- A decision on whether Andre Iguodala will retire or return to the Warriors will be made in the coming days, coach Steve Kerr said in an interview with 95.7 The Game (Twitter link). “We’ll touch base in the next couple days. (GM Bob Myers) and I are giving him the space to make whatever decision he wants. We’ll support him either way, but we hope he comes back.” Iguodala said on his podcast hasn’t yet decided what he wants to do, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.
- Klay Thompson‘s brother Mychel Thompson has been named as video coordinator for the Warriors, according to a team press release. On the coaching staff, Hilton Armstrong and Anthony Vereen have been named player development coaches and Will Sheehey has been named player development analyst.
SEPTEMBER 8: The Warriors have officially announced the deal in a press release (Twitter link). It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, Hoops Rumors has confirmed.
AUGUST 31: Free agent guard Jerome Robinson will sign a training camp contract with the Warriors, according to a tweet from ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Robinson, 25, last played in the NBA with the Wizards during the 2020/21 season, but he only got into 17 games and saw limited playing time. Washington decided not to pick up Robinson’s fourth-year option, which would have paid him $5.34MM, and he was waived just before the end of the regular season.
Robinson was a lottery pick in 2018, having been drafted by the Clippers with the 13th selection. He was never able to carve out a role in L.A. and was sent to the Wizards in a three-team deal at the 2020 trade deadline.
He spent last season with the Warriors’ G League affiliate, so he already has a connection to the organization. He appeared in 22 games for Santa Cruz and averaged 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per night.
Golden State has 13 guaranteed contracts and may carry just 14 players into the regular season due to luxury tax concerns. That 14th spot will likely be reserved for Andre Iguodala, but if Iguodala retires or if the Warriors decide to carry a 15th man, there would be one available roster spot that Robinson can fight for.
While Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox is clearly locked in as the team’s starter at that position, the identity of his backcourt cohort is a bit up in the air. James Ham of The Kings Beat takes stock of the team’s options at shooting guard.
Ham identifies 6’7″ sharpshooter Kevin Huerter, acquired in a trade with the Hawks over the summer, as the option that makes the most sense fit-wise, but notes that free agent signing Malik Monk could get significant consideration as well. Inconsistent wing Terence Davis should get some run in the rotation, while Ham also examines the upside of young swingmen Sam Merrill and Keon Ellis.
There’s more out of California:
- Shooting guard Jerome Robinson faces an uphill battle when it comes to making the Warriors‘ regular season roster. C.J. Holmes of the San Francisco Chronicle details how the 25-year-old will need to prove his mettle in training camp. In his 2021/22 campaign with Golden State’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, the former lottery pick recorded averages of 20.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 3.8 APG in 22 games. Holmes writes that the team may be prioritizing a point guard or more size with the final one or two spots on its standard 15-man roster.
- The Warriors seem fully capable of mounting a solid title defense this season, HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan opines in a fresh season preview. Gozlan posits that Golden State’s excellent two-way play and deep roster of veterans, mixed with some intriguing youth, should make the team a formidable threat in the Western Conference.,
- On a recent episode of his podcast The Hoop Collective, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports that the Lakers were never involved in three-team trade talks between the Jazz and Knicks in a potential trade to send Donovan Mitchell to New York. The three-time All-Star was eventually dealt to the Cavaliers instead in a two-team deal. Windhorst adds that the Lakers appear to think that there is no deal for $47MM+ point guard Russell Westbrook, even with their tantalizing 2027 and 2029 first-round picks included, that will significantly upgrade their roster.
This is the second installment in our series examining players who are prime candidates for contract extensions. This series will explore the player’s strengths and weaknesses, and will evaluate what a fair deal between the player and his team might look like. We’re continuing today with a look at a player who was a key contributor to a championship team in 2022.
Rundown:
The 28th overall pick of the 2019 draft after two years at Michigan, Jordan Poole had a larger-than-expected role as a rookie due to major injuries to Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Unfortunately, he struggled mightily in his first pro season, appearing in 57 games (22.4 MPG) while averaging 8.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 2.4 APG on a ghastly .333/.279/.798 shooting line. His .454 true shooting percentage was last in the entire NBA, as was his -6.6 box plus/minus.
