Golden State Warriors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Jrue Holiday

November 5th, 2020 at 9:23am CST by Luke Adams

A Wednesday morning report indicated that the Pelicans are “openly discussing” Jrue Holiday in trade talks, and while it doesn’t appear there’s any momentum toward a deal at this point, a few Holiday-related items have surfaced in the last 24 hours that are worth passing along.

For instance, Mike Singer of The Denver Post and Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter links) have each confirmed that New Orleans is listening to offers for Holiday. However, according to Guillory, the veteran guard hasn’t asked the Pelicans to trade him. Holiday remains optimistic about the Pelicans’ young talent and is open to the idea of making it work in New Orleans, Guillory writes.

Here’s more on the Pelicans’ guard:

A previous report indicated that the Nets and Pelicans discussed a possible Holiday deal at last season’s trade deadline. According to Guillory, the Heat and Nuggets also “heavily pursued” the 30-year-old prior to the 2020 deadline. That doesn’t mean that all those teams will once again be suitors this offseason, but it seems safe to assume that Brooklyn and Denver will be in the mix. The Heat’s enthusiasm for a Holiday deal may depend on whether they’d be comfortable with the possibility of him exercising his player option for 2021/22.
Zach Lowe of ESPN thinks the Holiday bidding will probably center on the Nuggets, Nets, and Warriors, along with possibly the Heat, Hawks, and Mavericks. Atlanta is interested in moving the No. 6 overall pick for a win-now veteran, but Lowe doesn’t think that pick would be enough to get it done on its own.
Lowe is also somewhat skeptical that the Warriors would give up the No. 2 pick for “a 30-year-old who has never made an All-NBA team,” though he acknowledges he might be wrong — especially if New Orleans is willing to send back the No. 13 pick or take on Andrew Wiggins‘ contract.
Responding to the Holiday trade rumors on Wednesday, Pelicans president of basketball operations David Griffin‘s comments were somewhat opaque (link via Oleh Kosel of The Bird Writes). However, Griffin did seem to confirm that the team is listening to inquires on Holiday.

Is Golden State A Potential Destination For Jrue Holiday?

November 4th, 2020 at 8:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

With the Pelicans talking about trading Jrue Holiday, Anthony Slater of The Athletic examines whether he makes sense for the three Pacific teams expected to be in the title hunt. Holiday would give the Clippers a secondary playmaker next to Kawhi Leonard, a need that became obvious in the playoffs, and would be part of a dangerous defensive unit alongside Leonard and Paul George. However, the Clippers are low on assets after last summer’s trade to acquire George. The Lakers are in the same position in the wake of the Anthony Davis deal. They can offer Kyle Kuzma or Alex Caruso, but Slater notes that executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin passed on both players last year. The Warriors have the No. 2 pick in the draft, but matching salaries for Holiday would be difficult, assuming the Pelicans don’t want to take back Andrew Wiggins or Draymond Green.

Mock Drafts Expect Wiseman To Wind Up With Warriors

November 3rd, 2020 at 9:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A majority of mock drafts have center James Wiseman going to the Warriors with the No. 2 pick, the team’s website notes. Guard Anthony Edwards and forward Deni Avdija are the other strong possibilities, with only two of 24 mock drafts believing guard LaMelo Ball will be Golden State’s selection.

Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Oubre, Luxury Tax, Draft

October 30th, 2020 at 7:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway believes James Wiseman would be a “spectacular” fit for the Warriors, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. The Warriors own the No. 2 overall selection behind the Timberwolves. Wiseman played only three games for Hardaway last season due to NCAA sanctions imposed over Hardaway’s monetary contributions to Wiseman’s family when he was in high school. “He’d instantly be one of the better rim runners in the league. He’s also a rim protector; he is going to protect the rim,” Hardaway said. “His skill set is good enough now, and it’s going to get better. … In their system, with those guys, he would be spectacular.”

We have more on the Warriors:

Suns wing Kelly Oubre Jr. appears to be a trade target, Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area notes. ESPN’s Nick Friedell recently said on “The Jump” that Oubre’s name keeps “popping up” in the trade buzz around the league and notes Golden State has a $17.2MM trade exception to absorb his contract. Oubre has an expiring $14.4MM contract and that makes it unlikely the Warriors would include the No. 2 pick in any proposals, Schrock adds.
Deciding on whether to use that trade exception and pay the additional luxury tax associated with bringing in another hefty contract is one of the Warriors’ major offseason questions, Anthony Slater of The Athletic notes. The other major consideration is determining the value of their lottery selection and what kind of player or package they’d need to get in return for the pick.
The Warriors are expected to have another meeting with guard prospect LaMelo Ball next week. Get the details here.

