Warriors Rumors

And-Ones: Panic, Trade Candidates, Awards, Atkinson, Thabeet

December 15th, 2023 at 8:51pm CST by Rory Maher

Which teams that hoped to be contenders entering 2023/24 should be panicking after slow starts? John Hollinger of The Athletic explores that topic, with the Warriors topping his list (an eight on a scale of one-to-10).

The indefinite suspension of Draymond Green and the poor play of Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson “presents a dilemma” for Golden State, which just won the title two seasons ago. The Warriors will be faced with many difficult decisions in the coming months, Hollinger notes, with Thompson’s expiring contract looming large.

The Raptors (seven), Hawks (six), Grizzlies (five) and Suns (four) also hold places on Hollinger’s “Panic Meter” for various reasons.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Speaking of the Raptors, two of their starters — Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby — are at the top of the trade candidate big board compiled by Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. Bulls guard Zach LaVine ranks third on the 25-player list, followed by his Chicago teammates DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso.
Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press takes a look at the early impact of the NBA’s new 65-game requirement for awards, writing that Heat guard Tyler Herro (ankle) and Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (thumb surgery) are among the noteworthy players who won’t meet that requirement due to injuries, with many others having missed several games already. Herro has accepted that he won’t have a shot at a postseason award. “Next year then,” Herro said. “Or the year after that.”
Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson has joined the staff of the French national team, per a team press release. Atkinson, formerly the head coach of the Nets, interviewed for several NBA head coaching jobs in recent years.
Hasheem Thabeet, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2009 draft, is signing a contract with the Kaohsiung Steelers, a Taiwanese team, agent Jerry Dianis tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Thabeet appeared in 224 NBA games with the Grizzlies, Rockets, Blazers and Thunder, but has been out of the league since the ’13/14 season.

Trade Breakdown: Chris Paul To The Warriors

December 15th, 2023 at 5:30pm CST by Rory Maher

This is the third entry in our series breaking down the significant trades of the 2023 offseason. As opposed to giving out grades, this series explores why the teams were motivated to make the moves. Let’s dive into a blockbuster deal between the Warriors and Wizards…

On July 6:

The Warriors acquired Chris Paul.
The Wizards acquired Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr., Ryan Rollins, the Warriors’ 2030 first-round pick (top-20 protected), the Warriors’ 2027 second-round pick, and cash.
Note: The Wizards created a $3,344,643 traded player exception as part of this deal, which is the difference between Paul’s outgoing salary ($30,800,000) and the incoming salary of Poole ($27,455,357). Baldwin ($2,337,720) and Rollins ($1,719,864) were acquired via existing TPEs.

The Warriors’ perspective:

Poole being traded was seemingly inevitable as soon as the Warriors lost in the second round of the 2022/23 playoffs, with the young guard struggling mightily throughout the postseason. It had been clear for a while that it was probably going to come down to moving Poole or Draymond Green, whom the team re-signed to a four-year, $100MM contract in free agency.

The Warriors needed to reconfigure their chemistry and on-court results following an uneven attempt to repeat as champions last season. Instead of moving on from a core member of their dynasty, they traded Poole.

That really wasn’t much of a choice – Green has arguably been the best defensive player in the league over the past decade, helping Golden State reach six NBA Finals and win four championships, and Stephen Curry has referred to him as his favorite teammate.

Green has made plenty of poor decisions over the years – he’s annually one of the league leaders in technical fouls and has been suspended multiple times in the regular season and playoffs. Blowing up the Warriors’ season before it even began by punching a teammate he had previously mentored was a new low. And despite plenty of media grandstanding, he never publicly or privately apologized to Poole, according to Logan Murdock of The Ringer.

The organization has always catered to Green, as he didn’t even face punishment for the incident other than an undisclosed fine. Following a string of incidents in ’23/24, he received an indefinite suspension to (perhaps) address some of the underlying causes for his reckless behavior.

It’s worth noting that Green will make less money than Poole ($123MM+) over the next four years as well. Future payroll considerations played a significant factor in this deal, as owner Joe Lacob acknowledged in September.

The Warriors have had record-setting luxury tax bills for multiple years running, but Lacob has said they hope to be below the second tax apron in ‘24/25. Paul’s $30MM salary for ‘24/25 is non-guaranteed, while Poole will be in the second year of his rookie scale extension.