Things weren’t much better for Poole during the first few months of his second season in 2020/21, appearing in just 15 of Golden State’s first 36 games and receiving scant playing time (9.6 MPG). Since he wasn’t getting much NBA run, he was sent to the G League in February 2021 to work on his craft.
Poole displayed a newfound confidence and looked like a completely different player upon his return a month later, emerging as a major spark-plug scorer off the bench. Over his final 36 games (23.5 MPG), he averaged 14.7 PPG, 2.1 RPG and 2.4 APG on .433/.354/.870 shooting (.579 true).
In year three, Poole built upon the foundation he laid during that strong second half surge, appearing in 76 games (30.0 MPG) while averaging 18.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.0 APG on .448/.364/.925 shooting. He started 51 of those contests in the backcourt alongside Curry.
Out of all guards who averaged at least 18 points per night, Poole ranked fifth in true shooting percentage at .598 – an excellent mark. His .925 free throw percentage led the NBA.
More importantly, he was also a standout performer in the postseason, averaging 17.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 3.8 APG on .508/.391/.915 shooting (.654 true) in 22 games (five starts, 27.5 MPG) during Golden State’s title run.
Strengths:
Poole is an extremely shifty ball-handler who can create space for himself and teammates with ease. While he has a strong first step, what really separates Poole from other ball-handlers is how quickly he can change direction and how decisive he is – if he gains even a slight advantage, he goes straight to the hole.
Another element of Poole’s ball-handling that’s really impressive is that he has counter moves upon counter moves. He can string together a combination of intricate dribble moves in just a second or two, and even if the defender stops the first couple, he might unleash a crossover that leads them reaching on the third.
The 23-year-old is just as comfortable dribbling with his left hand as his right, and doesn’t really show a preference, which makes it really difficult to try to guess which way he’s going to go.
Poole isn’t the most explosive athlete vertically, but he’s very fast with the ball in his hands and excels in the open court. He’s a talented finisher around the basket, converting 62% of his looks at the rim — an above average mark (55th percentile, per DunksAndThrees.com). Many of those shots are very high-difficulty attempts as well.
Poole is an excellent scorer from all over the court. While he didn’t attempt many mid-rangers, he knocked down 46% of those looks (78th percentile). A big part of why he was so efficient is because the majority of his shots came either at the rim or from deep – he also gets to the line at a decent clip.
He employs side-steps and step-backs to create space for three-pointers, and 3.0 of his 7.6 attempts per game from deep came off the bounce, per NBA.com. He’s slithery coming off screens, and he’s very smart about using the screen a second time to free himself for a better look or a drive.
As with all of his teammates, Poole certainly benefits from all the attention Curry draws, but he’s perfectly capable of scoring in bunches on his own. During the last 12 games of the regular season, when Curry was injured, Poole averaged 25.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 6.2 APG on .421/.374/.954 shooting (.586 true) and didn’t look out of place as a primary option.
Poole is also a solid passer when he’s so inclined, though he definitely has a score-first mentality – his 21% assist percentage was in the 80th percentile, per DunksAndThrees.com.
Improvement Areas:
Poole has been a below average defensive player to this point in his career, and in order for him to take another leap as a player, he needs to get better.
According to NBA.com, opponents shot 1.7% better than their expected field goal percentage with Poole defending them — the second-worst mark on the Warriors — and that’s with the team trying to hide him on weaker offensive players. That figure rose to 4.7% better than expected in the playoffs.
Poole doesn’t really excel at anything on defense. He isn’t strong individually or as a help defender, and he doesn’t force many turnovers (0.8 steal and 0.3 block per night).
Poole was definitely a beneficiary of having several strong defenders around him – the Warriors had the second-best defense during the regular season, and that was their main collective strength in winning the championship.
He’s also a below average rebounder, pulling down just 3.4 per night, and at 6’4” he could stand to bump that number up closer to five, though it’s something he’s never been great at, even in college.
Another area of Poole’s game that needs work is his decision making. His 1.39-to-1 assist to turnover ratio in ‘21/22 was quite poor for a high usage player, especially someone who handles the ball as much as he does.
Lastly, while Poole has very deep range and certainly doesn’t lack in confidence, his 36.4% mark from three was only one percent above league average. If that number rises even a little bit, it would help his already very good efficiency.