Draft Notes: Ball, Edwards, Maxey, Yurtseven, More

October 30th, 2020 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

LaMelo Ball, a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, reportedly met virtually with New York and Golden State earlier in the year and had an in-person visit with the Timberwolves this week. He’s also expected to meet with the Hornets, Bulls, and Warriors (again) next week.

While Ball has been getting familiar with the teams at the very top of the draft, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer said during an appearance on Sports Radio WFNZ this week that he has heard from multiple sources that Ball “is not performing very well at job interviews.”

“He is not improving his perception via job interview,” Bonnell said, per Dan Feldman of NBC Sports. “There are people drafting later in the top ten who were not preparing for the possibility of Ball still being around. And I’m not saying that he will not be a top-three pick. I am saying that I know for a fact that there are teams later in the top ten who are doing more research on him, because they no longer think it’s a given he will.”

With the 2020 NBA draft less than three weeks away, we’re knee-deep in smokescreen season, so it’s difficult to know how seriously to take reports like these. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic dug into the “art of subterfuge” in a new article, noting that the Timberwolves and Warriors – both of whom are said to be interested in trading down – are taking different approaches during the pre-draft process.

While Golden State has been rumored to have real interest in over a half-dozen prospects, Minnesota has been very tight-lipped about the No. 1 pick. In each case, teams that might be interested in trading up haven’t been able to get a clear sense of whether or not the Wolves or Warriors will take the player they want.

Here’s more on the draft:

NBA scouts and executives weren’t allowed to be in the gym for the televised Pro Day for Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Maxey on Thursday, as Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. A source tells Berman that some agents were unhappy with the setup, feeling as if it was “unwarranted exposure” for Rich Paul‘s clients. The Knicks were among the teams watching the event on TV, Berman adds.
Former Georgetown big man Omer Yurtseven has had virtual meetings with 19 teams, he told Keith Smith of RealGM. However, he’s disappointed he hasn’t got a chance to conduct in-person workouts for all those clubs. “It’s been tough to not be able to work out directly for teams,” Yurtseven said. “I’ve spent a lot of time working on my lateral quickness. I know I needed to be quicker to play in the NBA. I worked on that a lot and can’t wait to show teams.”
Eamonn Brennan of The Athletic identifies five prospects he thinks are sleepers in the 2020 draft, including Kansas center Udoka Azubuike, Michigan State guard Cassius Winston, and Charleston guard Grant Riller.

Timberwolves Met With LaMelo Ball

October 29th, 2020 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves, who hold the No. 1 overall selection in this year’s draft, met with potential top pick LaMelo Ball on Tuesday in Southern California, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

While the meeting provided the Timberwolves – including president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas and head coach Ryan Saunders – an opportunity to interview Ball in person, no basketball activities were conducted as part of the visit, a source tells Givony.

Ball confirmed earlier this month that he conducted virtual interviews earlier this year with the Warriors and Knicks. However, his Tuesday meeting with the Timberwolves is the first time he has met with a club in person, per Givony.

According to Givony, Ball is also tentatively scheduled to interview in person with the Warriors early next week, and will likely meet with the Hornets and Bulls as well. Those clubs hold the second, third, and fourth overall picks in the 2020 draft.

The NBA recently allowed teams to conduct in-person visits with draft-eligible prospects, after having prohibited such meetings for most of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Teams are allowed to conduct a total of 10 meetings.

Although a number of clubs are getting a chance to work out prospects during those meetings, it’s not unusual for presumed top picks like Ball to decline to work out, Givony notes. Still, the Wolves and the other teams at the top of the draft are probably disappointed not to get an in-person look at Ball, since he hasn’t played in a competitive game since November 30, 2019, having been sidelined with a foot injury for much of Australia’s NBL season.

Draft Rumors: Wiseman, Hornets, Warriors, Cavs, Pistons, OKC, More

October 27th, 2020 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

Kevin O’Connor’s latest update to his 2020 NBA mock draft at the Ringer includes several intriguing tidbits about which way certain teams might be leaning and which players are generating interest at certain spots.

