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Warriors Notes: Wiggins, Curry, Chriss, Luxury Tax

February 9th, 2020 at 9:05am CST by Arthur Hill

Andrew Wiggins‘ first game with the Warriors may have eased the doubts from those who wonder if he will be a good fit for the organization, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Acquired Thursday in exchange for D’Angelo Russell, Wiggins posted 24 points and five steals Saturday night. Coming to Golden State gives him a chance to change the arc of his career after five-and-a-half seasons with the Timberwolves.

“We lost a lot in Minnesota,” Wiggins said. “So coming here, being part of a winning culture, it’s different. Losing’s never fun. Being here, you can tell by everyone’s attitude, everyone’s approach, everything that’s everywhere, they’re winners. That’s something I’ve wanted to be my whole career.”

Slater points out that one of the benefits of making the Russell deal now instead of hoping for a better return this summer is that Wiggins has 30 games to adjust to the Warriors’ style of play. Ideally, he will evolve into a new version of Harrison Barnes, who was able to play power forward in brief stretches next to Draymond Green at center.

“A huge part of this trade is we know Andrew is a better positional fit for us than D’Angelo was,” coach Steve Kerr said. “… To be able to get a valuable wing player is not easy. There’s very few of them in the draft according to scouts and very few of them available in free agency. Wings are hard to come by. Just by bringing in a positional fit, a guy who has a lot of talent, I think the move makes sense.”

There’s more Warriors news this morning:

  • Stephen Curry confirmed on last night’s broadcast that he’s targeting the first week of March to return from his broken hand (video from NBA.com). Curry played just four games before suffering the injury in late October. He called his rehab “a work in progress.”
  • Marquese Chriss gave himself flexibility by signing for two years rather than three, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Chris will be just 24 years old when he becomes a free agent in 2021.
  • After reshaping the roster at the trade deadline, general manager Bob Myers talked about the importance of getting under the luxury tax line for this season (video link from Slater). “To see the numbers of being a repeater the level we would’ve been, the numbers got pretty high,” Myers said. “If we would’ve drafted in top five … the (taxpayer mid-level exception) … the traded player exception, all of a sudden you’re talking high 200 (millions).”
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23 Trade Exceptions Generated In Deadline Deals

February 8th, 2020 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

As we explain in our glossary entry on the NBA’s trade rules, teams that complete a “non-simultaneous” deal can create what’s called a traded player exception. These are salary cap exceptions a team can use anytime during the following calendar year to acquire one or more players whose salaries are no greater than the amount of that exception (plus $100K).

A number of the traded player exceptions created at the 2019 trade deadline expired this week without being used, but nearly two dozen new TPEs were generated as a result of the trades completed at this year’s deadline. They’ll expire next February, so they could be used during the offseason or sometime next season.

The full list of traded player exceptions created this week is below, sorted by amount. The player whose departure helped generate the TPE is noted in parentheses. The full list of available trade exceptions can be found right here.

In addition to the traded player exceptions from the deals completed on February 6, this list includes the exceptions created on February 5 in the four-team trade involving the Hawks, Timberwolves, Rockets, and Nuggets.

It doesn’t include trade exceptions generated in deals earlier this season, such as the $7,069,662 TPE the Trail Blazers got when they sent Kent Bazemore to Sacramento in a five-player trade. Again, the full list of current TPEs can be found here.

If you have any questions or corrections, please let me know in the comment section below.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post.

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Warriors Sign Jeremy Pargo To 10-Day Contract

February 8th, 2020 at 2:22pm CST by Luke Adams

FEBRUARY 8: Pargo has officially signed his 10-day deal with the Warriors, the club confirmed today in a press release. The Warriors have now signed five players since the deadline, getting their roster count back up to 14.

FEBRUARY 7: The Warriors‘ run of free agent contract agreements will continue with a 10-day deal for Jeremy Pargo, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Pargo is the fifth player to agree to a contract with Golden State in the last 24 hours.

