Golden State Warriors Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors GM “Doesn’t Think” Draymond Green Will Be Suspended

October 6th, 2022 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors general manager Bob Myers “doesn’t think” Draymond Green will be suspended by the team for punching Jordan Poole during Wednesday’s practice, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Myers said Green apologized to the team on Thursday morning and his punishment will be handled internally (Twitter link via Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic).

As ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, Green was likely penalized for “conduct detrimental to the team,” with the maximum fine being $50K.

Myers discussed a number of topics related Green, Poole, and the incident (All Twitter links courtesy of Mark Medina of NBA.com):

On Green: “He’s been over that line. But he always comes back. He’s a unique guy. He helps us win.” Myers added that he has “confidence that (the altercation) won’t erode the fabric of our team.”
Myers said he doesn’t believe the incident occurred due to tension with the two players’ extensions looming, having been told that the dialogue leading up to the altercation was “not anything more than normal bickering in a scrimmage.” He also said he’s having “ongoing” discussions with Poole’s agents about an extension, and the incident wouldn’t impact the talks with either player.
Green left the facility after apologizing and didn’t practice, but head coach Steve Kerr said he’ll rejoin the team on Saturday (Twitter link via ESPN’s Kendra Andrews).
Myers said the team has had its best preseason “vibe” during his tenure, and contract situations aren’t affecting team morale. Kerr refuted a report stating that Poole may have been the cause of some tension. “Someone put out there that Jordan had an attitude during camp — that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Kerr said, according to Andrews (via Twitter).

Draymond Green Had Physical Altercation With Jordan Poole

October 5th, 2022 at 9:38pm CST by Rory Maher

9:38pm: Poole wasn’t injured by Green’s punch and was able to finish his workout prior to leaving the floor, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

According to Vincent Goodwill and Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Green was apologetic after the incident. Apparently tensions had been simmering because teammates have noticed “a change in Poole’s behavior” during training camp with his extension looming, Haynes tweets. However, teammates didn’t think the escalation by Green was warranted, per Goodwill.

8:23pm: The Warriors are “seriously considering disciplinary action” toward Draymond Green after he “forcefully struck” Jordan Poole during a physical altercation at Wednesday’s practice, sources tell Shams Charania, Anthony Slater, and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.

According to The Athletic, the two players were “chest-to-chest” and “pushing and shoving each other” before Green escalated the incident by striking Poole. They were quickly separated after the altercation, sources told The Athletic.

Apparently Green and Poole have a history of disagreements, with The Athletic’s trio writing that the two players are “known to regularly get into verbal arguments,” but obviously this was different, and Golden State’s management believes Green went too far — internal discipline appears “imminent.” The team reportedly stopped practice to ease tensions after nerves were frayed, per The Athletic.

Both Green and Poole are key players for the defending champions, and both are facing important seasons for their individual careers. Poole is eligible for a rookie scale extension after a breakout third season, while Green could also become extension-eligible if he declines his $27,586,225 player option for 2023/24.

Green, a four-time All-Star who has spent his entire 11-year career with the Warriors, is well-known for his boisterous and sometimes line-crossing antics on the court. The ’16/17 Defensive Player of the Year is consistently one of the league leaders in technical fouls and was famously suspended for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals.

Warriors Notes: DiVincenzo, Poole, Iguodala, Baldwin

October 5th, 2022 at 3:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Although he was prepared to be on the move at the 2022 trade deadline, Donte DiVincenzo was surprised when he found out he was headed from Milwaukee to Sacramento, telling Anthony Slater of The Athletic that he thought he’d end up with the Celtics in a trade involving Dennis Schröder.

“I don’t know what happened. Somebody might’ve wanted too much,” DiVincenzo said. “But that was my impression, that I was going to Boston. The Sacramento one came out of nowhere.”

Since he was eligible for restricted free agency over the summer, DiVincenzo was fully prepared to remain with the Kings and was once again caught off guard when Sacramento opted not to give him a qualifying offer. DiVincenzo said he had “mixed emotions” about the chance to become an unrestricted free agent.

“I can pick where I want to go, but then you have the other side, like, ‘Damn, they didn’t want me? Do they still want me? Are they trying to do something with a cap hold or whatever?’” DiVincenzo said. “I didn’t understand all that stuff. But my mind was just open, spinning, hectic for a couple days.”

The former Villanova standout ultimately landed in Golden State on a two-year deal that includes a second-year player option, and he’s enjoying the Warriors experience so far, telling Slater that he has been especially impressed by the team’s communication on defense.

