Golden State Warriors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors Notes: Cousins, Iguodala, Durant, Williams

June 5th, 2019 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

DeMarcus Cousins felt like quitting the game after being sidelined by a torn quad in the Warriors‘ first-round series against the Clippers, according to an ESPN story. In an interview today on ESPN’s “The Jump,” Cousins talks about the frustration of suffering another injury so soon after recovering from a torn Achilles.

“I was just ready to quit,” he said. “Like, throw the towel in. … Human nature is the first thing. It’s like, ‘Why? Why me? Why now? What did I do wrong? Why do I deserve this?’ And that’s not always the case. It’s usually [that] it’s repaying you for the next moment. This is you putting your armor on. Slowly but surely. Because your next moment’s gonna be even tougher.”

Cousins’ return to action was gradual, as he played just eight minutes in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. But he was a key contributor in Game 2 with 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes. The injury-plagued Warriors may need more performances like that to pull out the series.

“I had to dig deep,” Cousins said of the recovery process. “I had to do some soul-searching and, you know, throughout both injuries, it was times where I just — you know, like, ‘Forget it.’ Like, I’ll just take my time with it and whatever happens, happens. … I just couldn’t go out that way.”

There’s more Warriors news as Game 3 approaches:

Andre Iguodala addresses the topic of retirement in an interview with Marc Stein of The New York Times about a book from the veteran forward that will be released this month. “I have a good idea how much longer I want to play,” Iguodala said. “I’m keeping it to myself, but it’s going to be soon. I can play four or five more years. But I won’t.” Iguodala, 35, has one more season on his current deal at nearly $17.2MM, so it seems safe to say he’ll at least be back next year.
Coach Steve Kerr told reporters that Kevin Durant had good workouts yesterday and today, but hasn’t attempted to play in three-on-three or five-on-five games, tweets Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. Durant will practice tomorrow with some of the team’s younger players in hopes of returning for Friday’s Game 4.
Add Golden State to the list of teams that brought in Tennessee’s Grant Williams for a pre-draft workout, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Cousins, Cook Improving FA Stock With Finals Play

June 5th, 2019 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

While Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson have been the most-discussed free-agents-to-be on the Warriors‘ roster all season long, a handful of the club’s other players who are headed for the open market are seeing their stocks impacted by what they’re showing in the postseason.

As Marc Berman of The New York Post writes, DeMarcus Cousins is one of those players. When he tore his quad in the first round of the playoffs, he seemed unlikely to return into the fall, raising uncertainty about what sort of offers he could expect in free agency. However, Cousins helped key the Warriors’ Game 2 win on Sunday, and is now in position to take on an even more crucial role with Kevon Looney sidelined for the rest of the NBA Finals. Cousins could be earning himself some extra money with each game he plays this series.

Meanwhile, one of the Warriors’ most reliable contributors off the bench in Game 2 was Quinn Cook, who played 21 minutes and knocked down three big 3-pointers to help hold off the Raptors. After the game, Draymond Green referred to Cook as “our Patty Mills,” adding that the young guard “should be here for a long time” (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated).

The Warriors will have to decide in a few weeks how strongly they agree with Green, as Cook will be up for restricted free agency. Even if Golden State issues a qualifying offer to gain the right of first refusal on Cook, a rival suitor could swoop in with an offer sheet that the Warriors may be reluctant to match, given the luxury-tax implications.

Draft Notes: Washington, Konchar, Thomas, McQuaid

June 4th, 2019 at 6:00pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Former Kentucky Wildcat PJ Washington is fully healthy and will have his first pre-draft workout on Sunday, Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). The first of his five upcoming visits will be with the Heat.

Here are more workout notes on the upcoming draft:

John Konchar (Purdue) recently worked out for the Suns and Magic, a source tells Jordan Schultz of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Konchar will work out for the Warriors on June 6.
Elijah Thomas (Clemson) has worked out for the Pacers, Michael Scotto of The Athletic relays. Thomas will participate in drills for the Wizards on Friday.
Matt McQuaid worked out for the Pistons and Grizzlies, Rod Beard of the Detroit News tweets. The Michigan State product will also work out for the Cavaliers.
Amir Coffey (Minnesota) has worked out for the Raptors and Hornets, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). Coffey will also work out for the Pelicans and Timberwolves.

