Golden State Warriors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Stein’s Latest: Lakers, Sixers, Myers

April 16th, 2019 at 8:26pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka appears to be gaining more power inside of the team’s front office, Marc Stein of the New York Times writes in his weekly newsletter. The former agent is reportedly running Los Angeles’ search for a new head coach.

It’s curious that the team is searching for a coach before settling on an official head of basketball operations. Many organizations set up their front office structures prior to hiring a coach.

Stein provides more on the situation and passes along some additional nuggets in this week’s edition of the newsletter. Here are the highlights from his piece:

There’s chatter within league circles that Sixers assistant coach Monty Williams’ candidacy for the Lakers‘ gig is as strong in part because some within the front office fear giving the job to Tyronn Lue would hand too much control to LeBron James. Williams met with Pelinka to discuss the position earlier today. Lue and Juwan Howard are among the other candidates rumored to be in contention for the position.
The Sixers attempted to pry Warriors team president Bob Myers away from Golden State last offseason before deciding to promote Elton Brand to the role, Stein reports. Philadelphia also attempted to bring Rockets GM Daryl Morey to its front office.
Morey’s recent contract extension from the Rockets is estimated to pay the executive in the neighborhood of $8MM annually, Stein hears. Magic Johnson‘s salary as the Lakers’ team president was estimated to be $10MM per year and Stein argues that Los Angeles could feasibly offer a candidate double that salary if they wanted to lure a prized rival executive.
Stein writes that there is both “shock and relief” within the league that the Lakers haven’t attempted to poach a decorated rival executive, such as Myers, Spurs GM R.C. Buford, or Thunder GM Sam Presti.

DeMarcus Cousins Diagnosed With Torn Quad

April 16th, 2019 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors‘ fears have been confirmed, as big man DeMarcus Cousins has been diagnosed with a torn left quad, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).

According to Charania (via Twitter), the tear will almost certainly end Cousins’ season, though he and the team will see how he responds to the first couple weeks of rehab. For now, the Warriors have ruled him out indefinitely.

The injury isn’t expected to require surgery, sources tell Charania. Marc Spears of The Undefeated adds (via Twitter) that the former All-Star is still waiting to learn the “full extent” of the injury, which presumably includes a recovery timeline.

As we detailed earlier today, Cousins’ latest injury is a brutal break for the 28-year-old, who has now had two consecutive contract years cut short by major leg injuries. After missing the postseason in his first seven NBA seasons, Cousins has been on playoff teams in each of the last two seasons, but was unable to suit up last spring for the Pelicans due to his Achilles tear, and now will likely end up playing just 25 playoff minutes for Golden State.

Cousins, who spent the first half of the 2018/19 season recovering from his Achilles injury, averaged an impressive 16.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, and 1.5 BPG in 30 games (25.7 MPG) for the Warriors, positioning himself for a more lucrative contract than his current one-year, $5.34MM deal. Faced with another major injury though, he may have to take a second consecutive one-year, prove-it contract this summer in the hopes of once again rebuilding his value.

With Cousins sidelined, the Warriors will lean more heavily on Andrew Bogut and Kevon Looney at the five, with Jordan Bell perhaps seeing occasional minutes as well.

DeMarcus Cousins Out “A While” With Quad Injury

April 16th, 2019 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

9:02am: With an MRI still to come, there’s “faint” optimism that Cousins could be healthy in time to return for a potential NBA Finals appearance, but the expectation is that he’ll miss the rest of the playoffs, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

8:02am: The Warriors fear that starting center DeMarcus Cousins suffered a season-ending torn left quad during Monday’s loss to the Clippers, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The team, which is hoping the quad is just strained, won’t be able to confirm the extent of the injury until conducting an MRI later today, Wojnarowski adds.

“There’s a pretty significant quad injury,” head coach Steve Kerr said after the game. “We’ll get an MRI, but he’s going to be out for — I’ll just say a while because I think it’s unclear right now how long he’ll be out. It’s significant.”