Even if Golden State wins the title in ‘23/24 – which is looking extremely unlikely at this point — I’d be shocked if the team guarantees Paul’s salary for next season. The only way that would make sense would be if the Warriors trade him for a roster upgrade in the offseason, but that would probably require taking on long-term money, which they’ve said they want to avoid.

That doesn’t mean the Warriors can’t try to re-sign Paul at a lower figure, assuming things turn around and he’s open to it. That would require a major discount though, as they’ll lose his Bird rights if they waive him — they’d likely be limited to offering him a minimum-salary deal unless they remove additional salary from their books.

The logic behind this trade made sense for the Warriors, but I’m sure it was painful to move Poole so soon after extending him, even if they view Paul as a short-term upgrade. That’s reasonable enough.

Paul is one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, earning 12 All-Star berths, 11 All-NBA nods, and nine All-Defensive spots over the course of his 18 seasons. He has led the league in steals per game six times and assists per game five times, with three of those seasons overlapping.

Despite being 38 years old, Paul remains a clear upgrade over Poole in several areas. He’s a better rebounder, and there’s not so much a gap as a chasm between Paul’s defense, decision-making, passing, and ability to take care of the ball compared to Poole’s. Paul is nicknamed “the Point God” for a reason.

Turnovers were a major problem for the Warriors in ‘22/23, with the team ranking 29th in the league with a 15.8% turnover percentage. Poole was a major contributor to that, averaging 3.1 turnovers per game — second-most on the team behind Curry — and posting a 1.46-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, slightly worse than his career mark (1.61-to-1).

Remarkably, Paul has had an assist-to-turnover ratio below 3-to-1 only once in his career – back in 2019/20 with OKC, when he shared ball-handling duties and was more focused on scoring. And even then, it was just barely under (2.93-to-1). For his career, he’s at 3.98-to-1. Last season: 4.6-to-1. So far in ‘23/24: 6-to-1.

While it’s true that the Warriors had to attach some marginal assets to move Poole’s long-term contract, this trade does show one of the fringe benefits of rookie scale extensions: Having his salary already locked in for ’24/25 meant that Golden State didn’t have to deal with restricted free agency or work out a sign-and-trade, which is much more complicated, especially for the league’s biggest spenders.

He has never won a title, but Paul’s teams have made the playoffs 15 times in his 18 years in the league, including the last 13 seasons in a row.

His elite basketball IQ undoubtedly remains, but Paul’s ability to create shots for himself and convert them at a high level has taken a step back. Through 21 games, he has a career-low true shooting percentage (53.2%) and usage rate (15.0%). Part of that is due to the team’s roster construction, but he also isn’t playing at the same level as he did a couple years ago.

Obviously, there are major injury concerns as well, and Poole was quite durable, appearing in 76 and 82 regular season games the past two years (compared to 65 and 59 for Paul).

The Warriors miss Poole’s ability to generate offense for himself, take on an increased scoring load when Curry misses time, and get to the free throw line – Golden State was dead last in free throw attempts per game in ‘22/23, and Poole led the team with 5.1 per contest (just ahead of Curry at 5.0).

After starting the season 5-1, the Warriors have gone 5-13 over their past 18 games and currently hold a 10-14 record. The majority of those defeats have been very competitive, with blowing leads an issue of late. Still, as the saying goes, a loss is a loss.

With Golden State in a tailspin, it would be easy to point the finger at a newcomer like Paul. But the Warriors have been markedly better when he’s on the court and much worse when he’s off, and advanced stats say he’s been one of the more impactful players on the team.

Paul has been spearheading the second unit, which has undergone a remarkable turnaround to this point – it’s actually the starting unit that has struggled in ’23/24, not the reserves. Last season was the total opposite, as the starters were the best five-man group in the NBA and the bench was a major liability.

Both Rollins and Baldwin missed chunks of their rookie seasons in ‘22/23 and didn’t play much at the NBA level when they were healthy. They almost certainly weren’t going to have rotation roles for the Warriors this season either. The 2027 second-rounder isn’t a significant asset on its own.

Trading the 2030 first-round pick stings, even if it’s heavily protected (it will turn into Golden State’s 2030 second-rounder if it doesn’t convey). The primary reason for that has less to do with the pick itself and more to do with the Stepien rule, which will prevent the Warriors from trading their own first-rounders in 2029 and 2031, at least once they’re able to (you can only trade picks seven years out).

Dealing three young players and marginal draft assets for a future Hall of Famer who is still effective but clearly in the twilight of his career showed that new general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. is willing to make bold moves, particularly with an eye on future financial flexibility. I certainly wouldn’t rule out the possibility of the Warriors trading Paul again this season either, depending on how they play in the next several weeks leading up to the deadline.

