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Free Agency Rumors: Lakers, Hornets, Pelicans, Baynes, Bazemore

November 20th, 2020 at 4:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers anticipate being “first in line” to talk to two of their veteran free agents, Dwight Howard and Avery Bradley, when free agency opens, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Howard and Bradley are expected to draw interest from multiple other clubs, including perhaps the Warriors, but it sounds like L.A. has interest in bringing back both of them. The Lakers and veteran forward Jared Dudley also have mutual interest in a new deal, Scotto adds.

Here’s more from Scotto on free agency:

The Hornets are expected to be in the market for a free agent center, according to Scotto, who notes that the team will likely lose Bismack Biyombo and Willy Hernangomez in free agency.
Scotto echoes a rumor we heard earlier in the week, writing that the Pelicans are expected to show interest in free agent center Aron Baynes.
The Kings and Kent Bazemore are expected to have mutual interest in reaching a new deal, according to Scotto, who notes that the free agent swingman will likely speak with a number of teams once free agency begins.

Warriors Waive Ky Bowman

November 20th, 2020 at 1:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

1:33pm: The Warriors have officially confirmed in a press release that they’ve waived Bowman. If he clears waivers, he’ll be free to sign with any NBA team.

1:07pm: The Warriors will waive Ky Bowman, who saw significant playing time as Golden State dealt with injuries last season, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Sources tell Charania that other teams have interest in signing the 23-year-old point guard.

Bowman inked a two-way deal with the Warriors last summer after going undrafted out of Boston College. That was converted in February to a standard contract, which included non-guaranteed minimum salaries for the next two seasons.

Bowman appeared in 45 games as a rookie, starting 12 of them. He averaged 7.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists in about 22 minutes per night.

The move comes after the Warriors drafted point guard Nico Mannion in the second round of Wednesday’s draft.

Free Agency Notes: Heat, Gibson, Beasley, Millsap

November 19th, 2020 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat president Pat Riley provided a major hint on his free agency plans during his post-draft availability on Wednesday night, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, who tweets that Riley said he hopes to “run this thing back.”

The Heat can essentially go one of two directions this weekend. One direction is renouncing most of their own free agents and opening up cap room to pursue outside FAs. The other is remaining over the cap and making an effort to bring back several of their own free agents, starting with Jae Crowder and Goran Dragic. It sounds like Riley is prepared to take the latter path.

Here’s more on free agency:

Although the Knicks waived Taj Gibson and turned down Bobby Portis‘ option, Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link) hears that the team still has some mutual interest with both players, who could return on more modest salaries. Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News suggests (via Twitter) that the Suns, Clippers, and Warriors are among the other clubs to watch for Gibson.
Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas said today during an appearance on The Chad Hartman Show in Minnesota that drafting Anthony Edwards doesn’t mean the team doesn’t plan to re-sign Malik Beasley. “We hope that relationship (with Beasley) continues,” Rosas said (Twitter link via Dane Moore of News Talk 830 WCCO). Wolfson (via Twitter) thinks that the Wolves and Beasley could work out a two-year deal.
Paul Millsap plans to weigh his options at the start of free agency and see what kind of market develops before making a decision, tweets Mike Singer of The Denver Post. No deal is imminent yet for Millsap, who is expected to receive interest from the Nuggets and Trail Blazers, among others.
Suns GM James Jones said on Wednesday night that his front office will be looking for “Suns fits” in free agency, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes. “I feel really good about our ability to build on the rest of our roster,” Jones said.

Warriors’ Klay Thompson Suffers Torn Achilles

November 19th, 2020 at 12:36pm CST by Luke Adams

NOVEMBER 19: Thompson has suffered a season-ending Achilles tear, a source tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

It’s devastating news for the Warriors and for Thompson, who will miss a second consecutive season with a major leg injury and will be looking to return in 2021/22 at age 31 after not having played a game in about 28 months.

The Warriors will likely apply for a disabled player exception, which would be worth the amount of the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception ($9.3MM).

NOVEMBER 18: The Warriors fear that Klay Thompson has suffered a “significant” Achilles injury, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). According to Haynes, Thompson is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his injured right leg on Thursday.

As we relayed earlier this evening before the draft got underway, Thompson suffered the lower leg injury during a workout in Southern California today. He has been sidelined since Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, having suffered a torn left ACL in that game, but had been on track to return to the court for the Warriors to start the 2020/21 season.