The non-contact injury occurred as Cousins was going after a loose ball during the first quarter of Monday’s Game 2 matchup vs. the Clippers. To add insult to injury, the Warriors later blew a 31-point lead, allowing Los Angeles to even the first-round series at 1-1.

If Cousins’ injury is season-ending, it’s another horrible stroke of luck for the former All-NBA big man, whose 2017/18 season was cut short by an Achilles tear. That injury prevented Cousins from making the first postseason appearance of his career with the Pelicans last spring, and scuttled his chances of a massive payday.

The 28-year-old ultimately settled for a below-market deal with the defending champions in the hopes of making a title run, rebuilding his value, and returning to free agency this summer. He appeared to be on his way to doing just that after averaging 16.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 3.6 APG, and 1.5 BPG in 30 games (25.7 MPG) upon returning from his Achilles tear. However, after having suited up for just two playoff games, Cousins may now once again be recovering from a major injury when he hits the open market in July.

“It’s tough, for sure,” teammate Stephen Curry said, per ESPN’s report. “You feel for him considering what he’s been through this last year. This is a big stage, the playoffs. He’s been looking forward to this. I don’t know the extent of the injury at this point. Hope he gets back sooner than later. Just man-to-man in terms of him, what he’s been through, it’s tough for sure. There’s no sugarcoating it at all. You hate seeing that opportunity again on this big stage taken away from him like that.”

With Cousins sidelined, the Warriors will lean more heavily on Andrew Bogut and Kevon Looney at the five, with Jordan Bell perhaps seeing occasional minutes as well.

Cousins To Undergo MRI On Quad Injury

April 15th, 2019 at 10:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

DeMarcus Cousins suffered a left quad injury during the first quarter of the Warriors’ game against the Clippers on Monday night will undergo an MRI on Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Cousins suffered the non-contact injury while making a steal. If the injury is serious, it would naturally be a major blow to Golden State’s quest for a third straight championship. The Warriors signed Andrew Bogut late in the season and his role would grow if Cousins misses significant time.

Durant Says He Has Yet To Make FA Decision

April 15th, 2019 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Durant recognizes that speculation about free agency and player movement is appealing to NBA fans, but as the Warriors gear up for another postseason run, the star forward tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated that he’d prefer those fans shift their focus to the games happening now.

“Just watch the game. Just focus on the game and stop nitpicking, because it is a beautiful game going on out there,” Durant said. “What can I do right now? I can’t sign a paper. I got to do the most important thing, and that is play. And that is what we should be focusing on.

“I know it’s the sexy part of the NBA: free agency, trades, transactions. But it’s a beautiful game that we’re out here playing. I feel like I play a different and unique way that may inspire some people.”

According to Durant, he has yet to make a decision on where he’ll be playing next season, and won’t do so until he reaches free agency on July 1. All season long, reports have popped up suggesting that people around the league believe the two-time Finals MVP will end up leaving Golden State to sign with the Knicks, but Durant insists that he won’t make that decision until after the season.

“If I already made a decision, it would take away from the team, what we’re fighting for. Every play would be overshadowed by it,” Durant said, per Spears. “It is not necessary for me to make a decision right now. It would be bad to do that. It would take the focus off of what is important. I would never want to put my teammates in a messed-up position. I want to forget about it.”

While Durant has a player option available for the 2019/20 season, he’s expected to turn that down to sign a new contract in unrestricted free agency. He’ll be eligible to sign for up to five years and a projected $221MM with the Warriors, or four years and $164MM with another team.

Pacific Notes: Durant, Walton, Beverley, Joerger

April 14th, 2019 at 9:45pm CST by JD Shaw

Kevin Durant‘s poor temper could prove costly for the Warriors down the stretch of the playoffs, with the two-time NBA Finals MVP already accruing two technical fouls in the first game of the postseason, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports writes.