The Wizards’ perspective:

I admire Poole for two reasons. One, he’s a late first-round pick who struggled mightily early in his career, spent a lot of time in the G League, and then emerged as an important contributor on a championship team.

Two, I never once saw him publicly discuss last fall’s incident when he had every opportunity to throw Green and the Warriors under the bus. There are no “competitor” justifications for Green did – it was wrong, plain and simple.

Imagine being asked nearly every day about something terrible that happened to you, that millions of people witnessed via video, and you only take the high road. That says something about Poole as a person, regardless of what you think of him as player.

I can’t say I’ve ever been partial to Poole’s game. He’s undeniably talented, but flashy scorers who don’t play defense aren’t my cup of tea.

Paul didn’t fit the Wizards based on the position they’re currently in. Poole, Baldwin, Rollins and draft assets do.

As mentioned in a previous article, Paul was the primary salary-matching piece acquired in the Bradley Beal trade, so these two deals are directly connected. For the Wizards, this was about flipping Paul for as many assets as they could.

Is Poole even an asset right now? I would say no, he likely has negative value due to his declining play. But that doesn’t mean the reasoning for this trade was illogical at the time it was made.

It’s easy to overlook now that he’s no longer on the team, but Poole was a key member of the Warriors’ championship run in ’21/22, averaging 17.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists over 22 playoff games (27.5 minutes). He posted a .508/.391/.915 shooting line over that span for 65.4% TS – an elite mark. That’s a big part of why Golden State gave him the extension.

But the NBA is a “what have you done for me lately” league, and Poole struggled mightily last postseason, averaging more field goal attempts (10.4) than points (10.3) while his shooting rates dipped to .341/.254/.765 (a dreadful 44.7% TS) in 13 games (21.8 MPG). His apathetic defense, poor shot selection, questionable decision-making and inconsistency were issues throughout ‘22/23.

I thought Poole might have a turnaround with Washington in ‘23/24, and I wasn’t alone. In early August, one betting site had him as a way-too-early favorite for Most Improved Player.

Poole averaged 25.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists on 59.5% TS in 17 games with Curry sidelined in ‘21/22. He averaged 26.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 56.5% TS in 26 games with Curry injured last season. There were valid reasons to think he could put up big numbers this season.

I was wrong, and the Wizards’ gamble hasn’t paid off to this point. Poole has had a dreadful start to the season, with advanced stats indicating he has been one of the worst rotation regulars in the NBA – perhaps even the worst high-usage player in the league.

Poole’s numbers are down across the board — he has recorded fewer points, rebounds and assists per game in nearly the same amount of minutes as ‘21/22 and ‘22/23. His turnover rate is up and his assist rate is down. His efficiency has cratered, with his true shooting percentage down to 51.0%, compared to 58.4% over the last three seasons (for context, the league average TS in ’23/24 is 57.7%, but it’s nearly always a couple points lower for guards).

The Wizards are terrible. They’re 3-20, which remarkably is only tied for the second-worst record in the league.

Despite their overall ineptitude, there’s still no sugarcoating how poorly Poole has played in his 22 games. His net rating differential is a ghastly minus-19.9. When he’s off the court, the team actually has a (slightly) positive net rating – he’s the only player on the roster who holds that distinction.

Rollins has only played 49 minutes for the Wizards; Baldwin is at 36. You can’t draw any conclusions from sample sizes that small. They’re young, on relatively inexpensive contracts, and may or may not develop into useful NBA players.

Given Poole’s poor play and pricey long-term deal, the lack of roles for Rollins and Baldwin, and the fairly modest draft assets the Wizards acquired for Paul, you could argue the early return hasn’t been great for the Wizards. However, that’s only a small part of the bigger picture.

Beal’s contract is far more onerous than Poole’s, as he’s owed $208MM over the next four years and has a full no-trade clause. And he’s only played five games in ‘23/24 so far due to a back injury.

Beal, 30, had no place in a rebuild. Nor did Paul, whom the Suns reportedly considered waiving before making a high-risk, high-reward trade for Beal.

In total, when combining the two trades, the Wizards received Poole, Baldwin, Rollins, Landry Shamet, a top-20 protected first-rounder, four first-round swaps, seven second-round picks (one was sent to Indiana) and cash for Beal.