Warriors Rule Out Durant For Game 3, Looney For Series

June 4th, 2019 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking today to reporters, including Anthony Slater of The Athletic (all Twitter links), Warriors head coach Steve Kerr provided a handful of health updates on his banged-up squad. Here’s the latest on the injured Warriors, via Kerr:

Kevin Durant (calf) has been ruled out for Game 3. He’s said to be “ramping up” his exercise routines and will get on the floor at the practice facility later today for some individual work.
Kevon Looney (chest/collarbone) has been ruled out for the rest of the series. We already knew that Looney would be sidelined indefinitely, so this development doesn’t come as a huge surprise.
Klay Thompson (hamstring) is questionable for Game 3. He did some light work at shootaround today and wants to play, but the Warriors want to make sure the risk of aggravating the injury isn’t significant.
Andre Iguodala (calf) will play in Game 3. The calf injury Iguodala suffered vs. Portland is still bothering him, per ESPN’s Nick Friedell (Twitter link). But he practiced today and will be good to go on Wednesday.

With practically half of their rotation dealing with health issues of some sort, the Warriors may have to lean more heavily on role players like Quinn Cook, Jonas Jerebko, Alfonzo McKinnie, and Andrew Bogut on Wednesday. Of course, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and DeMarcus Cousins will play leading roles.

Any Warrior who misses Game 3 will have a couple days to try to get healthy for Game 4, which is scheduled to take place on Friday night. After Game 4, there will be two full days off in between each of the remaining games, which are scheduled for June 10, 13, and 16, if necessary.

Suns Make Offer To Warriors Assistant Willie Green

June 4th, 2019 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Elswhere in Charania’s story, he notes that Jason Kidd‘s contract with the Lakers will make him the highest-paid assistant in the NBA and reports that Warriors assistant Willie Green has been offered a leading assistant coach job with the Suns. Phoenix is hopeful that Green, who played for new Suns head coach Monty Williams in 2010/11, will accept that offer.

[SOURCE LINK]

Draft Workouts: Clarke, Caroline, Franks, Murphy, Bolden

June 3rd, 2019 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Potential lottery pick Brandon Clarke of Gonzaga worked out for the Heat on Monday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. The 6’8” forward is ranked No. 13 overall by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. the same draft spot that Miami possesses. Team president Pat Riley and the Heat’s brass recently attended Priority Sports’ Chicago workout, in which Clarke participated. Cal State Fullerton guard Kyle Allman Jr. will also work out for the team this week, Jackson adds.

We have more draft workouts:

Nevada forward Jordan Caroline will work out for the Cavaliers on Tuesday, Jordan Schultz of ESPN tweets.
Washington State forward Robert Franks, ranked No. 94 by Givony, worked out for the Celtics, Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype tweets.
Minnesota forward Jordan Murphy will visit the Nets and Spurs, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets.
Duke center Marques Bolden will work out for the Knicks on Friday, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets. He also has workouts scheduled with the Lakers, Spurs, Hornets, Cavs and Celtics.
Ole Miss guard Terence Davis will visit for the Jazz on Tuesday, Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets. Davis has been asked to second workouts with the Celtics and Warriors, Jones adds.

Klay Thompson Has Hamstring Strain, May Play Game 3

June 3rd, 2019 at 9:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors got some good news on the injury front Monday as an MRI confirmed that star shooting guard Klay Thompson has a mild hamstring strain, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Thompson will test out the injury over the next two days and likely be listed as questionable for Game 3 of The Finals on Wednesday night, Charania adds.

Thompson, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Sunday. His legs split apart while he attempted a 3-point shot. Toronto’s Danny Green contested the shot but no foul was called.

If he can’t play, the Warriors will likely lean on Shaun Livingston and Quinn Cook to assist Stephen Curry in the backcourt.

Golden State got some bad news Monday when forward Kevon Looney was diagnosed with a fractured collarbone. The Warriors still don’t know when superstar Kevin Durant will be able to return from his calf injury suffered during the conference semifinals. The prospect of playing without Durant and Thompson would be daunting as the series shifts to the West Coast and Oracle Arena.

Kevon Looney Suffers Costal Cartilage Fracture

June 3rd, 2019 at 8:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors forward Kevon Looney suffered a non-displaced first costal cartilage fracture and will be out indefinitely, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

The injury, which was discovered during an MRI on Monday, will sideline Looney for Game 3 and seems likely to prevent him from returning before the end of the Finals.

Looney averaged 6.3 PPG and 5.2 RPG during the regular season and has continued to be a steady contributor in the postseason, averaging 7.2 PPG and 4.6 RPG. He’s also one of coach Steve Kerr‘s best options in terms of defending pick-and-rolls. Looney suffered the injury during Game 2 of the Finals on Sunday.

Looney had 12 points and 14 rebounds during the Game 4 clincher in the Western Conference finals against Portland. He also scored 14 points in Game 6 of the conference semifinals against Houston.