Pargo will be called up from the Santa Cruz Warriors, but his résumé looks much different than a typical G-Leaguer’s. A combo guard, Pargo entered the NBA in 2011 and hasn’t appeared in a game since the 2012/13 season. Since then, he has had stops in Russia, Israel, China, Italy, and Lebanon. He also had a stint in the BIG3.

Pargo, who will turn 34 next month, appeared in 11 games for Golden State’s G League affiliate in 2017/18, then rejoined the club for the 2019/20 season. He has averaged 17.2 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 3.7 RPG with a .469/.331/.733 shooting line in 31 NBAGL games (31.1 MPG) this season.

It’s very unlikely that Pargo is part of the Warriors’ future plans, so this 10-day contract looks like a reward for his solid work in Santa Cruz. If and when he takes the court for Golden State, it will be his first NBA appearance since March 29, 2013.

The Warriors had six open roster spots after completing a series of deadline deals. They’ve since agreed to sign Pargo, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Zach Norvell, and are promoting two-way players Ky Bowman and Marquese Chriss to their standard roster.

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Warriors Sign Zach Norvell To 10-Day Deal

February 8th, 2020 at 2:18pm CST by ChrisCrouse

FEBRUARY 8: The Warriors have signed Norvell to his 10-day deal, the team announced today in a press release. The contract will cover Golden State’s next three games and will expire during the All-Star break.

FEBRUARY 6: The Warriors are not done making moves. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), the team will sign Zach Norvell to a 10-day contract.

The shooting guard suited up for the Lakers earlier this season, as he was on a two-way deal with Los Angeles. He was waived in December with only five minutes of NBA playing time to his name.

The Warriors had several open roster spots after making a handful moves at the trade deadline. They’re on track to fill three vacancies with Norvell, Juan Toscano-Anderson, and Ky Bowman, with Marquese Chriss likely to be promoted to the 15-man roster at some point.

Even if all four of those players are officially added to the standard roster, Golden State would still have two open spots.

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Andrew Wiggins To Premiere As A Warrior Tonight

February 8th, 2020 at 1:03pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Newly-acquired Warriors swingman Andrew Wiggins will see his first on-court action tonight for his new squad, in an ABC home tilt against the West-leading Lakers, a source tells the Athletic’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link).

After being drafted with the No. 1 overall pick out of Kansas by the Cavaliers in 2014, Wiggins was traded to the Timberwolves in exchange for All-Star Kevin Love. Love joined fellow All-Stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving for an Eastern Conference juggernaut that made four straight NBA Finals, winning one title in 2016.

Wiggins, meanwhile, had an up-and-down career in Minnesota. Touted as having the tools to be a high-level two-way wing, Wiggins instead was an inefficient scorer who never became the defensive wiz he was supposed to be. With a healthy Warriors squad next season, Wiggins will no longer need to be a prime offensive fulcrum.

Still just 24, Wiggins put up respectable numbers for a dismal 15-34 Timberwolves team: he boasts a slash line of 22.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 3.7 APG. The Warriors are no doubt hopeful that being moved to a stabler organization will help turn Wiggins into a reliable, Harrison Barnes-esque cog on what should be a loaded Golden State team in 2020/21, after All-Stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson return to action.

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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/7/20

February 7th, 2020 at 9:53pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Friday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the league:

  • The Wizards assigned forward Admiral Schofield to the Capital City Go-Go for a practice and then recalled him and center Anzejs Pasecniks, according to the team’s PR department (Twitter links). Both were available for the team’s home game against Dallas on Friday.
  • The Kings assigned center Eric Mika to their affiliate in Stockton, according to the G League transactions log. The former BYU standout has appeared in just one NBA game this season.
  • The Spurs assigned big man Chimezie Metu and swingman Keldon Johnson to their Austin affiliate, according to G League log. Metu, a second-year power forward, has appeared in 15 games with San Antonio this season while Johnson’s, a first-round pick last June, has appeared in four NBA games.
  • The Celtics assigned rookie guard Carsen Edwards to the Maine Red Claws, according to the G League log. The point guard has played 31 games with Boston this season.
  • The Suns assigned Jalen Lecque to their North Arizona affiliate, according to the G League log. The rookie point man has seen action in three NBA games.
  • The Warriors recalled forward Alen Smailagić from their Santa Cruz affiliate, according to a team press release. The rookie forward has appeared in nine games for Golden State, averaging 4.7 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 10.3 MPG.
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NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots After Trade Deadline