Poole is only 24 and doesn’t have a no-trade clause. Some of those pick swaps could be valuable in the future. Second-round picks can be useful, for trades and for finding diamonds in the rough. They could probably flip Shamet into another second-rounder or two if they want to move him.

The Wizards accomplished their overall goal of acquiring assets while getting younger and focusing on player development. Time will tell if they’re able to turn into a winning franchise, but they’ve been stuck in NBA purgatory for decades, and needed to get worse before they had a chance at getting better.

Pacific Notes: Clippers, George, Vincent, Nurkic, Green, Durant

December 14th, 2023 at 10:56pm CST by Tristan Tucker

After trading for James Harden, the Clippers went through a rough patch while adjusting to incorporating another ball-dominant player. Star wing Paul George said that it’s a growing pain plenty of teams with several All-Stars have historically experienced.

“They all went through some sort of adversity, regardless of the talent,” George said. “It’s going to take some time because you got to find how to be yourself when your usage rate isn’t going to be as high as it used to be [or] the possessions you were going to have.”

Now, Los Angeles has flipped its fortunes. The team holds the NBA’s longest active win streak (five games entering Thursday) and has won 10 of its last 13. Janis Carr of The Orange County Register says the Clippers are finding the “new you” in themselves by re-imagining their games and playing freely.

“I mean that’s it. Just all of us just combining into the defensive end and just wanting to get things going on that end first and then letting, whatever the offense, take care of itself since we got so many scorers,” said star forward Kawhi Leonard.

Harden made headlines earlier in the season, saying that he didn’t feel like the Sixers let him play like himself, a problem he isn’t having in coach Tyronn Lue‘s system.

“[Lue] allows me to just be free, be who I am and, like I said previously, that’s not just scoring, but just me reading defenses, seeing the different game and putting Kawhi and PG in better positions or in the pick-and-roll with [Ivica Zubac] getting easy layups or [Daniel Theis] getting easy layups,” Harden said. “It is everything that I thought it would be. It’s taken a little time, but as far as me playing and the chemistry on the court … it’s getting where it needs to be.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

George sat out the second half of the Clippers‘ Tuesday win over the Kings with a sore left groin. According to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, Lue said George could have come back in and played if needed. However, he was ruled out before L.A’s Thursday game against the Warriors with hip soreness (Twitter link via Los Angeles Times’ Andrew Greif). He’s considered day-to-day, according to Youngmisuk.
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent is ramping up during the team’s three-game road trip, with coach Darvin Ham saying “everything is going according to plan,” The Orange County Register’s Khobi Price writes. Vincent hasn’t played since Oct. 30 due to a left knee effusion. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Monday that Vincent was targeting a Dec. 18 return to play. He’s averaging 6.0 points and 3.0 assists this season.
Even after taking a hit to the face from Warriors forward Draymond Green that led to Green being suspended indefinitely, Suns center Jusuf Nurkic still holds the four-time All-Star in a high regard, according to Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. “I have a lot of respect for him, obviously, even before this,” Nurkic said Wednesday. “I still have it. I don’t know what people go through. It’s not our problem, but he’s an NBA champion for me, Hall of Famer still.“
Suns star forward Kevin Durant also reacted to the altercation on Wednesday, expressing well wishes to Green. “I hope he gets the help he needs,” Durant said (Twitter link via Rankin). Durant and Green played on the Warriors from 2016-19, winning two championships together. “[The altercation] was insane to see,” Durant said. “Glad Nurk is alright. Never seen that on the basketball court in an NBA game.“

Warriors Bench Andrew Wiggins

December 14th, 2023 at 9:42pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Warriors will have Andrew Wiggins come off the bench in their Thursday matchup against the Clippers, tweets The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Rookie forward Brandin Podziemski is taking over Wiggins’ spot in the starting five, with Jonathan Kuminga also starting in place of the suspended Draymond Green.

It’s unclear whether Wiggins’ move to the bench is temporary or if this is a longer-term move, but Charania’s wording makes it sound like the latter.

The Warriors entered Thursday at 10-13, 11th in the conference. It’s a disappointing start for a team with big aspirations, and it’s the culmination of suspensions, injuries and players – like Wiggins – having down seasons.

Wiggins is averaging 12.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.3 steals and 0.3 blocks this season while shooting just 41.3% from the field and 27.9% from beyond the arc. These are substantial drop-offs for the former No. 1 overall pick, who averaged 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks last season on .473/.396/.611 shooting.

