Golden State Warriors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Durant, Kawhi Reportedly Discussing Playing Together

June 29th, 2019 at 10:45am CST by marksuleymanov

With free agency set to open on Sunday, the top two available players, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant, have discussed scenarios in which they could play together, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.

As Wojnarowski notes, if the two stars decide they want to team up, the two likeliest possibilities would be the Knicks or Clippers. The Knicks have the cap room necessary to offer both players maximum-salary contracts. The Clippers would have to do a little work to get there, but have a path if they can find a taker for Danilo Gallinari‘s expiring $22.6MM contract.

The Nets, Lakers, Warriors, and Raptors are among the other teams believed to be in pursuit of either Leonard or Durant. However, Golden State and Toronto could only re-sign their own respective stars, the Lakers only have room to sign one top free agent, and the Nets are believed to be zeroed in on Kyrie Irving, which would leave them with enough cap space for just one additional star.

Before Durant went down with a calf injury – and then an Achilles tear – in this year’s playoffs, he and Leonard were being discussed as the NBA’s top two players. Although KD is expected to miss the entire 2019/20 season as he recovers from his Achilles injury, a long-term pairing of Durant and Leonard could turn any franchise into a perennial championship contender.

ESPN’s report represents the second time today we’ve heard about the possibility of Durant and Leonard teaming up. Shams Charania of The Athletic wrote earlier this morning of a belief that KD had considered the possibility of joining forces with Kawhi, though Charania’s report gave no indication of how Leonard felt about the idea.

As we detailed this morning, Leonard’s free agency had long been viewed as a two-way race between the Raptors and Clippers, but that’s no longer the case, with the Lakers and Knicks both trying to get into the mix. Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote today about the pitch that LeBron James intends to make to Kawhi.

Many scenarios appear to remain in play for this summer’s top free agents. According to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, Leonard is expected to meet with the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, and Raptors once free agency opens, while Durant plans to talk to the Clippers, Knicks, Nets, and Warriors.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Charania’s Latest: Nets, D-Lo, Durant, Livingston, More

June 29th, 2019 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Kyrie Irving remains “fully focused” on a potential deal with the Nets, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who says Brooklyn’s goal is to sign the trio of Irving, Kevin Durant, and DeAndre Jordan. If they can get Irving but Durant heads elsewhere, the Nets could shift their focus to players like Tobias Harris or Julius Randle, Charania writes.

As for D’Angelo Russell, league sources tell Charania that the expectation is the Nets will either renounce D-Lo’s rights or try to complete a sign-and-trade deal that sends him elsewhere. A sign-and-trade would be complicated, since Brooklyn may prefer to use its cap room on free agents rather than trade pieces in return for Russell.

Here’s more from Charania:

Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers is tentatively scheduled to travel to New York this weekend to meet with Kevin Durant and his inner circle, league sources tell Charania. Durant is also expected to talk to the Knicks, Nets, and Clippers, though no formal meetings have been set, says Charania, who adds that there’s a belief that KD has considered the possibility of teaming up with Kawhi Leonard.
Shaun Livingston, who originally had a guarantee date of June 30 on his contract, has agreed to push that date back to July 10, reports Charania. Livingston has a partial guarantee of $2MM on his $7.7MM salary, and the Warriors now have more time to decide whether to retain him at that price.
With Kemba Walker appearing likely to sign elsewhere, the Hornets are focusing on other point guards like Terry Rozier, sources tell Charania. It’s not clear if Charlotte believes the mid-level would be enough to land Rozier, or if the team would attempt a sign-and-trade.
The Sixers remain “fully focused” on trying to re-sign Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, according to Charania, who notes that rival teams interested in Butler believe the fifth year Philadelphia can offer will be a major factor for the swingman and agent Bernie Lee. If the 76ers don’t offer that fifth year, it’s possible the market for Butler will open up.
The Knicks have targeted free agent center Robin Lopez as a potential backup for Mitchell Robinson, league sources tell Charania.
The Celtics intend to pursue a big man using their $4.8MM room exception, with Enes Kanter and Kevon Looney among their targets, per Charania.

