Golden State Warriors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors Notes: Thompson, Green, Looney, Dynasty

September 24th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson isn’t particularly excited about becoming a free agent at the end of the season. He doubts he could find a better situation than he’s already in, as Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. “Not really. When guys go into free agency, they’re looking for situations like mine. I’m content.” Thompson, who will make a shade under $19MM this season, will be an unrestricted FA unless he signs an extension. Golden State owner Joe Lacob said he’d like to sign Thompson to an extension but nothing is imminent. Thompson deferred all extension questions to his agent, as Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets.

In other news regarding the Warriors:

Power forward Draymond Green is signed through the 2019/20 season and he anticipates staying with the organization beyond that point, Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News reports. Lacob indicated the organization has also been discussing an extension with Green’s representatives. Green isn’t sure if they’ll come to an agreement but he doesn’t see himself wearing another uniform in the foreseeable future. “I’m confident I’ll be here a very long time,” he said.
Kevon Looney knows DeMarcus Cousins will be the team’s center once he fully recovers from his Achilles injury, according to the Warriors website post. Looney expects a spirited competition for minutes at that spot until Cousins’ return. “Since I’ve been here we’ve been playing center by committee. That’s what we’re going to do to start the season off. … until he come back we’re going to go out there and do our best and hunt it down,” Looney said.
With Kevin Durant, Thompson, Cousins and several other players eligible to be free agents after the season and growing payroll concerns, there’s a feeling that the team’s dynasty could soon be coming to an end. Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post takes a closer look at that possibility.

Injury Updates: Porzingis, Booker, Cousins, Neto

September 24th, 2018 at 2:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kristaps Porzingis offered an update on his condition at the Knicks‘ Media Day, but there’s still no timetable for him to start playing again, relays the Associated Press.

Porzingis has been doing some light running, but not sprinting, as he continues to recover from a torn ACL he suffered in February. The Knicks are being cautious with the rehab process and don’t want him to return to action until they are sure he is fully ready.

Porzingis adds that he isn’t concerned about getting a contract extension done quickly. He will have to wait until next summer for an extension if a deal isn’t reached before the start of the season.

There’s more injury news to pass along:

Devin Booker got sutures removed from his right hand last week and is using a splint during workouts, Suns GM Ryan McDonough said today, per Gina Mizell of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team is still hoping Booker can be ready for opening night.
The Warriors plan to re-evaluate free agent addition DeMarcus Cousins again in four weeks, tweets Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. Team president Bob Myers is happy with the progress Cousins has made, saying, “We won’t rush him. But we also won’t hold him back.”
Jazz guard Raul Neto has been diagnosed with a right hamstring injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, according to a tweet from the team.
Hawks guard Justin Anderson is still recovering from surgery in late June to address recurring tibial stress syndrome in his left leg and won’t be ready for the start of training camp, the team announced on its website. Dewayne Dedmon will also be held out as he recovers from an avulsion fracture in his left ankle. He is in his second week of weight-bearing rehab work. Daniel Hamilton is taking a non-surgical approach to a torn rotator cuff and his progress will be reviewed in a week. Jeremy Lin has recovered from the ruptured patella tendon that caused him to miss nearly all of last season and will start camp with limited restrictions. Rookie Omari Spellman has soft tissue inflammation in his left shin and will be held out for the next seven to 10 days.

Warriors Hire Mike Dunleavy Jr. As Scout

September 24th, 2018 at 1:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mike Dunleavy Jr. will rejoin the Warriors as a pro scout, the team announced on its website.

Dunleavy played 15 NBA seasons, spending the first four and a half with Golden State. He last played for the Hawks at the end of the 2016/17 season.

The addition of Dunleavy was among several moves the Warriors made, including two promotions on the coaching staff. Bruce Fraser has been named an assistant coach and Chris DeMarco will be assistant coach/director of player development.

The team also hired Nick Kerr, son of head coach Steve Kerr, as assistant video coordinator. He previously held a similar position with the Spurs.

Warriors Expect To Open Camp Without Patrick McCaw

September 24th, 2018 at 12:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors will hold today’s media day with no resolution to the Patrick McCaw standoff, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Sources tell Spears that McCaw hasn’t accepted his qualifying offer from the team and isn’t expected to be at training camp when it opens tomorrow.

Golden State extended the $1.7MM QO to the third-year shooting guard in June and has been waiting for a response ever since. He remains the last restricted free agent left on the market.

McCaw faces an October 1 deadline to accept the offer unless the Warriors agree to extend the deadline. The team can pull its QO at any point after that date, but McCaw would still be restricted and Golden State could match any offer he receives.

McCaw has been part of the rotation during his first two years with the team, averaging 4.0 points in about 17 minutes per game last season. He may have a larger role if he returns, as coach Steve Kerr has talked about reducing the playing time for his four All-Stars.

The Warriors have been keeping a roster spot open for McCaw all summer and will enter camp with just 13 players who have guaranteed contracts.