If Thompson suffered an Achilles tear or another major injury, it’s possible he’ll miss his second consecutive full season, which would be brutal news for both him and the Warriors.

Several members of the Warriors organization are headed to Los Angeles to be with Thompson for his MRI tomorrow morning, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter link). The club is still hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.

The Warriors should have clarity on the severity of Thompson’s injury before free agency begins on Friday, so that news may impact how the team approaches its offseason. Golden State has a $17MM+ trade exception and the $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception and may need to prioritize a wing if Thompson won’t be available anytime soon.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Mannion, Anderson, Jessup

November 19th, 2020 at 10:42am CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors general manager Bob Myers said he already had approval from management to use the team’s $17MM trade exception before Klay Thompson‘s injury yesterday, tweets Marc J. Speers of The Undefeated. Myers was hoping to add wing depth even before the news about Thompson broke. Thompson will have an MRI today to determine the severity of his Achilles injury.

Myers told reporters that Thompson’s injury didn’t affect the team’s plan to draft former Memphis center James Wiseman with the No. 2 pick, according to a story on Warriors.com.

“We had him No. 1 on our board when all the dust settled,” Myers said of Wiseman. “Certainly the Klay thing made you think for a second, but it was just a short amount of time and we decided we’re staying the course of what we always felt, but you have to take pause and think about things for a second. … We got the guy we wanted and excited like I said to get going and get him in our practice facility and get to work.”

There’s more Warriors news this morning:

In the same story, Myers admits being surprised that Arizona guard Nico Mannion was still available with the No. 48 pick. Executives around the league were shocked to see Mannion fall so far, adds Jonathan Givony of Draft Express (Twitter link). “(Stephen Curry) said we had to draft guys that went to his Under Armour camp, so we had to take Wiseman and Nico to keep our point guard happy,” Myers joked. “It is funny, though. Those guys both did go. He remembers them. I think it might have been in Walnut Creek. But I think he knows, it’s funny, he got to know James and got to know Nico, I don’t know if it was last year or the year before, but I was surprised. We had him higher than 48 for sure.”
Grizzlies forward Kyle Anderson may be an option to provide wing depth for the Warriors using their traded player exception, tweets Jabari Young of CNBC. A six-year veteran, Anderson spent the past two seasons in Memphis.
Justinian Jessup, Golden State’s selection with the 51st pick last night, will be a draft-and-stash player, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jessup is already playing for the Illawarra Hawks in Australia.

Draft-Night Rumors: Warriors, Pistons, Avdija, Baynes

November 18th, 2020 at 8:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Drafting James Wiseman won’t prevent the Warriors from looking to add another big man, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, who reports (via Twitter) that Golden State is eyeing at least four different bigs. The team has its $17MM+ trade exception and the $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception available to acquire veterans later this week.

Here are a few more NBA draft-night notes and rumors:

It sounds like Detroit’s long-reported interest in Patrick Williams was legit. The Pistons made an effort to trade up to No. 3 in order to leapfrog the Bulls for Williams, but the Hornets didn’t budge, sources tell Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link).
Deni Avdija has a small buyout to get out of his contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv, as Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Avdija and the Wizards – who selected him at No. 9 – will pay that buyout. Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer adds (via Twitter) that he’s surprised by Avdija slipping to ninth — the Bulls and Cavaliers both considered the Israeli forward at No. 4 and No. 5, per O’Connor.
NBA executives fully expect Aron Baynes to leave the Suns in free agency, opening the door for No. 10 pick Jalen Smith to fill Baynes’ role as a stretch big, tweets Kevin O’Connor. According to O’Connor, the Pelicans are a potential landing spot for Baynes.

Klay Thompson Suffers Apparent Lower Leg Injury

November 18th, 2020 at 7:43pm CST by Luke Adams

7:43pm: The fear is that Thompson has a heel injury, according to Charania (video link).

5:41pm: Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson suffered an apparent lower leg injury today and is undergoing tests to determine the severity of the injury, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Thompson was unable to place weight on the injrued leg when leaving the gym today, sources tell Charania (Twitter link).

Thompson sustained the injury during a workout in Southern California, notes ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Woj hears from a source that the injury affects Thompson’s right leg (Twitter link).