February 7th, 2020 at 4:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2020 NBA trade deadline has come and gone, so teams that had been holding open roster spots in case they needed them before a last-minute deal can now fill those openings, if they so choose. The Nets did exactly that today — after holding their 15th roster spot open through the deadline, they signed Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to a multiyear contract today to fill it.

While Brooklyn no longer has an open roster spot, a number of teams around the league still do. Here’s a quick breakdown of which clubs fit that bill and what their roster situations are, with their roster openings noted in parentheses:

  • Golden State Warriors (3): The Warriors initially had six roster openings, but signed Juan Toscano-Anderson and promoted Ky Bowman and Marquese Chriss to fill three of them. Zach Norvell and Jeremy Pargo are expected to sign 10-day deals, allowing Golden State to get to the league-mandated minimum of 14. The Dubs will probably keep their 15th slot open as they attempt to stay below the tax line.
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (2): Alfonzo McKinnie agreed to a long-term contract with the Cavaliers and will fill one of their two open spots once his deal becomes official. However, the team could re-open that second slot this weekend when Marques Bolden‘s 10-day contract expires.
  • Houston Rockets (2): The Rockets figure to keep a close eye on the buyout market as they look to reinforce their depth. They’ll have up to two weeks to get back to at least 14 players.
  • Atlanta Hawks (1): The Hawks opened a roster spot by trading Jabari Parker and Alex Len to Sacramento for Dewayne Dedmon. They’re not anywhere near the tax, so I’d expect them to fill that opening soon with a young player, either on a 10-day deal or a rest-of-season contract.
  • Los Angeles Clippers (1): The Clippers opened up one roster spot by trading Derrick Walton. They’re expected to open up a second by waiving Isaiah Thomas, a move that isn’t yet official. Like Houston, the Clips figure to scour the buyout market in an effort to fill its roster. Darren Collison is also an option if he decides to make a comeback.
  • Oklahoma City Thunder (1): The Thunder stood pat at the deadline and seem unlikely to fill that final roster spot anytime soon, since a 15th man would increase their projected tax bill.
  • Portland Trail Blazers (1): The same goes for the Trail Blazers, who remain in the tax even after moving Skal Labissiere for nothing at the deadline.
  • Denver Nuggets / Memphis Grizzlies / Orlando Magic (0): The Nuggets, Grizzlies, and Magic don’t currently have roster openings, but likely will soon. Denver is expected to waive Gerald Green, Memphis reportedly doesn’t intend to keep Dion Waiters, and Gary Clark‘s 10-day contract with Orlando will expire tonight.

Note: These roster counts are up to date as of the time of publication. This list is just a snapshot and won’t be updated to reflect subsequent moves, but our roster counts page will be.

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Kerr On D-Lo: “Fit Was Questionable When We Signed Him”

February 7th, 2020 at 3:51pm CST by Luke Adams

A day after Golden State completed one of the biggest trades of the 2019/20 season, sending D’Angelo Russell to the Timberwolves, head coach Steve Kerr expressed confidence that newly-acquired forward Andrew Wiggins is in a good position to succeed the Warriors.

“Minnesota needed him to be a star,” Kerr said of Wiggins, per Drew Shiller of Warriors Outsiders (Twitter link). “And we’re not asking him to be a star. We’re asking him to play a role on a team that already has some star players.”

As Kerr explained (video link via Anthony Slater of The Athletic), Wiggins also figures to be a better positional fit for the Warriors than Russell once Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are healthy. According to Kerr, Golden State isn’t expecting a whole lot of talented wings to be available during this year’s draft or free agent period, so the club is happy to add one like Wiggins now.

