- “There is chatter coming from Orlando” related to forward Aaron Gordon, one executive tells Amick. However, a source with knowledge of the Warriors‘ activity gave Amick a hard “no” when asked specifically about the possibility of the Magic trading Gordon for D’Angelo Russell. Another source said a Russell deal is “unlikely” to happen this season, Amick adds.
[SOURCE LINK]
- The NBA has fined Warriors head coach Steve Kerr $25K for “verbally abusing” a game official and failing to leave the court immediately after being ejected, the league announced today in a press release. Kerr expressed his displeasure with a call in the second quarter of Monday’s game vs. Sacramento, yelling “Wake your a– up!” at referee Jason Goldenberg.
The Warriors waived goodbye to Marquese Chriss prior to his contract becoming guaranteed, though the team has not shut the door on a reunion. Monte Poole of NBC Sports hears that Golden State is high on Chriss’ future and was seeking a way to retain him. However, the Dubs were unable to clear a roster spot before waiving him today.
“He’s a good, young talent,” coach Steve Kerr said after practice Tuesday. “He’s developed. He’s got a fantastic attitude. He’s somebody we were all really hoping we could keep.
“But the rules stipulate that we had to shed money. And this was the end result. Everybody is disappointed — players, coaches, front office. But this is how it worked.”
The franchise needed to open a spot on the roster for Damion Lee, who has just two days of eligibility remaining for the NBA club, as he’s on a two-way contract. Lee and the Warriors are reportedly close to finalizing a multiyear pact.
Golden State could trade away one of its veterans, such as Alec Burks or Willie Cauley-Stein, before the February 6 deadline and open up a roster spot. Poole adds that Chriss, who appeared in 37 games for the club this season, would like to return in the future.
1:58pm: The Warriors and Lee are working to finalize a multiyear deal that will includes partial guarantees in future seasons, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The team could offer Lee up to a four-year deal using its mid-level exception.
7:35am: The Warriors completed a somewhat surprising roster move late on Monday night, waiving big man Marquese Chriss, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Using the newly-available roster spot, Golden State will promote two-way player Damion Lee, giving him a standard contract, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
With only 14 players on their 15-man roster before cutting Chriss, the Warriors technically already had a roster spot available to promote Lee. However, the club’s flexibility was limited by its hard cap — with only about $375K in breathing room, there wasn’t enough space to give Lee a prorated minimum salary contract without waiving Chriss, whose salary wasn’t fully guaranteed.
By releasing Chriss in advance of today’s guarantee deadline, Golden State will reduce his cap hit from $1,620,564 to $758,804, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Lee’s cap hit for the remainder of the season, if he signs on Tuesday, will be $915,573, moving the Warriors slightly closer to their hard cap.
The team will retain its open 15th roster spot, which could still be used later in the season – perhaps on two-way player Ky Bowman – once the prorated minimum salary declines to the point where it would fit beneath the hard cap.
As Slater explains in a full story at The Athletic, parting ways with Chriss wasn’t an easy decision for the Warriors, or a popular one within “some pockets of the organization.” A former lottery pick, Chriss is just 22 years old, was well-liked in the locker room, and had played well in a part-time role this season, with 7.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 1.9 APG in 37 games (17.7 MPG).
However, according to Slater, when Lee agreed to return to the Warriors during the 2019 offseason, he did so with an understanding that he wouldn’t be spending any real time in the G League, and would get a standard roster spot once he exhausted his 45-day NBA limit. Lee has just two of those 45 days remaining, necessitating a move.
In an ideal world, the Warriors would’ve kept both Lee and Chriss, Slater notes. Golden State may have preferred to create space for both players by trading a minimum-salary veteran like Alec Burks or Glenn Robinson III, but with no deal in place, today’s salary guarantee deadline forced the club’s hand on Chriss.
There’s still a chance Chriss could be back at some point — Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets that Golden State definitely hasn’t lost interest in him. But there’s no guarantee that another team won’t scoop him up as a free agent, or even via a waiver claim.
“They said it’s been a tough decision,” Chriss told Slater, after learning of his release. “It is what it is. I’ve accomplished a lot. I’ve shown what I’m capable of. I’ve shown I belong. People make business decisions.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
- The Warriors will send Ky Bowman to the G League when D’Angelo Russell returns from a right shoulder contusion, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Bowman has six days remaining on his 45-day NBA allotment under the terms of a two-way contract. The team’s other two-way player, Damion Lee, has just two days remaining until he must remain in the G League or receive a standard contract. A roster spot is likely to be cleared for Lee at some point, Slater adds.
- Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry are getting antsy as they rehab from long-term injuries, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Thompson is working his way back from the knee injury he suffered during last season’s playoffs, while Curry is rehabbing from hand surgery. “In an ironic way, this has been probably a good chance for them to blow off some stream and whatever metaphor you want to use,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “But that can only last for so long. They’re both dying to play. And we’re dying to have them back.”
- Warriors rookie Jordan Poole rediscovered his shot during a recent stretch in the NBA G League, Marcus White of NBC Sports writes. Poole scored 24 points to help lead Santa Cruz to a 110-106 win over Salt Lake City on Friday, getting recalled by the team the following day. Poole has averaged seven points per game in 30 contests with Golden State this season, shooting just 26% from the floor and 24% from 3-point range.
Here are Saturday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Rockets assigned Chris Clemons to their affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26. Clemons had his two-way deal converted to a three-year contract last week.
- The Wizards announced on Twitter that they have recalled Justin Robinson from Capital City. He is averaging 5.4 minutes per night in nine NBA games in his first season.
- The Warriors recalled Jordan Poole from Santa Cruz, according to a tweet from the team. The rookie guard is averaging 7.1 PPG in 29 games for Golden State.
- While the Warriors have made players like Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III available, rival teams that have talked to the Dubs say the club isn’t looking to move D’Angelo Russell, according to Charania. The Warriors continue to insist they want to see Russell play with a fully healthy roster, and won’t deal him unless they get an offer that blows them away.
[SOURCE LINK]
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr told Logan Murdoch of NBC Sports Bay Area on Tuesday that he is frustrated by the frequency of foul calls in today’s NBA. “I think we’ve gone overboard in rewarding offensive players,” Kerr said. “And what I mean by that is we’ve rewarded offensive players for fooling the officials and attempting to fool the officials.”
Here are Tuesday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Pacers assigned Alize Johnson to their affiliate in Fort Wayne, then recalled him and Victor Oladipo later in the day, the team announced in a pair of tweets. Oladipo has been practicing with the G League team as he rehabs from a quad injury he suffered last season.
- The Warriors recalled Alen Smailagic from Santa Cruz, according to a press release. Smailagic is averaging 16.8 points and 5.9 rebounds in 12 G League games.