As The Athletic’s Anthony Slater observes (Twitter link), Thursday’s game marks Wiggins’ first career regular season game off the bench. He had previously started all 656 of his NBA appearances. His only career game as a reserve came in the postseason when he was returning from a prolonged absence last year.

Wiggins and Klay Thompson are both off to slow starts, contributing to Golden State’s lackluster season thus far. If the Warriors continue to disappoint, it’s possible another rotation switch involving Thompson, who is averaging his lowest scoring output since his rookie season, is on the horizon.

In Wiggins’ place, the Warriors are starting promising rookie Podziemski, who is averaging 8.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists this season. He’s shooting a scorching 44.2% from deep and is continuing to earn a bigger role with the organization, averaging 12.0 points and 7.2 rebounds over his past five games.

As of now, Golden State is starting Stephen Curry, Thompson, Podziemski, Kuminga and Kevon Looney, with Wiggins, Chris Paul, Moses Moody and Dario Saric among the top options off the bench.

Warriors GM Dunleavy Talks Green, Roster Decisions

December 14th, 2023 at 5:10pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. emphasized the franchise is still committed to forward Draymond Green following his indefinite suspension during a media availability on Thursday, reports ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.

According to Andrews, Dunleavy said Golden State is truly treating this as an indefinite absence and that the end goal is for Green to get to a point where he can be with the team long term, which echoes reporting from Wednesday. However, Dunleavy doesn’t know for sure that these measures will change Green’s behavior in the long run, per Andrews.

“I can’t guarantee you that,” Dunleavy said. “I can just say we will continue to do the right things to help him. I think we’ve done a decent job at that in the past and we’ll continue to work through it all. There are a lot of parties involved. The biggest thing here to me is not the punishment, it’s helping and giving assistance.”

The Warriors continue to emphasize to Green that they’re a better team with him on the court than off it and are telling him he has to do whatever he can to stay on the floor. As Andrews points out, Green has missed eight games from a combination of suspension, injuries and personal reasons this year, along with having been ejected from three more.

There is some level of concern that Green might not be able to stay on the floor when he returns, according to Andrews, with continued harsher punishment being plausible for further incidents.

“His ability this year has been great, his availability has not,” Dunleavy said. “… That’s part of the dance we got to walk and part of things we need to address. He’s got to be aware of it. Hopefully, we can get him to a point where he’s still the same high-energy, competitive guy. And if situations arise, he’s got to find a way to regulate that.”

The Warriors are disappointed in Green’s failure to regulate his actions on the court, according to Andrews. ESPN sources said Golden State lost leverage in holding Green accountable when they didn’t do so after he punched former teammate Jordan Poole last year. At some point, there could be a shift in how the Warriors handle Green, especially if the bad outweighs the good he does on the court, per Andrews.

Still, at 10-13, the Warriors and Dunleavy are hoping this ends up differently.

“I think this is something a lot of people see as a problem, but we’re looking to turn it into a positive,” Dunleavy said. “He’s at a point in his career and his life where you want to get some things straightened out. Maybe you need a jolt like that. I think it’s been very positive, very open and I’m extremely optimistic we can get where we need to go.”

There’s more from Dunleavy’s media session:

Dunleavy said Green will remain with the team throughout his suspension, but he won’t be there every day and he wasn’t in attendance for the team’s Thursday shootaround in Los Angeles, tweets Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina. According to Medina, he’ll be able to practice with the team but obviously won’t be able to play in games or be at the arena during the suspension. “We think the healthiest thing is for him to be around,” Dunleavy said. “It may not be every day but we are not jettisoning the guy off somewhere.“
Dunleavy said the next 15-20 games will be critical in determining whether or not the team will explore trades at the deadline, tweets The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. The Warriors would rather build a larger sample size before seeing what needs to be done.
With several players becoming trade eligible on Dec. 15, Dunleavy was asked about potential trades. “The question as to whether we’ll be aggressive, I think you have to be open to see things and look at everything,” Dunleavy said (Twitter link via Medina). “If something makes sense, you do it. But I would never do something just to do something. I’ve had a pretty good track record recently of making positive deals where we’ve been able to look out for our long-term salary spending and acquire good players. We’ll continue to do that.“
Echoing similar reports from Wednesday, Dunleavy said he and Green’s camp worked together with the NBA to come up with the indefinite suspension (Twitter link via Andrews). “We understand there’s a punishment that will take place but this is also about helping somebody,” Dunleavy said. “They 100% agreed. So did Draymond.“
Appearing on ESPN’s First Take (Twitter link), NBA Executive Vice President Joe Dumars said the point of the indefinite suspension was to look beyond a specific number and instead to help Green. “We want to see you at your best and the best way for you to do that is to get yourself mentally and emotionally back to where you need to be,” Dumars said. “That’s how we got to indefinite.“

Latest On Draymond Green

December 14th, 2023 at 9:04am CST by Arthur Hill

The players union wouldn’t have been on board with an indefinite suspension for Draymond Green if he wasn’t willing to accept it himself, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on a SportsCenter appearance (video link).