“Draymond (Green) is contagious. He’s the engine on defense. He calls out everything,” DiVincenzo said. “Once he does that, you hear (Kevon Looney), you hear (Andrew Wiggins), you hear Steph (Curry), you hear everyone talking. Last night, when I was playing with the younger guys, I felt like if I lock in and communicate on defense, it’ll be contagious to them. That’s fun. Dudes want to do things that normally guys don’t like doing in the NBA.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Tyler Herro‘s four-year, $120MM deal with Miami will likely change the way extension negotiations play out between the Warriors and Jordan Poole, Slater writes for The Athletic. While the two sides would like to reach an agreement on a new deal, the floor for Poole is probably higher now than it would’ve been when contracts like Anfernee Simons‘ ($100MM) and RJ Barrett‘s ($107MM) were the primary reference points.
After picking the Warriors to win just 39 games last season, John Hollinger of The Athletic admits he may not have a great feel for the team, but he projects the Dubs to go 53-29 in 2022/23 and views them as a “slight favorite” to return to the NBA Finals.
Having Andre Iguodala back for one more season may have a positive impact on the Warriors’ future, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, who notes that getting guidance and feedback from Iguodala for another year could benefit the club’s young prospects in the long run.
Could forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. enter the Warriors’ rotation as a rookie? Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area explores that possibility, noting that Baldwin’s teammates and coaches like what they’ve seen from him so far.
In case you missed it, the Warriors increased their preseason roster count back to the maximum of 20 earlier today by officially signing Anthony Lamb.

Warriors Sign Ty Jerome, Anthony Lamb To Camp Deals

October 5th, 2022 at 2:22pm CST by Rory Maher

OCTOBER 5: Lamb’s deal is also now official, the Warriors announced (via Twitter).

OCTOBER 4: Jerome’s deal is now official, according to the Warriors (Twitter link). As we noted on Monday, McClung and Trevion Williams have been waived to create room on the roster for the incoming players.

OCTOBER 3: The Warriors are waiving Mac McClung in order to sign Ty Jerome to a training camp deal once he clears waivers later today, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links).

Golden State will also sign Anthony Lamb to a training camp contract and he’ll be given a chance to compete for a roster spot, sources tell Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The team will have to waive another player to make room for Lamb, as the 20-man roster is currently full.

The 24th pick of the 2019 draft, Jerome spent his rookie season with the Suns before being sent to the Thunder as part of the Chris Paul trade. He spent the last two seasons with Oklahoma City, but was part of the eight-player deal that sent Derrick Favors to Houston, and was subsequently waived by the Rockets.

Jerome, a 6’5″ guard who helped Virginia win an NCAA championship in 2018/19, averaged a combined 8.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 2.6 RPG on .410/.353/.790 shooting with in 81 games with the Thunder (19.6 MPG). Slater and Charania reported on Sunday that the Warriors were talking to Jerome about joining the defending champions on a camp deal.

Lamb went undrafted out of Vermont in 2020 and signed a two-way contract with the Rockets during the ’20/21 season, appearing in 24 games (17.3 MPG) while averaging 5.5 PPG and 2.9 RPG on .390/.324/.857 shooting. He spent most of last season in the G League with Houston’s affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, averaging 17.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 4.8 APG and 1.3 BPG on .466/.390/.757 shooting in 31 regular season games (34.4 MPG).

The 24-year-old wing made two brief appearances with the Spurs on a 10-day hardship deal in January and Houston gave him another two-way contract at the end of March, but didn’t extend him a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. Lamb most recently competed with Team USA at the Americup tournament, finishing in third place after falling to Argentina, the eventual champions, in the semifinal.

McClung was an undrafted rookie in 2021. He signed a couple of 10-day hardship contracts with the Bulls in December and January, but only appeared in one NBA game for just three minutes. He also played one game for the Lakers at the end of his rookie season on a two-way deal, but wasn’t extended a qualifying offer.

The 23-year-old guard spent the majority of last season in the G League with the Lakers’ affiliate, South Bay, where he was named NBAGL Rookie of the Year. He appeared in Summer League action for the Warriors a few months ago, averaging 13.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 4.8 APG and 1.0 SPG on .456/.500/.818 shooting in five games (24.4 MPG), per RealGM.

Golden State has 14 players on guaranteed contracts after the return of Andre Iguodala and is expected to keep its 15th slot open due to luxury tax concerns. Jerome and Lamb are likely competing for two-way contracts, and those are currently held by Lester Quinones and Quinndary Weatherspoon.

NBA GMs High On Cavs’ Offseason Moves, Bucks’ Title Chances

October 4th, 2022 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers‘ acquisition of Donovan Mitchell made their offseason the most successful of any NBA team, according to the league’s general managers. In his annual survey of the NBA’s top basketball decision-makers, John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes that 41% of the GM respondents picked Cleveland as having made the best offseason moves, while 59% chose the addition of Mitchell as the move that will have the biggest impact.

The Timberwolves and Jazz were on opposite ends of one of the summer’s other blockbuster trades, but the two clubs tied for second (along with the Sixers) in the GM vote for which teams made the best overall offseason moves. Minnesota’s trade for Rudy Gobert was the second-leading vote-getter for the offseason’s most impactful single acquisition, earning 31% of the vote.

The team viewed by the majority of GMs as the title favorite for 2023 didn’t earn any votes for having the best offseason. According to Schuhmann, 43% of the poll respondents picked the Bucks to win next year’s Finals, with GMs apparently betting on continuity in Milwaukee. The Warriors (25%), Clippers (21%), and Celtics (11%) also received votes.

