gordon Hayward‘s $120MM contract with the Hornets (54%) was voted the most surprising offseason move.
While NBA GMs view Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (39%) as the favorite to win Rookie of the Year over Warriors big man James Wiseman (29%), Wiseman received the most votes (36%) among this year’s rookies to be the best player in five years, followed by Ball (25%). Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton, meanwhile, was voted the biggest steal in the 2020 draft (43%).
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic were the top choices as the player GMs would want to start a franchise with today. They each received 43% of the vote, with Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James and Pelicans youngster Zion Williamson also picking up votes.
Speaking of Williamson, he helped the Pelicans receive the nod for the team with the most promising young core (41%). The Grizzlies (22%), Hawks (11%), Celtics (11%), and Nuggets (11%) also got multiple votes.