Conclusion:
Poole’s statistics last season were fairly similar to Tyler Herro’s, and like Herro, I think Poole is almost certain to receive a nine-figure payday on his next contract. Since he was a late first-rounder, he has “only” earned a little over $6MM to this point. The prospect of receiving $100MM+, assuming the Warriors offer it, would undoubtedly be appealing.
When comparing Poole, Herro and the other young guards who set the market value this summer (Anfernee Simons, Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett all received $100-107MM in guaranteed money over four years), I personally think Poole might have the highest upside. But that doesn’t mean he’ll get the most money of the group, particularly in a theoretical extension.
The primary reason the Warriors might be hesitant to give Poole a lucrative extension is that they’re already a record-setting taxpayer, and they’d owe significantly more in taxes than the actual value of his salary. It would also lock in an extremely expensive roster for years to come.
There’s an argument to be made that Poole is a luxury, not a necessity, especially with Thompson healthy for a full season – I don’t buy that argument, but it’s not entirely baseless. The front office might have to choose between paying just one or two of Poole, Draymond Green or Andrew Wiggins, and all were very valuable contributors last season who are good at different things, so it would be a tough call.
If Poole bets on himself and declines an offer for, say, $110MM — which would carry a good deal of risk since he doesn’t have a long track record (plus injuries are always a concern) — there’s a chance he could get a max deal as a restricted free agent in 2023, which is projected to be worth $142,975,000 over four years.
The Warriors are optimistic that second-round pick Ryan Rollins will be ready for training camp, according to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Rollins, who signed a three-year contract in July, was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot shortly after the draft. The Warriors will know more about his status during the next couple of weeks as he ramps up his rehab.
The Warriors are bringing in a number of veteran free agents this week for workouts, league sources tell Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
According to Charania and Slater, some of the free agents taking part in the workouts are Ben McLemore, Elfrid Payton, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Kenneth Faried, Miye Oni, Ty-Shon Alexander, Wesley Saunders, and Jon Axel Gudmundsson.
Golden State also held similar free agent workouts in August, according to Charania and Slater, who say that Shabazz Muhammad, Solomon Hill, Tyler Cook, and Kelan Martin were among the players who participated in those sessions about two weeks ago.
The purpose of this week’s workouts is twofold — as Tim Kawakami of The Athletic tweets, the players currently on the Warriors’ roster are beginning their informal pre-camp work at the team’s facility this week, so the free agents who join them will help ensure there are enough bodies to play 5-on-5 scrimmages. Additionally, there’s an expectation that the Warriors could sign one or more of the auditioning veterans to their 20-man training camp roster, per Charania and Slater.
Golden State currently has 18 players under contract (13 on guaranteed standard deals), with Jerome Robinson expected to be the 19th. That leaves one spot available for now.
Andre Iguodala has yet to decide whether he’ll retire or return to the Warriors for another season, so it’s possible he could fill that 20th and final roster spot (and become the 14th man on the team’s projected regular season roster). Robinson, Mac McClung, Pat Spencer, and Trevion Williams are among the camp invitees who could compete for a place on the 15-man regular season roster, especially if Iguodala doesn’t return.
Charania and Slater also note that that, while Lester Quinones and Quinndary Weatherspoon are currently on two-way deals, those roster spots are flexible. According to The Athletic’s duo, the Warriors are high on Weatherspoon, who is a candidate to join the 15-man roster either this fall or later in the season
After ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith claimed that Warriors guard Jonathan Kuminga hasn’t been focused, his teammate from last season, Andre Iguodala came to his defense, Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. Smith suggested that Kuminga’s actions and attitude have shown a lack of discipline this year.
“My young fella, I’m on his head,” Iguodala said on his “Point Forward” podcast, as relayed by Rodriguez. “He took some licks from Stephen A. I don’t know how warranted they were because from what I heard he been doing what he supposed to do this summer.”
Kuminga, 19, averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game last season, shooting 51% from the floor. It’s unclear exactly what Smith heard — possibly related to Kuminga’s work ethic or demeanor — but Iguodala seems to be confident in the second-year player’s progress.