Green and his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, will meet today with Warriors general manager Mike Dunlevy Jr. to determine what kind of help Green will need to deal with the issues that are leading to his repeated suspensions, and sources tell Wojnarowski that Green has a desire to get counseling.

“I’m told he wants to get help to keep this from happening again,” Wojnarowski said, “to handle whatever issues he might have and whatever challenges he might have in his life.”

Woj adds that by making the suspension indefinite, commissioner Adam Silver is “trying to get to the root of the problem” rather than placing a number of games on Green’s latest act, which involved striking Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic in the head in Tuesday’s game. Sources tell Wojnarowski that Green is looking to deal with the underlying causes of his behavior, maybe for the first time in his career.

There’s more on the Green suspension:

The NBA office is sending a message to the Warriors that it’s tired of dealing with Green’s frequent transgressions and their effect on the league’s image, according to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. Kawakami points out that Green has already missed five games this season due to suspension and has been ejected from three others. If his current ban lasts for 10 games, he will have been either suspended or ejected from 18 of the team’s first 33 contests. He’s also just two more flagrant fouls away from another automatic one-game suspension. Green seems incapable of controlling his behavior, adds Kawakami, who speculates that the league’s response to a future incident would be “swift and thunderous” and may result in a suspension for the remainder of the season. If that happens, Kawakami notes that the Warriors’ could either try to get out of the remainder of the four-year, $100MM contract that Green signed this summer, trade him for little or nothing in return, or release him and take the financial hit.
Green’s latest incident could spark much-needed roster changes, suggests Sam Amick of The Athletic. The Warriors have lost 12 of their last 17 games and aren’t doing enough to justify a payroll that hovers around $400MM with luxury taxes. With Green unable to stay on the court and Klay Thompson‘s dramatic drop in production ahead of free agency, Amick sees a reduced chance that they and Stephen Curry will all get to retire with Golden State.
Green’s suspension will result in a financial benefit for the Warriors because it was imposed by the league instead of the team. Scott Allen of Spotrac looks at how much the organization might save depending on how long Green is out of action.

Warriors’ Draymond Green Suspended Indefinitely

December 13th, 2023 at 7:08pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA has suspended Warriors forward/center Draymond Green indefinitely, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The league confirmed the news in a press release.

The suspension will begin immediately and Green “will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play,” per the NBA.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), it sounds like part of those conditions will consist of Green receiving counseling following his latest incident, which involved striking Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the head on Tuesday (video link). He received a flagrant 2 foul and was ejected from the game.

While Green has been unapologetic about previous incidents, he claimed hitting Nurkic was unintentional.

“I am not one to apologize for things I mean to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf because I didn’t intend to hit him,” Green said after the game, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “I sell calls with my arms … so I was selling the call … and I swung and unfortunately I hit him.

“… You guys have known me long enough, if I intended to do something, I am not apologizing. But I did make contact with him, so I do apologize. … It’s a hard hit.”

As was the case when he was suspended for one game during last season’s playoffs for stomping on the chest of Kings center Domantas Sabonis, and once again after he received a five-game ban for putting Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock last month, the NBA cited Green’s “repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts” as a factor in his indefinite suspension.

Sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link) that Green, his agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, and Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. are expected to meet on Thursday to discuss “a path of counseling and help for Green to move forward.”

According to Wojnarowski, the NBA “didn’t want to put a specific number” on Green’s suspension, as the league wants him to “take the time he might need to deal with challenges he’s facing.”

It’s unclear what specific “challenges” Wojnarowski is referring to, but obviously Green’s behavior has become increasingly unhinged over the past year-plus. He wasn’t suspended for it, but he also punched former teammate Jordan Poole in the face during last season’s training camp, essentially torpedoing Golden State’s odds of defending its title before the 2022/23 season even began.

Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT hears Green will be able to practice with the Warriors during the indefinite suspension, which is an odd wrinkle in an unusual situation (Twitter link).

A former Defensive Player of the Year who has anchored the Warriors’ defense during four championships over the past nine years, Green re-signed with Golden State as a free agent over the summer, inking a four-year, $100MM contract.

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, Green will be docked $153,931 per game if he’s suspended fewer than 20 games. That figure will increase to $202,922 per contest if Green’s suspension exceeds 20 games. The Warriors, meanwhile, will reduce their projected luxury tax payment by $519,555 for each game Green is suspended, according to Marks (Twitter link).

There isn’t an obvious replacement for Green’s role on the Warriors, but it could result in more playing time for young players like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and perhaps Trayce Jackson-Davis, as well as veterans Dario Saric and Kevon Looney.

Warriors, Knicks, Lakers Top Latest NBA Franchise Valuations

December 13th, 2023 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors remain the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico (subscription required), who unveiled the website’s updated NBA franchise valuations for 2023 on Wednesday.

Badenhausen projects the Warriors’ value at $8.28 billion, making them one of three teams to surpass the $7 billion mark this year. The Knicks have a projected worth of $7.43 billion, while the Lakers come in at $7.34 billion, per Sportico.

As Badenhausen details, Sportico spoke to more than 30 team executives, owners, investors, bankers, consultants, and lawyers in compiling their latest NBA franchise valuations. According to Sportico, the average value of an NBA team is up 33% from a year ago and 70% from when the site first started publishing valuations three years ago.

A combination of factors are contributing to the soaring value of NBA franchises, says Baudenhausen. Those factors include national media deals, international opportunities, scarcity (ie. only 30 teams are available), and an equal 1/30th stake in the league.

In the past, we’ve used Forbes as our primary source for NBA franchise valuations, but with Badenhausen making the move from Forbes to Sportico in recent years and the outlet establishing itself as a go-to resource for sports business news, we’re highlighting Sportico’s projections in 2023.

Of course, it’s worth noting that figures from Sportico, Forbes, or any other media outlet are just estimates and often don’t quite match up with the sale prices for franchises that change hands. But thse projections are usually in the right ballpark and remain useful for getting a sense of the league’s most and least valuable teams.

Here’s Sportico’s full list of NBA franchise valuations for 2023:

Golden State Warriors: $8.28 billion
New York Knicks: $7.43 billion
Los Angeles Lakers: $7.34 billion
Boston Celtics: $5.12 billion
Chicago Bulls: $4.83 billion
Los Angeles Clippers: $4.56 billion
Miami Heat: $4.17 billion
Philadelphia 76ers: $4.13 billion
Toronto Raptors: $4.11 billion
Houston Rockets: $4.05 billion
Dallas Mavericks: $4.03 billion
Phoenix Suns: $4 billion
Brooklyn Nets: $3.98 billion
Sacramento Kings: $3.46 billion
Denver Nuggets: $3.4 billion
Atlanta Hawks: $3.35 billion
Washington Wizards: $3.33 billion
San Antonio Spurs: $3.29 billion
Portland Trail Blazers: $3.28 billion
Indiana Pacers: $3.27 billion
Utah Jazz: $3.24 billion
Cleveland Cavaliers: $3.22 billion
Milwaukee Bucks: $3.2 billion
Orlando Magic: $3.12 billion
Detroit Pistons: $3.1 billion
Oklahoma City Thunder: $3.08 billion
Charlotte Hornets: $3 billion
Minnesota Timberwolves: $2.94 billion
Memphis Grizzlies: $2.82 billion
New Orleans Pelicans: $2.72 billion

For the most part, the most significant valuation increases (by percentage) within the last year belonged to the teams on the bottom half of this list. Besides the Bucks, whose projection rose by 32%, every franchise in the bottom 10 received at least a 50% bump from Sportico’s 2022 valuations.

The Nuggets, who cracked the top half of this list following their 2023 championship, were another big riser — their valuation increased by 60% and they moved up six spots.

It’s worth noting that the Mavericks‘ reported valuation in Mark Cuban‘s sale to the Adelson and Dumont families reportedly came in around $3.5 billion, well below Sportico’s valuation.

However, more recent reporting has suggested the final valuation will be closer to $4 billion when the transaction closes. That was also a unique situation since Cuban is retaining control of basketball operations as part of the sale agreement, despite surrendering majority control of the business. He’ll hang onto about 25% of the franchise, according to Sportico.