Warriors Issue Qualifying Offer To Quinn Cook

June 29th, 2019 at 10:05am CST by marksuleymanov

The Warriors have issued a qualifying offer to point guard Quinn Cook, thus making him a restricted free agent, tweets Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.

Golden State wields Cook’s Early Bird rights with his cap hold being $1,931,189. Cook becomes the second Warriors player in as many days to enter restricted free agency as Golden State also issued a qualifying offer to Jordan Bell.

Cook, 26, appeared in a career-high 74 games (10 starts) for the Warriors during the 2018-19 season. As the primary backup to Stephen Curry, Cook averaged 6.9 PPG and 1.6 APG in 14.3 minutes per contest. Cook’s perimeter shooting is his signature, evidenced by his 40.5% mark from beyond the arc last season.

Cook figures to draw significant interest, as teams may try to put pressure on a Warriors team focused on its other free agents.

Warriors Extend Qualifying Offer To Jordan Bell

June 28th, 2019 at 11:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors have made forward Jordan Bell a restricted free agent by extending him a qualifying offer, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Bell’s qualifying offer is $1,818,486. Bell had a generally disappointing regular season. He appeared in 68 games, averaging 3.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 11.3 MPG.

When injuries struck in the playoffs, Bell saw action in 15 games. The 6’9” Oregon product was a 2017 second-round pick.

He had an embarrassing incident in late March in which he put authorized charges to assistant coach Mike Brown‘s hotel room, leading to a one-game suspension. But the Warriors see enough potential in Bell to at least make it more challenging for another team to sign him.

Clippers Extend Qualifying Offers To Zubac, McGruder

June 28th, 2019 at 6:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers have extended a qualifying offer to center Ivica Zubac, making him a restricted free agent, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. They have also extended a QO to swingman Rodney McGruder, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets.

The Clippers declined forward Johnathan Motley‘s QO and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. Motley was one of the team’s two-way players.

The move to make Zubac an RFA was a mere formality, as he impressed the Clippers after they acquired him from the Lakers at the trade deadline. His qualifying offer is $1,931,189 and the Clippers can now match any offer sheet for the young big man in free agency.

He averaged 9.4 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 1.5 APG in 20.2 MPG over 26 regular-season games after the deal, including 25 starts. The 7’1” Zubac, 22, saw reduced action in the postseason, averaging 9.8 MPG in four games during the first-round series against the Warriors.

Zubac, a 2016 second-round pick, was part of the February trade that sent veteran forward Mike Muscala to the Lakers.

McGruder’s QO is the same amount extended to Zubac. He was claimed by the Clippers in April after the Heat waived him for luxury-tax purposes. He did appear in any games with the Clippers and was ineligible for the postseason. He averaged 7.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 1.7 APG in 66 games with Miami last season, including 45 starts.

Warriors Agree To Extension With Bob Myers

June 28th, 2019 at 1:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have reached an agreement on a contract extension for president of basketball operations Bob Myers, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (via Twitter).

Myers, who was hired as the Warriors’ assistant general manager back in 2011, was promoted to GM in 2012 and originally signed an extension in 2014 that ran through the 2017/18 season. When he was promoted to the role of president of basketball operations in 2016, Myers received another extension, though specifics on that deal weren’t reported. Details on his new contract also aren’t yet known.

In any case, it’s safe to say that the Warriors are committed to having Myers lead the basketball operations department for the foreseeable future as the franchise makes the move across the bay to San Francisco.

Myers has overseen a roster that has appeared in five consecutive NBA Finals, winning three of them. He was responsible for drafting Draymond Green in the second round in 2012, acquiring Andre Iguodala in a sign-and-trade deal in 2013, and signing Kevin Durant in free agency in 2016, among other key moves.

As Stein notes (via Twitter), Myers received an offer from the Sixers in 2018 to take over their basketball operations department, but opted to stick with the Warriors.

According to Stein (via Twitter), the Warriors have also agreed to terms on a new multiyear deal for team president and COO Rick Welts.

Latest On Klay Thompson, Draymond Green

June 28th, 2019 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have long hinted that they plan to offer Klay Thompson a five-year, maximum-salary deal, and there have been no signals that they’ll change that stance in the wake of Thompson’s torn ACL. So why are there rumblings about Thompson potentially meeting with other teams if the Warriors don’t put that offer on the table right away?