Here are a few more interesting results from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:

NBA general managers expect the Clippers – who will have Kawhi Leonard back – to be the most improved team in 2022/23. L.A. received 41% of the vote, with the Cavaliers and Pelicans at 17% apiece.
The Celtics‘ trade for Malcolm Brogdon earned the most votes (28%) for the summer’s most underrated acquisition. The Sixers‘ signing of P.J. Tucker and the Clippers‘ addition of John Wall were the runners-up, with 14% each.
Asked which team has the most promising young core, NBA GMs overwhelmingly chose the Cavaliers (41%) and Grizzlies (38%). The Pistons (10%) were the only other club to get multiple votes.
NBA GMs view Magic forward Paolo Banchero as the best bet to win Rookie of the Year (79%) and also chose him as the 2022 draftee most likely to be the best player in five years (31%), narrowly edging Thunder big man Chet Holmgren (28%). As for the steal of the draft, GMs were split between Pistons big man Jalen Duren and Rockets forward Tari Eason (14% apiece), among many others.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic was picked as the favorite to win MVP, earning 48% of the vote from NBA GMs. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks came in second with 34%.

Warriors Waive Trevion Williams

October 3rd, 2022 at 3:13pm CST by Rory Maher

The Warriors have waived big man Trevion Williams, the team’s PR department announced (via Twitter). Golden State also confirmed that it has waived Mac McClung, as expected.

Williams and McClung were waived to reportedly make room for Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb on the 20-man training camp roster. Williams was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal, so he could earn a $50K bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate. McClung’s contract did not contain Exhibit 10 language.

Williams, 22, went undrafted in June’s draft. He had a productive college career with the Purdue Boilermakers, earning a couple of All-Big Ten honors the past two seasons while averaging a combined 13.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 2.7 APG while shooting 53.5% from the floor and 55.2% from the line in 65 games (30 starts, 22.3 MPG). He was named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in 2021/22.

It took a month for Williams to find an NBA contract even though he was high on ESPN’s list of best undrafted players. He spent Summer League with the Celtics and appeared in two preseason games with Golden State, averaging 2.5 PPG and 3.5 RPG in just 5.7 MPG.

Ty Jerome May Join Warriors On Training Camp Contract

October 2nd, 2022 at 8:39am CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors are talking with Ty Jerome about a training camp deal once he clears waivers on Monday, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Jerome would be given a chance to compete for a roster spot, sources tell Slater and Shams Charania.

Golden State has 14 players with guaranteed contracts after the return of Andre Iguodala and is expected to keep its 15th slot open due to luxury tax concerns. Jerome’s best bet appears to be a two-way contract, and those are currently held by Lester Quinones and Quinndary Weatherspoon.

Jerome, a 25-year-old shooting guard, was shipped Friday from the Thunder to the Rockets in an eight-player trade. He was waived on Saturday, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Jerome was selected by the Sixers with the 24th pick in the 2019 draft, but was traded twice before making his NBA debut. He spent one season with the Suns before being sent to the Thunder as part of the Chris Paul deal in 2020. He was a rotation player in Oklahoma City the past two seasons, averaging 8.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 81 combined games.

The Warriors currently have a full 20-man roster, so someone would have to be waived to make room for Jerome.

Thompson Held Out Of Tokyo Exhibitions

October 1st, 2022 at 11:15am CST by Dana Gauruder

Klay Thompson was held out of playing in Tokyo this week because he didn’t do any scrimmaging this offseason after the Warriors won the title, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “I didn’t play much this summer,” Thompson said. “With what I went through the last summer, I was healthy, popping my Achilles, it was really hard for me to get out of it, mentally. It’s hard to explain. It’s a mental block or something.”
During the preseason opener in Tokyo, Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo played 17 minutes off the bench, contributing nine points, seven rebounds and two assists. He also didn’t commit any fouls or turnovers. Those types of contributions are why the Warriors added him, Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. DiVincenzo signed a two-year, $9.3MM contract early in free agency.

Warriors Notes: Thompson, Wiseman, More

September 30th, 2022 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

The Clippers are taking a cautious approach this preseason with a handful of veteran players, with head coach Tyronn Lue announcing on Thursday that Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, John Wall, and Reggie Jackson won’t play in the team’s preseason opener in Seattle on Friday (Twitter link via Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times). The Warriors are going the same route with Klay Thompson, holding him out of the club’s two preseason contests in Japan, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
The Warriors‘ preseason opener on Friday showed the new simplified offensive role the team envisions for center James Wiseman, who was primarily used as a slasher and roller en route to a 20-point, eight-rebound game, Slater writes for The Athletic.
Logan Murdock of The Ringer takes a look at the Warriors‘ efforts to balance their title defense in the short term with their vision of the franchise in the long term.

Kerr: JaMychal Green Was "Critical" Offseason Addition

September 28th, 2022 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

According to head coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors viewed JaMychal Green as a “critical” offseason addition because he adds some much-needed veteran experience to a young bench. Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area has the story.