Warriors Reportedly Offered Klay Thompson Two-Year Extension

December 13th, 2023 at 10:50am CST by Luke Adams

Before the regular season began, the Warriors offered Klay Thompson a two-year extension worth in the neighborhood of $48MM, Shams Charania of The Athletic said today on FanDuel’s Run it Back show (Twitter video link).

Thompson obviously passed on that offer, with multiple reports at the time suggesting that he and the Warriors were far apart on both years and money. He remains extension-eligible and could sign a new deal with Golden State at any time before he reaches free agency on July 1, but both Charania and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski have indicated there’s a very real possibility he reaches the open market next summer.

Thompson is in the final season of a five-year, $190MM contract that is paying him $43.2MM in 2023/24. He missed two full seasons due to knee and Achilles injuries at the start of the contract and appeared in just 32 regular season games in 2021/22.

After a solid showing in ’22/23, Thompson’s numbers are down across the board in the first couple months of this season — he’s averaging 15.4 points per game on .397/.343/.889 shooting and has recorded roughly the same number of assists (44) and turnovers (43). His field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and turnover rate are career worsts and that scoring average is his lowest since his rookie season in 2011/12.

There has been a sense that Thompson’s contract situation may be weighing on him and factoring into his slow start to the season. Head coach Steve Kerr has been patient with the veteran sharpshooter, keeping him in the starting lineup for all 22 games he has played so far this fall. However, Kerr did hold Thompson – and fellow slumping veteran Andrew Wiggins – out of Tuesday’s closing lineup, as we detailed earlier today.

“I deserved to be benched tonight. I played like crap,” Thompson said after the game, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “If you’ve ever played basketball before, you know what you’re capable of. You always want to be out there competing. That’s just facts. Whatever though. It happens. I deserved to be benched. I’ve been playing like crap. Twenty games in. I haven’t caught a good rhythm.”

Another long-term, maximum-salary contract for Thompson was never a realistic expectation, but teammate Draymond Green – who, like Thompson, is 33 years old – received a four-year, $100MM commitment from Golden State over the summer. With that in mind, it’s perhaps not surprising that the five-time All-Star would view a two-year, $48MM offer as insufficient after averaging 21.9 PPG with a .412 3PT% last season.

Still, unless he’s able to turn things around this season and bust out of his slump, it’s hard to imagine the Warriors adding any more years or money to the preseason offer they made to Thompson.

For what it’s worth, Thompson has said he “absolutely” wants to spend the rest of his playing career in Golden State.

Draymond Green Likely Facing Another Suspension Following Tuesday Ejection

December 13th, 2023 at 7:15am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected from a game for the third time this season on Tuesday, earning a flagrant 2 foul for striking Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the head during the third quarter of Phoenix’s win (Twitter video link via TSN Sports).

The NBA is expected to review the incident before the Warriors’ game against the Clippers on Thursday and will likely suspend Green for a second time this fall, according to Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. The former Defensive Player of the Year was previously suspended five games for putting Rudy Gobert in a headlock, with the league citing Green’s “history of unsportsmanlike acts” when announcing that penalty.

“… You guys have known me long enough, if I intended to do something, I am not apologizing. But I did make contact with him, so I do apologize. … It’s a hard hit.”

Although the blow sent Nurkic to the floor, the big man was able to finish the game. After the victory, he told reporters that the play had “nothing to do with basketball,” while Suns head coach Frank Vogel referred to it as “reckless (and) dangerous,” according to Andrews.

“I’m sensitive to our guys getting hit on plays like that,” Vogel said. “I didn’t like it. The refs did what they had to do. The league will do what they have to do.”

Another suspension for Green could result in more playing time for young players like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and perhaps Trayce Jackson-Davis, as well as veterans Dario Saric and Kevon Looney.

Both Kuminga and Saric, as well as rookie Brandin Podziemski, were part of Golden State’s closing lineup on Tuesday, alongside Stephen Curry and Chris Paul, with Green unavailable and starters Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Looney on the bench.

Thompson, whose scoring and shooting numbers this season are well below his career norms, told reporters after the game that it was “strange” to be benched down the stretch, but he didn’t question head coach Steve Kerr‘s decision.

“I played like crap,” Thompson said, per Andrews. “If you’ve ever played basketball before, you know what you are capable of. You always want to be out there competing. That’s just facts … but I deserved to be benched. I’ve been playing like crap. Twenty games in, I haven’t found a rhythm.”

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