According to NBA rules, a player will receive a one-game suspension if he reaches seven technical fouls during the playoffs. Durant was one of the league’s leaders with 15 techs during the regular season, often times expressing his displeasure with missed calls or getting into it with opposing players. In Game 1 on Saturday, it was Clippers guard Patrick Beverley who got in Durant’s head, leading to both players being ejected.

“Oh, sure, we took the bait,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Durant’s ejection, according to Haynes. “[Kevin] took the bait. That’s two technicals. You get seven technicals, your seventh one is a suspension in the playoffs. Whether you play four playoff games or 24, seven is the magic number. He’s got four to play with after one game. But that’s what Beverley does. We talked about it for the last couple days. He’s a hell of a defender. He plays hard. Got a lot of respect for him.”

The Warriors are seeking their fourth championship in five years and need Durant’s production, sporting an elite starting lineup that consists of him, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins. The team took a 121-104 victory in Game 1 despite Durant being ejected, though it’s imperative he maintains his composure as the team looks to make a deep playoff run.

“I’ve been playing against Pat Beverley since he was at Arkansas, so I kind of know what he brings,” Durant said. “He’s a Chicago kid, grew up and played in the Chicago area, so those dudes play with a different type of grit, so I can appreciate that about Pat. You know what he’s going to bring to the table, just physicality, the mucking up the game a little bit with his physicality, his talking, everything. That’s what he brings to each team he plays on. That’s his identity, and they support him with the Clippers. For me, I know that coming into the series. I thought it was fun tonight.”

There’s more out of the Pacific Division tonight:

Jason Jones of The Athletic examines how new head coach Luke Walton could make the Kings a better team. Walton, who was hired by the team one day after mutually agreeing to leave the Lakers, holds a strong record with several NBA players and officials. He was an assistant on the Warriors’ 2015 championship team, proving his worth as a coach under Steve Kerr and registering interest from multiple teams around the league at the time — including the Kings.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers had a problem with Patrick Beverley‘s play earlier in the season, eventually leading to a positive turning point for the team, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times wrote. “Early in the year we struggled with Pat,” coach Doc Rivers said last week, “because he was struggling buying in.” Beverley has since bought in, leading the Clippers at the point guard position and helping the team obtain a 48-34 record on the season.
The Kings’ sudden decision to fire head coach Dave Joerger caught him by surprise, agent Warren LeGarie told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “Obviously, it’s a great disappointment,” LeGarie said as part of a larger statement. “Dave thought, in light of the youth of the team and other challenges, he did a good job, certainly one that other people have recognized around the league. And, more importantly, exceeded expectations.” Joerger spent full three seasons with Sacramento as coach before being dismissed.

Free Agent Stock Watch 2019: Pacific Division

April 12th, 2019 at 9:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we turn our attention to the Pacific Division:

Klay Thompson, Warriors, 29, SG (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $69MM deal in 2015
The smart money has Kevin Durant signing elsewhere this summer, which makes it more imperative for Golden State to keep its dynamic backcourt intact. The Warriors would probably have to max out Thompson at $190MM over five years and ownership appears willing to do so. If not, rivals with ample cap space would certainly give him a four-year, $140MM deal, the max they could offer. In any case, Thompson won’t have to take a discount the way the market figures to play out. Even in a somewhat down year by his standards, he still had the sixth-most 3-point makes in the NBA.

Reggie Bullock, Lakers, 28, SG (Down) — Signed to a two-year, $5MM deal in 2017
The cap-strapped Pistons figured they couldn’t re-sign Bullock, so they traded him to the Lakers for a couple of assets. He was Detroit’s most reliable wing player but things didn’t go well for him in L.A. He never got into a shooting rhythm with the Lakers, as the career 39.2% long-range gunner made just 34.3% of his 3-point shots. Bullock’s price tag might have gone down somewhat, though he should still field some multi-year offers. He might even return to Detroit, where he played four seasons, if the Pistons can fit him into their budget.