Warriors’ Lacob Talks Cousins, Durant, Klay, Green

September 24th, 2018 at 11:18am CST by Luke Adams

In a recent podcast with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, Warriors owner Joe Lacob discussed a wide variety of topics, ranging from his summer wedding to his club’s surprise signing of DeMarcus Cousins. As Lacob tells Kawakami, the Warriors had been focused on adding wings and weren’t committed to using their taxpayer mid-level exception at all until Cousins fell into their laps on the second day of 2018’s free agent period.

While Kawakami’s conversation with Lacob is worth checking out in full if you’re an Athletic subscriber, here are a few of the team owner’s most noteworthy comments on the Dubs’ roster and outlook for 2018/19:

On whether Lacob is bothered by the perception that the Warriors signing Cousins was unfair to the rest of the league:

“No. It’s not our job to care about the rest of the league. It’s our job to win. Period. End of story. Nothing else to be discussed. And, since Day 1 that’s been our attitude. … We’re committed to winning. That means being excellent at everything you do — from the people you hire in the organization, to building a new arena, to filling out your roster, to retaining your head coach. Whatever it may be.”

On whether the Warriors will have to re-recruit Kevin Durant when he becomes a free agent in 2019:

“Of course we do. He deserves to go and be happy wherever he wants to be. I hope it’s here. I hope he feels the same way that I do and we do about him, when it comes time next summer. But you never can predict these things. We just will do our job, and he’ll do his job and we’ll see what happens next summer; let the chips fall where they may.”

On whether the team made any progress in contract extension talks with Klay Thompson or Draymond Green:

“I’ll let [general manager] Bob [Myers] address those, specifically. But I think it’s fair to say we’ve had discussions with both of them over the summer, their representatives. Nothing’s been done or you’d hear about it. But we’d love to retain them long term in the organization and we will do whatever it takes to do that.”

On the Warriors’ title chances for 2018/19:

“We have high expectations. We want to win. We kind of expect to win. We have a great roster. As long as we stay healthy and do the things we’re supposed to do, I think we have a good chance to win.”

Tyler Ulis Signs Camp Deal With Warriors

September 24th, 2018 at 11:03am CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 24: The Warriors have officially signed Ulis, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 21: Point guard Tyler Ulis will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Warriors, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. The former Suns guard will join them in camp, though he’ll likely wind up with the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, Anthony Johnson of 2Ways10Days tweets.

Ulis also had similar offers from the Rockets and Kings, Marc Spears of ESPN tweets.

The Suns waived Ulis at the end of June, ending his disappointing stint with the club. The 2106 second-rounder out of Kentucky started 58 games in his two seasons with Phoenix and appeared in 132 games overall but the front office didn’t see him in its future plans. He was cut loose before his modest $1.54MM salary for the upcoming season became guaranteed, a move that upset star shooting guard Devin Booker.

Ulis has been seeking new employment ever since and had a workout with the Cavaliers earlier this month. The Warriors already have Shaun Livingston and Quinn Cook as options behind starting point guard Stephen Curry, so Ulis can be viewed as an insurance policy if an injury strikes.

Latest On Jamal Crawford

September 21st, 2018 at 10:12am CST by Luke Adams

With NBA training camps just a few days away, veteran guard Jamal Crawford is perhaps the most notable free agent without a team. However, Crawford is still optimistic that he’ll find a new NBA home soon, telling Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated that he’s “staying ready and staying patient” as he seeks a new deal.

“If you would have asked before if I thought it would go this long, I’d say no,” Crawford told Spears. “But, I guess it’s kind of a special circumstance with the way the league is going, the market and different things of that nature. But I’m fine. … I know I will be somewhere at some point. It will work out the way it’s supposed to. That’s the part where I’m like, ‘Hey, at least you get more time with your family right now.’ That part is a plus.”

A source tells Spears that the Warriors, Celtics, Sixers, and Lakers are among the teams that have shown interest in Crawford, but those clubs haven’t made formal contract offers. Meanwhile, Crawford tells Spears that he has turned down offers at “lower levels” since he wasn’t convinced they were good fits.

“There is interest,” Crawford said. “I’m just waiting for the situation where I think I can help [and] where I fit well. I don’t want to sign something just to sign it. … I’m not saying ‘championship or bust.’ A team on the rise makes sense. I bring a specific skill set, so a team that needs me instead of just, ‘Oh, that can work.’ I feel like I just went through that last season, and I don’t want to do that again.”

Crawford turned down a $4.5MM player option with the Timberwolves in order to reach the open market this summer. Although he seems unlikely to match that salary when he eventually signs, the 38-year-old is still being paid by the Hawks on a contract that was terminated in 2017, so accepting a minimum-salary deal wouldn’t be the end of the world. And, as Crawford notes, he has no regrets about declining his option to get out of Minnesota.

“It just wasn’t a happy environment,” Crawford said. “I thought I would be playing more before I signed. It ended up being the second-fewest minutes I’ve ever played. Just wasn’t a fit or went like I was under the impression it would.”

Warriors Notes: Durant, Jerebko, McCaw, Jones

September 20th, 2018 at 11:09am CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors owner Joe Lacob is preparing for a recruiting effort next summer to convince Kevin Durant to sign a multi-year contract with the team, he said in an appearance on The TK Show Podcast with Tim Kawakami. Durant will be a free agent once again after signing a one-year deal. Golden State will have Durant’s full Bird rights and will offer a five-year max contract to keep him in a Warriors uniform.

