Golden State Warriors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

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.

Warriors, Jeremy Lin Finalizing Exhibit 10 Deal

December 18th, 2020 at 11:05am CST by Luke Adams

UPDATE: The Warriors and Lin were unable to complete their deal since Lin didn’t receive his Letter of Clearance in time.

Free agent point guard Jeremy Lin is finalizing a deal with the Warriors, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who notes (via Twitter) that Lin will require a FIBA Letter of Clearance from the Chinese Basketball Association in order to officially sign with Golden State.

It sounds like it’ll be a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal for Lin, with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweeting that the plan is for the 32-year-old to play for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate. That means he’ll be waived shortly after signing his contract.

Lin, who made his NBA debut in 2010 with the Warriors, spent time with eight teams in total over the course of nine NBA seasons, enjoying a breakout year with the Knicks in 2011/12 and winning a championship with the Raptors in 2019. He elected to play in China last season and averaged 22.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 5.6 APG for the Ducks, earning a CBA All-Star nod.

Lin was a reliable contributor in 51 games with the Hawks in 2018/19, averaging 10.7 PPG and 3.5 APG on .466/.333/.845 shooting. However, after being bought out by Atlanta and signing with the Raptors, he recorded just 7.0 PPG and 2.2 APG on .374/.200/.810 shooting and fell out of Toronto’s rotation for the playoffs.

Lin had recently been practicing in Walnut Creek, California with the G League Ignite, the NBAGL select team made up of top prospects and a handful of veterans.

The Warriors will have to cut a player from their 20-man training camp roster to officially sign Lin.

Strauss Considers How Warriors Could Upgrade Shooting

December 17th, 2020 at 9:12am CST by Luke Adams

With Klay Thompson out for the season, the Warriors will need to consider how to add extra shooting to their lineup, writes Ethan Strauss of The Athletic. Strauss suggests that keeping Mychal Mulder on the roster and playing some three-guard lineups would help, and notes that Golden State also still has a disabled player exception worth $9.3MM that could be used to add a shooter at some point.

Community Shootaround: Warriors Revival?

December 14th, 2020 at 9:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Despite another devastating injury to Klay Thompson, the Warriors seem intent on regaining their status as an elite team.

Last year was essentially a throwaway season. An injured Kevin Durant bolted for the East Coast, Thompson was out for the season with a knee injury and Stephen Curry busted his thumb in the early weeks of the season.

The reward for an otherwise wasted campaign was the second pick in the draft. They used it on the highest-rated big man in James Wiseman, who practiced for the first time on Monday and made a swift impression.

“I thought James was all over the place today, which was great to see,” Draymond Green said.

Green and Wiseman will form the frontcourt duo, Curry will run the show and Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr. will man the wings. The Warriors also possess some good depth, particularly in the frontcourt with the likes of Eric Paschall, Marquese Chriss and Kevon Looney.

Oubre was acquired even though his salary added to an already enormous luxury tax bill. The Warriors certainly aren’t tanking this season, but in the loaded Western Conference, it’s fair to say they’re no longer going to overwhelm the opposition.

Still, Green wants the bar set high.

“When I don’t win a title, that’s unsuccessful,” Green said. “There’s no moral victories.”

That brings us to our question of the day: Will the revamped Warriors return to the playoffs this season?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Warriors Notes: Curry, Bazemore, Oubre, Mulder

December 13th, 2020 at 8:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors‘ hopes to get back into title contention start with Stephen Curry, and coach Steve Kerr was thrilled to see the former MVP back on the court Saturday night, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN. Curry is fully recovered from the broken left hand that limited him to five games last season. He shot just 3-of-10 from the field, but having him back in the lineup was a big deal for Kerr.

“It’s always just great to see him out on the floor,” Kerr said. “And I think he looks really good physically, that’s the main thing. He worked so hard in the offseason and he’s in great shape. And now it’s just a matter of getting his timing and his rhythm down, but he’s definitely a sight for sore eyes.”

Curry is surrounded by a much different roster than during the five-year stretch when Golden State was on top of the league. Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre are major additions over the past year, and the team will eventually incorporate rookie center James Wiseman, who isn’t expected to play during the preseason.

“There’s nobody like him in the NBA,” Kerr said of Curry. “Nobody who can play on and off the ball at that level and who creates that kind of havoc. And so I think with most players who come in, they’re not used to the second half of the possession. They’re sort of used to whatever the pattern is in the beginning. But as soon as maybe Steph gives up the ball, that’s when the action really starts the way we play. And that’s the tricky part for guys to figure out.”

There’s more Warriors news this morning:

Golden State projects to have a much better bench than it did a year ago, when the team’s reserve unit was among the NBA’s worst, observes Anthony Slater of the Athletic. The addition of Kent Bazemore and Brad Wanamaker have made the Warriors a deeper team, and Eric Paschall will join them once Draymond Green returns to the starting lineup. Bazemore provides a veteran presence and the versatility to contribute in multiple ways. “Baze is kind of a wild card,” Kerr said. “He can make three or four plays in a row — a bucket, a steal, knock down a 3. He’s a streaky player.”
The trade for Oubre gives the Warriors a top defender who can take over Klay Thompson‘s responsibilities on the perimeter, Slater notes in the same piece. Kerr said he believes Golden State can become an excellent defensive team once Green and Wiseman return.
Mychal Mulder is in camp on a non-guaranteed contract, but his long-distance shooting may help him win a roster spot, Slater adds. He hit three important three-pointers in the fourth quarter Saturday to help the Warriors claim a close victory.