Thompson has been sidelined since Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, having suffered a torn left ACL in that game. He had been on track to return to the court for the Warriors to start the 2020/21 season — it’s not clear yet whether this setback will jeopardize his availability for next month’s opener

Thompson, 30, is one of the league’s best two-way wings, having averaged at least 20.0 PPG in each of his last five healthy seasons, earning All-Star nods in each of those five years. He’s a career 41.9% three-point shooter and is a strong perimeter defender. He’s entering the second season of a five-year, maximum-salary contract.

It’s unclear whether or not the Warriors fear Thompson’s injury is a major one. It also remains to be seen whether Golden State will get any answers before tonight’s draft, or how the news may affect the team’s approach to the offseason.

Warriors Draft James Wiseman at No. 2

November 18th, 2020 at 7:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors used the second pick in the draft to select former Memphis center James Wiseman.

The selection reflects Golden State’s desire to add size this offseason to compete with the Lakers and the league’s other big teams. Wiseman has the build of a traditional center at 7’1″ and 240 pounds.

Scouts and college basketball fans only got a brief look at Wiseman during his three-game career at Memphis. After being embroiled in an eligibility battle with the NCAA, Wiseman left school in December to focus on preparing for the NBA. He was dominant in his brief time with the Tigers, averaging 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.

Warriors’ Plan To Host Fans At 50% Capacity Denied

November 18th, 2020 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors‘ proposal to open Chase Center at 50% capacity for the upcoming season has been rejected by San Francisco’s Department of Public Health, according to Trisha Thadani and Ron Kroichick of The San Francisco Chronicle.

However, the department displayed a willingness to work with the team to have some fans at home games. A letter sent by Health Officer Tomás Aragón states that the Warriors can accommodate 25% of the arena’s capacity, about 4,500 people, if San Francisco returns to California’s “yellow tier” of COVID-19 case rates.

Golden State’s plan would have been the first of its kind in the country and would have included coronavirus testing for all fans who entered the arena. However, it was met with skepticism as California undergoes its fastest rise in virus cases since the start of the pandemic.

“I cannot approve a plan for live audiences at indoor sporting events at this time,” Aragón wrote in his letter to the team. “Indoor sports with spectators are not currently allowed under the State of California’s COVID-19 restrictions. Moreover, and more importantly, San Francisco is experiencing a rapid and significant surge in COVID-19 cases.”

The Warriors were planning to use PCR testing, rather than antigen testing, explained George Rutherford, a professor of epidemiology at UCSF who is advising the team. Golden State was considering sending test kits to season-ticket holders, allowing them to take a sample at home and drop it off at the arena. Rapid-results tests would also have been available outside the Chase Center.

“In the present circumstances, bringing thousands of individuals (and households) together — many of whom would travel from and return to other counties — creates too much risk of widespread transmission in transit and while visiting San Francisco,” Aragón added in the letter. “These risks remain high even with pre-event testing in place given the possibility of false negatives or individuals contracting the virus in the 48 hour-period after they are tested.”

In an email to the Chronicle, Warriors officials stated that they will continue to work with health officials “as we collectively adapt to evolving conditions.”

Draft Rumors: Warriors, Smart, Wolves, Thunder, Cavs, More

November 18th, 2020 at 6:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors and Celtics had some discussions about a deal that would have involved the No. 2 pick and guard Marcus Smart according to Matt Moore of ActionNetwork.com. Sources tell Moore that those talks didn’t ultimately gain traction and aren’t expected to resume after the Celtics rejected a counter-offer from Golden State.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms that the Celtics called the Warriors to gauge their interest in moving the No. 2 pick and made Smart available, but talks “didn’t escalate.”

Here’s more on the draft as we prepare for what should be a fun night:

Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) is hearing that the Timberwolves will likely remain at No. 1, barring a “blockbuster” move. However, it sounds like the No. 17 pick is still very much in play. Jeremy Woo of SI.com reports (via Twitter) that the Thunder are exploring a deal for the No. 17 pick.
Isaac Okoro is rising on the Cavaliers‘ board, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), who says if Cleveland trades down to No. 8, it would likely hinge on the team’s ability to land Okoro at that spot.
The Clippers are looking to buy a second-round pick and/or trade up from No. 57, league sources tell Scotto.
The Suns could still trade down from No. 10 or use the pick in a deal for a veteran player, but they’re unlikely to move up, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7.