We’ve already passed on a couple of those notes, relaying word that the Hawks have made the No. 6 pick available and that the Bulls are believed to be eyeing play-makers at No. 4. Here are a few more of the highlights from The Ringer’s mock:

Rumblings around the NBA suggest that the Warriors (No. 2) and Hornets (No. 3) both “covet” former Memphis center James Wiseman, according to O’Connor. If Wiseman is atop each team’s draft board, that means Charlotte might have to trade up to No. 1 to have a shot at him.
There’s a belief in league circles that the Cavaliers (No. 5) are high on former Dayton forward Obi Toppin, says O’Connor. That lines up with what we’ve heard in recent weeks from Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who reported on Monday that the Cavs will privately work out Toppin this week.
Sources tell O’Connor that the Pistons (No. 7) are interested in play-makers. Former Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton is one prospect who has been linked frequently to Detroit in mock drafts.
Serbian big man Aleksej Pokusevski has been linked to the Thunder (No. 25) by two separate sources whom O’Connor has spoken to in the past week. Pokusevski may not quite be NBA-ready, but his upside would make him a logical fit for an OKC team that may be entering a rebuild, O’Connor observes.
O’Connor also reiterates a point he has made in previous iterations of his mock draft, citing multiple sources who say that former Stanford guard Tyrell Terry is generating buzz as a potential mid-first-round pick.

Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman Work Out For Warriors

October 23rd, 2020 at 12:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors may prefer to trade down, but they got a close look at two players who will be high on their draft board if they keep the No. 2 pick, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. During a recent trip to Atlanta and Miami, Golden State officials got to work out Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman, who were both described as “beasts.”

Wiseman showed off exceptional skills for a big man and his interview also impressed the delegation, which was made up of owner Joe Lacob, general manager Bob Myers, head coach Steve Kerr and director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini. Edwards’ athleticism and “freakishness” stood out during his session.

Golden State seems content with either player, regardless of what Minnesota does with the No. 1 pick. If the Wolves opt for LaMelo Ball, the Warriors would be faced with a difficult choice. They plan to be back in title contention next season and need someone who can contribute right away.

Edwards doesn’t seem like a perfect fit with most of the perimeter minutes ticketed for Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, and Thompson isn’t convinced that Edwards’ offensive game is refined enough to handle coming off the bench. Golden State has expressed a desire to add size this offseason, and Kerr is reluctant to use a three-guard lineup.

Wiseman has a chance to be a starter right away at center and may have the skills to develop into a perimeter big man like Anthony Davis. Wiseman could instantly be the shot blocker that Kerr is looking for, plus he can set screens, catch lobs and run the floor — basic skills that don’t take long to learn. However, there are questions about Wiseman after his short stint at Memphis, such as whether he is coachable and how quickly he can adapt to the read-and-react system that Golden State uses.

The Warriors also worked out Deni Avdija this week and are expected to meet with other prospects in case they move down in the draft. If they keep the No. 2 pick, Thompson believes it will come down to a choice of Edwards, Wiseman or Ball.

Assessing The Possible Fits Of Connaughton, Jones

October 22nd, 2020 at 8:19pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

As the Warriors look to build at the edges of their roster, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area takes a look at two potential swingman bench fits: sharpshooting Bucks guard Pat Connaughton and hyper-athletic Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr.

Warriors Work Out Deni Avdija

October 22nd, 2020 at 2:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and other members of the organization traveled to Atlanta to work out Israeli draft prospect Deni Avdija on Thursday morning, sources tell Ethan Strauss of The Athletic.

According to Strauss, Avdija performed well in the workouts and Warriors officials were “blown away” after meeting with him. The club was impressed with the 19-year-old’s work ethic, Strauss adds.

For the past few months, NBA teams haven’t been permitted to work out prospects as part of this year’s pre-draft process, but the league recently loosened restrictions on those in-person meetings. Clubs are now allowed to conduct 10 in-person workouts with draft-eligible players by November 16.

Not every team has been enthusiastic about taking advantage of the opportunity to meet with prospects in person, as we detailed last weekend. However, the expectation has been that teams with high lottery picks will be active in lining up meetings with top prospects, so it makes sense that the Warriors – who own the No. 2 selection – would be one of the clubs to take advantage.

As Strauss notes, the Warriors’ workout with Avdija doesn’t necessarily mean that the team is zeroing in on the former Maccabi Tel Aviv star. However, the fact that members of the organization were willing to travel to Atlanta to get a closer look at the young forward is at least a signal that Golden State hasn’t committed to the idea of trading out of the No. 2 spot in a win-now deal.