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst, there are some “outstanding issues” that could force Thompson to try to generate some added leverage. Stephen Curry‘s five-year deal with the Warriors didn’t include a fifth-year opt-out or a no-trade clause, setting a precedent for what Golden State’s five-year max deals might look like going forward, as the ESPN duo notes. If Thompson prioritizes a player option or a no-trade clause, talking to the Lakers and/or Clippers may be his best chance to create a little extra leverage with the Warriors.

Elsewhere on the Warriors front, Draymond Green is eligible for a contract extension and is open to discussing a new deal before he reaches free agency in 2020, sources tell ESPN. Those talks are expected to happen later in the offseason, though I’d be surprised if they get something done, since Green could earn more in free agency.

Latest On Kevin Durant

June 28th, 2019 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Durant has not yet decided whether he’ll actually take face-to-face meetings with teams when he becomes a free agent on Sunday, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic (via Twitter). But if he does line up meetings with suitors, those discussions will take place in New York, a source tells Aldridge. That’s where Durant underwent his Achilles surgery earlier this month.

The Knicks, long considered one of Durant’s prime suitors, are hoping to get an audience with Durant in New York early in free agency, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. The Knicks’ plan would be to subsequently head west to Los Angeles to meet with Kawhi Leonard. However, neither meeting is set in stone yet.

Here’s more on Durant:

Despite increased rumblings that the Nets are in the lead for Durant, Ian Begley of SNY.tv says that’s not the case. Sources tell Begley that the Nets aren’t the frontrunners or favorites for Durant at the moment. Only Durant and those close to him know if he favors one team over the others at this point, according to Begley, who notes that the Warriors, Knicks, and Clippers are all still believed to be in contention.
The Warriors, who have stayed in contact with KD and business partner Rich Kleiman since the season ended, are prepared to offer Durant a five-year maximum-salary contract worth a projected $221MM, per Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. But if Durant says he wants to go elsewhere, Golden State is hoping he’ll work with the team on a sign-and-trade deal.
When Windhorst first mentioned the sign-and-trade possibility earlier this week, I wrote that such an arrangement would make little sense for Durant’s new team, since the Nets, Knicks, and Clippers all have enough cap room to sign him outright. In his latest report for ESPN.com, Windhorst acknowledges that the Warriors might have to include an asset like a first-round pick to incentivize KD’s new team to work with them. That’s a scenario the Dubs have prepared for, according to Windhorst, since creating a massive trade exception via a Durant sign-and-trade would open up Golden State’s roster options significantly.

Clippers, Lakers Contenders For Klay Thompson If Warriors Don’t Offer Full Max

June 27th, 2019 at 8:35pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Klay Thompson is expecting the Warriors to offer him a full max contract once free agency begins on Sunday. Should the Warriors either delay their offer or offer less than the max, Thompson will listen to pitches from the Lakers and Clippers, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets.

It was previously reported that the shooting guard would give the Clippers some attention if the Warriors don’t have the offer ready for him, but now the Lakers have been added to his list of fallback max options.

LeBron James‘ team amended the Anthony Davis trade agreement earlier today, which helped the club create additional cap room. Los Angeles projects to have roughly $32M in cap space, putting the team about $700K short of being able to offer a full max for a player with Thompson’s experience.

Thompson, who tore his ACL during the NBA Finals, is eligible for a five-year max deal worth approximately $190MM. Should he sign elsewhere, he’d be limited to a four-year contract worth approximately $141MM.

Despite the latest news, the five-time All-Star is still considered a strong bet to re-sign with Golden State.

Warriors Have Recently Expressed Optimism About KD Odds

June 27th, 2019 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

While rumors of Kevin Durant‘s possible departure continue to persist, the Warriors have recently expressed some private optimism about their chances of re-signing the former MVP, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. As Amick explains, that hope stems from the fact that Golden State is the only team with the ability to make Durant a five-year, $221MM offer. That extra year and money could be a more significant factor with KD recovering from an Achilles tear.

Earlier this week, Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers indicated that the team has formal plans to talk to both Durant and Klay Thompson about new deals, as Nick Friedell of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter). Myers also said that Thompson is expected to undergo his ACL surgery later this week.