Here are some other notes from the West:
- Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal examines which young NBA cores may challenge the Grizzlies the most in 2022/23. Led by Ja Morant‘s stellar campaign, Memphis finished with the second-best record in the league last season, surprising onlookers. Among the teams Cole listed are the Timberwolves, who sport a trio of D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns — plus recently acquired Rudy Gobert from the Jazz.
- In the second part of a series, Kelly Iko of The Athletic examined the results of his Rockets fans survey. Among the questions Iko asked was which Rockets player needs to take the biggest leap next season, with Jalen Green finishing first. Green averaged 17.3 points during his rookie campaign last season, shooting 43% from the floor and 34% from deep.
- Warriors veteran Andre Iguodala defended teammate Jonathan Kuminga after ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith raised questions about the young forward’s attitude, relays Nathan Dougherty of Heavy. “My young fella, I’m on his head,” Iguodala said Friday on his “Point Forward” podcast. “He took some licks from Stephen A. I don’t know how warranted they were because from what I heard he been doing what he supposed to do this summer.”
Superstar guard Stephen Curry has no plans of leaving the Warriors, but he did admit which team he’d be willing to play for if that time ever came: the Hornets. Curry made his comments when the Charlotte City Council presented him with the key to the city this week (video link).
“I’ve always said I wanted to finish my career at Golden State because of how much it means and the experiences and teammates and the journey we’ve been,” Curry said. “Everybody asks me, ‘You wanna play one year for the Hornets and come back?’
“I am not breaking any news right now, I’m not making any promises. All I would say is if there was a team that I did want to play for that was not named the Warriors, that would be it.”
Curry grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, where his father, Dell Curry, played 10 seasons in the NBA. But it remains unlikely that he ever leaves the Warriors. Through his 13 seasons, he has been named an All-Star eight times, earned two Most Valuable Player awards and won four NBA championships with the franchise.
Here are some other notes from the Southeast:
- Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel consulted multiple medical experts in examining the outlook for Gary Harris and the Magic. Harris underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus this week, but no timetable was announced. He averaged 11.1 points per game last season, starting in 30 of his 61 contests.
- The Magic have unveiled a new state-of-the-art practice and training facility, the team announced in a press release. The $70MM facility spans 130,000 square feet. As relayed in the release, it’ll serve as the training site for the Magic and a sports medicine hub to Central Florida.
- In his latest mailbag for the Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman considers whether the Heat can win big this season despite not making any noteworthy additions. Miami’s success will largely depend on the improvement of its younger players, including Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Gabe Vincent and Omer Yurtseven. It’ll also hinge on how well Victor Oladipo plays, as he only appeared in eight regular season games last year.
The Warriors will either have to reach a rookie scale extension with Jordan Poole by October 17 or deal with him as a restricted free agent next summer. Either way, new contracts around the league are already setting his market value, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Anfernee Simons and Jalen Brunson, two guards with credentials similar to Poole, signed new free agent deals in excess of $100MM this summer. On Monday, RJ Barrett, who was part of Poole’s draft class, reached an extension agreement with the Knicks that could pay him up to $120MM over the next four years.
While those three players are accomplished, none has a playoff resume that can compare to Poole’s. At age 22, he was Golden State’s second-best offensive player on the way to an NBA title. He also showed that he can be a primary scorer if needed, averaging 26.0 points over 13 games late in the regular season while Stephen Curry was sidelined by a foot injury.
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Moses Moody saw limited playing time as a rookie, but he projects to have a much bigger role during the upcoming season, according to C.J. Holmes of The San Francisco Chronicle. Moody is expected to take over some of the minutes that formerly belonged to Gary Payton II, who signed with the Trail Blazers in July. “I’m telling you, he’s going to fill the stat sheet up,” an unidentified staffer said of Moody. “He’s just going to continue to get better and make plays.”
- The Warriors believe free agent addition Donte DiVincenzo‘s intelligence and toughness make him a perfect fit for their system, Holmes adds in the same piece. The coaching staff and front office have been impressed with DiVincenzo this summer, even though they’ve only seen him in individual workouts.
- Curry returned Wednesday to Davidson College, where he was inducted into the school’s hall of fame, had his number retired and received his diploma, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “This is an absolutely amazing day and an amazing moment for myself and my family,” said Curry, who completed his degree in May.