Rodney McGruder, Clippers, 27, SF (Up) – Signed to a three-year, $3.4MM deal in 2016
McGruder finished his season in the Clippers organization, though he’s ineligible for the playoffs. Miami put him on waivers to get under the luxury tax and the Clippers claimed him. The Clippers gained control of his Early Bird rights and can make him a restricted free agent by extending a $3MM qualifying offer. It seems that McGruder might benefit from Miami’s surprising move, as he could claim a rotation role with his new club depending upon how well they do in free agency. If they choose not to give him a QO, he should be able to secure a contract on the open market befitting a second-unit player.

Jamal Crawford, Suns, 39, SG (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $2.39MM deal in 2018
How crazy is this? Crawford entered the league in 2000, the same year Zion Williamson was born. They could be teammates next season. That’s if Crawford decides re-sign with Phoenix. He wants to play at least another year and why not? This week, Crawford became the oldest player in NBA history to record a 50-point game. Crawford appeared in 64 games with Phoenix after playing a minimum of 79 the previous three years. He’ll be providing offense off the bench somewhere next season, a tribute to his preparation, perseverance and durability.

Willie Cauley-Stein, Kings, 25, C (Down)– Signed to a four-year, $15.35MM deal in 2015
Cauley-Stein said prior to the season he was “ready to get paid” after his walk year. He started all but one game this season for Sacramento but didn’t really enhance his value. He’s not a shot-blocker. He doesn’t rebound particularly well for his size. He can’t shoot free throws, nor does he pose much of an offensive threat. The Kings can make him a restricted free agent by extending a $6.25MM qualifying offer but even that’s not a given. Cauley-Stein will certainly get a raise compared to his rookie deal but it probably won’t be what he expected.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Five Teams Finish 2018/19 Season In Tax Territory

April 11th, 2019 at 1:48pm CST by Luke Adams

With the exception of bonuses that could still be earned – or missed – in the postseason, 2018/19 NBA team salaries are now frozen for luxury-tax purposes, ESPN’s Bobby Marks observes. That means that five teams will finish the ’18/19 season as taxpayers.

Here are those five teams, along with approximations of their projected luxury tax bills, per Marks:

Oklahoma City Thunder: $61.6MM
Golden State Warriors: $51.5MM
Toronto Raptors: $21.4MM
Portland Trail Blazers: $15.1MM
Boston Celtics: $3.9MM

While the Warriors‘ payroll is actually slightly higher than Oklahoma City’s, the Thunder met the repeater tax criteria, since they also paid the tax in 2015, 2016, and 2018. As a result, they’re subject to more punitive penalties, as we outline in our glossary entry on the luxury tax. The standard penalties for taxpaying teams start at $1.50 per dollar and increase from there; the repeater penalties start at $2.50 per dollar.

Golden State will meet the repeater criteria next season if they’re in the tax again, since they’ll have paid the tax in 2016, 2018, and 2019. Teams qualify as repeat offenders when they’ve finished in the tax in three of the previous four seasons.

The figures listed above are subject to change. For instance, Kyle Lowry has three separate $500K bonuses that he could still receive, depending on how far the Raptors advance in the playoffs. If he earns any of those, they’d be added to Toronto’s payroll and would in turn increase the club’s tax bill.

Since half of the luxury tax penalty money is reallocated to the teams that finished out of the tax, those non-tax clubs are in line for payouts of approximately $3.1MM, per Marks.

The Heat, Wizards, and Rockets made in-season transactions to get out of tax territory and will now receive $3.1MM from the tax pool. Other clubs, such as the Grizzlies, Knicks, Hornets, Cavaliers, Pistons, and Bucks, managed to keep their team salaries just below the $123.73MM tax threshold throughout the league year.