In his discussion of the trade, Kerr also acknowledged a point that many critics of the Warriors’ initial acquisition of Russell brought up last summer — D-Lo and the Dubs probably weren’t an ideal long-term match.

“To be perfectly blunt, the fit was questionable when we signed him,” Kerr said (video link via Slater). “… When you already have Steph and Klay and you add a ball-dominant guard, you can rightfully question the fit. That was one of the reasons the trade rumors started before the season even began.”

According to Kerr, even with Curry and Thompson sidelined this season, the Warriors got a “good enough look” over the first 50 games of the season to picture how Russell would fit on a fully healthy roster.

“I think you have an idea – I think we have an idea – that the other move, the other player (Wiggins) makes more sense,” Kerr said. “In this case, I would say (the fit is better) for both teams.”

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Knicks Notes: Monk, DSJ, D-Lo, Rose, Payton, More

February 7th, 2020 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Before Steve Mills was removed from his position as the Knicks‘ president of basketball operations, there was some internal support for a potential trade with the Hornets that would have sent Malik Monk to New York, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

Begley notes that Dennis Smith Jr. would’ve gone to Charlotte in the deal, though it’s not clear what other pieces would have been involved on either side. Both Smith and Monk were prospects the Knicks passed over in the 2017 draft for Frank Ntilikina.

Within his roundup of the Knicks’ deadline discussions, Begley also says that before Mills’ departure, there were members of the organization that felt as if they’d made “significant progress” toward a D’Angelo Russell trade with the Warriors.

We don’t know exactly how those talks played out, so it’s hard to say whether that confidence was warranted. But for what it’s worth, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported on Wednesday that none of New York’s offers had been “even remotely appealing” to Golden State. One of the Knicks’ proposals included Bobby Portis, Allonzo Trier, Ntilikina, and presumably some form of draft compensation, sources tell Begley.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • Marc Berman of The New York Post takes a look at the Knicks’ impending hire of agent Leon Rose as their new head of basketball operations, citing one NBA executive who said, “MSG and CAA have been in bed for years. This shouldn’t be surprising.”
  • Berman notes in his article on Rose that the veteran agent is tight with Kentucky head coach John Calipari. However, Calipari said today that he has no plans to become the Knicks’ next coach, according to Kyle Tucker of The Athletic (Twitter link). Calipari said he’d help Rose in any way he can — “It just wouldn’t be to coach.”
  • One decision Rose will face this summer will be on Elfrid Payton‘s $8MM non-guaranteed salary for 2020/21. Berman examines the factors that will go into that decision, pointing out that Payton is a CAA client.
  • In an interview on Showtime’s “All the Smoke,” Kevin Durant was once again asked about his free agency decision last summer. As Brian Lewis of The New York Post details, Durant replied that he didn’t seriously consider any teams beside the Nets. “I looked at other places — the Clippers, I took a peek at the Knicks just to do my due diligence — but I really wanted to play for the black and white,” Durant said.
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Warriors Sign Ky Bowman To Multiyear Deal

February 7th, 2020 at 2:50pm CST by ChrisCrouse

FEBRUARY 7: The Warriors have officially promoted Bowman to the 15-man roster and signed him to his new contract, the team announced in a press release.

FEBRUARY 6: The Warriors have agreed to a multiyear deal with Ky Bowman, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter link). Bowman had been on a two-way deal with the team.

Players on two-way contracts are subjected to at most 45 days with the NBA club, which includes non-game days. Bowman had used up his full 45 days with the Warriors, so once the new deal is official, he’ll be able to return to the NBA.

Bowman has appeared in 37 games for the Warriors this year. The point guard, who went undrafted last June, is averaging 7.3 points with a career-high of 24, which came in a late November contest against Oklahoma City. With D’Angelo Russell out of the picture, Bowman should get plenty of opportunity, though Andrew Wiggins looms as a competitor for shots.

The Warriors’ deadline deals left them with just nine players on their standard roster, so more signings will be coming, including the possible promotion of Marquese Chriss. Golden State won’t be able to sign two-way replacements for Bowman and/or Chriss, since the deadline for two-way signings passed on January 15.

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