Warriors See Bright Future For Alen Smailagic

December 12th, 2020 at 8:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors are hoping Alen Smailagic can develop into the same type of player as Davis Bertans, writes Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle. Golden State recognized that Smailagic would be a project when he was drafted in the second round last year, so he’s virtually guaranteed a roster spot this season, Letourneau adds. “I think there’s a lot there to work with, and he has a really good chance to be a really good player in the NBA,” Warriors two-way coach Seth Cooper said. “I’m glad that the organization is willing to see that through and hopefully reap the benefits from this investment down the line.”

Warriors Notes: Green, Wiseman, Mulder

December 11th, 2020 at 8:18am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors shared some positive news on Draymond Green and James Wiseman on Thursday, as Green was able to lift weights and sit in on the team’s film session, while Wiseman completed his first individual workout. Both players had been unable to participate in training camp so far, possibly due to positive coronavirus tests.

However, as Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area writes, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that both players will miss Saturday’s preseason opener and added that it’s “very unlikely” that either Green or Wiseman will play at all during the preseason. The Warriors’ final two preseason games – both against Sacramento – will take place next Tuesday and Thursday.

Kerr said this week that guard Mychal Mulder, who is on a non-guaranteed contract, has a “good chance” to make the Warriors‘ regular season roster, as Tommy Call III of Warriors Wire writes. “He’s a shooter. He’s a smart player at both ends,” Kerr said of Mulder. “We were really pleased with his play a year ago. We’re a team that’s not heavy on shooting as we know, especially with Klay (Thompson) going out. Mike just has to be himself and play hard and compete.”

And-Ones: Coaching Attire, G League, Selden, Luxury Tax

December 8th, 2020 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NBA coaches were permitted to wear casual attire during the restart. They’ll be allowed to wear polo shirts once again during the upcoming season but they’ll also have to mask up, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). NBA coaches have traditionally worn suits but they’ll no longer be required to don sports jackets. However, track pants will not be allowed.

We have more from around the basketball world:

The Wizards are in discussions with the Pelicans to combine their G League teams — the Capital City Go-Go and Erie Bayhawks — at the proposed Atlanta bubble, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. That would allow the NBA teams to split the costs of the proposed condensed season. The entry fee per team is anticipated to be in the neighborhood of $500K.
Former NBA guard Wayne Selden has signed with Israel’s Ironi Ness Ziona, as Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia relays. Seiden played a combined 75 games with the Grizzlies and Bulls during the 2018/19 season. He saw action in 11 G League games last season after a stint in China.
The Warriors have a projected luxury tax penalty of $147MM based on their current 2020/21 salary obligations, according to the numbers crunched by Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The Nets ($59MM) and Sixers ($24MM) are the only other teams with tax bills above $9MM. However, those projected penalties will get reduced based on revenue loss this season and roster cuts by opening night, Marks adds.
Despite a long list of COVID-19 protocols, the NBA will face plenty of challenges during the upcoming season without the protection afforded by the Orlando campus, Steve Popper of Newsday writes. No matter how many precautions the league institutes, it will need plenty of luck to pull this season off.

Latest On Harden: Fertitta, Destinations, Warriors, Silas

December 8th, 2020 at 9:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta remains hopeful that James Harden will win a championship with his team, he said in a CNBC interview (video link via Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston).

“James Harden, I have all the respect in the world for,” Fertitta said. “James Harden wants to win a ring during his period as a basketball player. … Hopefully, he’ll do it with the Houston Rockets.”

We have more the Harden drama:

Harden is reportedly open to trade to another team besides his preferred destination, the Nets, with the Sixers among that group. A group of writers for The Athletic speculated on potential off-the-radar destinations and named the Clippers (with Paul George as part of the return package), Timberwolves (D’Angelo Russell) and Pelicans (Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball) as potential fits.
Prior to Klay Thompson suffering a season-ending torn right Achilles’ tendon, the Warriors were among the teams who discussed the possibility of pursuing Harden, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. They mulled whether Harden could slide into Kevin Durant‘s former role but ultimately realized that the short-term gain wasn’t worth the long-term issues it would create, Poole continues. The Warriors felt Harden would be a poor fit in a culture that demands accountability and schemes that require collaboration, Poole adds.
Coach Stephen Silas is relieved that Harden has arrived in Houston, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. “We’re doing this day by day,” Silas said. “And just to have him in the building is good. Obviously, it wasn’t a good start to it. But that’s the NBA. The NBA isn’t going to be roses every day and there’s going to be issues and there’s going to be things that you’re going to have to work through as a group. That’s what we’re going to do. Him being here shows a level of commitment to what we have going.”