Warriors Owner Not Stressing Over Durant’s Future

April 8th, 2019 at 7:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors owner Joe Lacob isn’t stressed out about Kevin Durant‘s impending free agency, as he told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic.

Lacob says the franchise will do everything in its power to retain Durant, who is expected to decline his $31.5MM player option in order to re-enter the free agent market. But Golden State’s owner isn’t having any sleepless nights over the possibility of Durant bolting.

“I honestly don’t even think about it,” Lacob said. “I don’t. Because there’s nothing I can do about it. Zero. He has earned the right to be a free agent. He’s going to make the choice that feels best for him. And it’s our job to, when the season’s over, convince him that the right decision is to be a Warrior for life.”

Durant could sign with Golden State for five years and approximately $221MM or receive a max of four years and $164MM elsewhere. Lacob believes the extra money and built-in selling points will be all the incentives the superstar forward needs to re-sign.

“Look, we can pay him the most money. We have a great team. We have great coaching,” he said. “We have great fans. I don’t think anyone can match us, when you take everything into consideration, if that’s the way you’re thinking about it. And he has a chance to win — and let’ s hope it goes well this year — a chance to win more championships. I mean, it could be legendary. If he stays here … I don’t know that you get this kind of opportunity very often. So I would hope that he thinks that and accepts that and decides he wants to stay.”

If Durant leaves, Lacob will harbor no ill feelings.

“I’m not going to be mad at him, either way,” he said. “Whatever he decides to do, he decides to do. And I’ll probably be a Kevin Durant fan no matter what. I’m not going to be emotional about it. There’s no point.”

Knicks Notes: Durant, Thomas, Mudiay, Letter

April 7th, 2019 at 8:56am CST by Arthur Hill

Rich Kleiman is an NBA agent with only one client, but he’ll get plenty of attention this summer, especially in New York, writes Stefan Bondy of The Daily News. If Kleiman, a native New Yorker, can deliver Kevin Durant to the Knicks, he might be in line for a front office job as well, as a commission.

Kleiman and Durant go into detail about their relationship in newly released episodes of the ESPN series, “The Boardroom.” Durant says he was seeking guidance with his career in 2007 when he met Kleiman at a concert. They became friends, but their business partnership didn’t happen until 2013, making Kleiman his third agent in five NBA seasons. Durant also explains that he left the Thunder for the Warriors in 2016 because he wanted “another challenge,” possibly offering hope to the Knicks that he might view this offseason the same way.

“For us, it was stepping into a new chapter,” Durant said. “Let’s see how much we can conquer this totally, all the way around, not just on the basketball court, but as much as we can do in the community, as much as we can do for our businesses as well and obviously me as a basketball player.”

There’s more from New York:

The Knicks are two losses away from the worst season in franchise history, bringing back bad memories for Lance Thomas, who was part of the team that set that record in 2015, Bondy adds in a separate story. “Nobody in any competitive setting likes to lose,” Thomas said. “But it takes a tough-minded individual to keep focus and to make sure things are done the right way to change things around. Myself, I’ve just been constantly working and pushing the guys to have the mindset I have.”
Coach David Fizdale is dropping hints that Emmanuel Mudiay has played his last game for the Knicks, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Fizdale kept Mudiay on the bench Friday with a sore shoulder and said afterward that he didn’t want to take the chance of Mudiay aggravating the injury with free agency upcoming. “I think about these guys’ careers from the standpoint of, we’re not going to the playoffs, this kid has now established himself and put himself in position to have an offseason where multiple teams are going to want to talk to him,’’ Fizdale said. “I don’t want to risk that after that he’s done so much to get to where he is.” The Knicks have other plans with more than $70MM in cap space, and Dennis Smith Jr. appears to be the point guard of the future unless Kyrie Irving comes to New York.
The letter the Knicks sent to season ticket holders touting the team’s free agent prospects was a mixture of optimism and caution, Steve Popper of Newsday.