Without Looney, DeMarcus Cousins and Andrew Bogut will have to play even bigger roles the rest of the way against Toronto. Cousins had 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in Game 2 against the Raptors, just his second game back from a quad injury suffered against the Clippers in the opening round.

Looney will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Five Non-Bird Free Agents Who May Be Difficult To Re-Sign

June 3rd, 2019 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Every player who finishes a season as a member of an NBA roster gets some form of Bird rights as a free agent, allowing his team to go over the cap to re-sign him. However, a player who spent just one year with his club typically only has Non-Bird rights, which are the weakest form of Bird rights, as their oxymoronic name suggests.

With the Non-Bird exception, a team can re-sign a player for up to four years and give him a raise, but that raise has to be a modest one. Non-Bird rights allow for a starting salary worth up to 120% of the player’s previous salary. In other words, a Non-Bird free agent who earned $5MM can only get a starting salary worth up to $6MM on his new deal unless his team uses cap room or another exception to bring him back.

This cap restriction will apply specifically to a handful of players around the NBA who appear to be in line for raises this summer. Because these players will be Non-Bird free agents, their teams’ ability to re-sign them will be limited.

Let’s take a closer look at five players who fit this bill for the 2019 offseason:

DeMarcus Cousins, Warriors (maximum Non-Bird salary: $6,404,400): Cousins’ future has been a popular topic of discussion since the day he signed his one-year contract with the Warriors, since it didn’t appear there was any way for the club to retain him unless he was willing to accept another discount deal. After suffering a torn quad in April, Cousins looked like a possible candidate for another one-year, prove-it contract, but if he continues to shine in the NBA Finals like he did in Game 2, he’ll be able to do better than that on the open market, reducing the likelihood of a return to Golden State.
Brook Lopez, Bucks (maximum Non-Bird salary: $4,058,400): As I outlined over the weekend, the Bucks can actually create up to about $10MM in cap room without renouncing free agents Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon or waiving non-guaranteed players like Sterling Brown and Pat Connaughton. If Milwaukee wants to retain Lopez, the team may need to go that route, since he’ll be seeking a much bigger salary than the $3.38MM he earned in 2018/19. Having proven he’s capable of stretching the floor on offense and protecting the rim on defense, he deserves it.
Austin Rivers, Rockets (maximum Non-Bird salary: 120% of the minimum): After being bought out by Phoenix, Rivers signed with the Rockets for the minimum. Now they won’t be able to offer him more than about $2.77MM without using cap room or the taxpayer mid-level exception. Given how well he played for Houston in the second half, Rivers should do better than that on the open market. Teammate Kenneth Faried may be in a similar boat, having joined the Rockets on a post-buyout minimum-salary deal of his own.
Seth Curry, Trail Blazers (maximum Non-Bird salary: $3,354,000): The Trail Blazers have three key Non-Bird free agents who will be tough to bring back. Besides Curry, Rodney Hood and Enes Kanter also fall into that group. Portland would probably like to retain all three players, and it’s hard to say which one would be missed most if he signs elsewhere. But my pick is Curry, whose .450 3PT% in the regular season (and .404 playoff 3PT%) was crucial for a team that didn’t have a ton of outside shooting.
Michael Carter-Williams, Magic (maximum Non-Bird salary: 120% of the minimum): Like Rivers, Carter-Williams was an in-season minimum-salary addition. The former Rookie of the Year rejuvenated his career with the Magic down the stretch, providing some stability behind D.J. Augustin at the point and helping fortify one of the NBA’s best second-half defenses. Carter-Williams won’t get as big a raise as most of the other players on this list, but Orlando will face competition for his services this summer and may lose him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney To Undergo MRIs

June 3rd, 2019 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Warriors who exited Game 2 early on Sunday night will undergo tests today to determine the severity of their injuries, according to the team. As Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area relays (via Twitter), Klay Thompson will have an MRI on his hamstring, while Kevon Looney will undergo an MRI and a CT scan on his chest/collarbone injury.

Although both players were unable to return to Sunday’s game after departing with their respective injuries, they’re both hopeful about suiting up for Golden State on Wednesday night.

“No, I don’t see myself missing Game 3,” Thompson told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, who writes that the club doesn’t view Klay’s hamstring issue as serious. Looney also said after the game that he plans to give it a go in Game 3, though he acknowledged that his chest hurt “pretty bad” on Sunday night.

“I’ll at least go out and try unless I wake up tomorrow and feel way worse,” Looney told Mark Medina of The Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). “Otherwise, I think I’ll give it a shot.”

If the injuries to Thompson and Looney are more significant that initially feared, the Warriors could be missing as many as three key contributors in Game 3. Kevin Durant also remains questionable for that game, with one report indicating that he’s more likely to return for Game 4.