“He deserves to be able to go and be happy wherever he wants to be,” Lacob said. “I hope it’s here. And I hope he feels the same that way I do, and we do, about him when it comes time next summer. But you never can predict these things. We just will do our job and he’ll do his job, and we’ll see what happens next summer. And let the chips fall where they may.”

Durant’s preference for shorter, less expensive contracts has helped the Warriors in other ways, writes Drew Shiller of NBC Sports. Durant passed up a max deal in 2017 with a starting salary of $34.7MM. He signed for $25MM instead, which enabled the team to keep Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. Lacob said a similar decision this summer made it easier for the Warriors to use their mid-level exception to add DeMarcus Cousins.

There’s more Warriors news to pass along:

Jonas Jerebko is the latest shooter being brought in to give Golden State more firepower off the bench, Monte Poole of NBC Sports writes in a player profile. The Warriors need the kind of production Jerebko supplied last season with the Jazz, when he shot .414 behind the arc.
With just five days until the opening of camp, the Warriors still aren’t sure if Patrick McCaw will re-sign, notes Anthony Slater of the Athletic. The shooting guard can accept a $1.7MM qualifying offer at any time, but he has been waiting all summer for a better opportunity. If McCaw remains unsigned when camp opens, Slater offers some other alternatives such as Nick Young, who was with the Warriors last year, Jamal Crawford, Arron Afflalo and Corey Brewer. They may also decide to let Danuel House, Kendrick Nunn and Alfonzo McKinnie compete for McCaw’s spot in camp.
Dietary changes are part of the effort Damian Jones is making to win the starting center’s job heading into opening night, relays Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. Jones has sworn off sweets and other junk food as he sees an opportunity to join the starting lineup for the two-time defending champs, at least until Cousins is ready to play around mid-season. “I’ve been ready for it. I’ve been practicing for a while,” Jones said. “I know what role I’ll take on. I get the big picture. They’ve been telling me all summer what they need me to do.”

Zanik, Rosas Receive Second Interviews For Sixers’ Post

September 17th, 2018 at 4:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz assistant GM Justin Zanik and Rockets VP Gersson Rosas have earned second interviews for the Sixers’ GM opening, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

Philadelphia’s ownership group dined with Zanik on Sunday and will do the same with Rosas on Monday. The ownership group will also hold second interviews with internal candidates on Thursday and Friday, Pompey adds in another tweet. The news was confirmed by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Warriors assistant GM and director of player personnel Larry Harris was also recently interviewed for the vacancy, though there’s no indication if he’ll receive another interview.

Some of the internal candidates for the job who were reportedly interviewed this month include former Sixers player Elton Brand, Marc Eversley, Ned Cohen and Alex Rucker.

The organization has been operating without a GM since Bryan Colangelo departed in June amid charges of releasing sensitive information on Twitter.

The Sixers initially targeted big-name NBA GMs and presidents like Rockets GM Daryl Morey, but have since cast a wider net, focusing more on executives who would view the Philadelphia job as a promotion rather than a lateral move.

Warriors Notes: McCaw, Durant, Cousins, Evans

September 17th, 2018 at 10:44am CST by Arthur Hill

Accepting the Warriors’ $1.7MM qualifying offer remains the most likely scenario for shooting guard Patrick McCaw, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. In a column that offers a list of questions for each Golden State player, Slater notes that McCaw’s other options are extremely limited with training camp starting next week.

Despite the summer-long contract standoff, McCaw still enters a positive situation if he returns to the Warriors. The team held a roster spot open for him, and regular playing time appears to be available. Slater reports that Golden State originally planned to pursue Tyreke Evans in free agency, which would have made McCaw expendable, but changed direction when DeMarcus Cousins became an option.

Coach Steve Kerr has expressed a desire to give more rest to his veteran players, which should mean more minutes for younger guys like McCaw, who won’t turn 23 until October. It will also give him a chance to improve on his 4.0/1.4/1.4 career line before taking another shot at free agency next summer.

There’s more on the Warriors, all courtesy of Slater:

This is the first time since Kevin Durant came to Golden State that his re-signing doesn’t seem like a sure thing. Durant’s latest contract includes a $31.5MM player option for next season that he is expected to turn down in pursuit of a long-term deal. Durant has made it clear that he has an open mind about where he might play next year, and Slater notes that an early-season trip to New York should amp up the discussion.
Cousins has a long way to go until he can play again, and the Warriors can’t begin to answer questions about his fit with the team until that happens. Cousins was considered a major steal when he agreed to sign with Golden State for the $5.3MM taxpayer mid-level exception. However, nobody knows how much the Achilles tear he suffered last season will affect his game or how he will handle a reduced role in the Warriors’ offense.
First-round pick Jacob Evans was just 2 of 18 on 3-pointers during Summer League, which raises concerns about how well he can fit into the offense. The Warriors like the defensive versatility that Evans provides and he’ll be one of the players Kerr is counting on to reduce the veterans’ minutes, but he has to shoot better to get regular playing time.