Warriors Rumors

Knicks/Celtics, Wolves/Lakers To Play On Opening Night

August 12th, 2024 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s opening night schedule will feature home games for the league’s two most accomplished franchises, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the Celtics will host the Knicks in the early game, while the Lakers will host the Timberwolves in the late game.

The Celtics, who won their record 18th NBA title in June, will receive their championship rings on opening night, which will take place on Tuesday, October 22. That game will be the first for the new-look Knicks, featuring Mikal Bridges.

The game between the Lakers and Timberwolves will feature several stars who participated in Saturday’s gold medal game in Paris, including LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Lakers and Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert of the Wolves.

Both games will air on TNT Sports, which will be distributing NBA games for one final year in 2024/25, assuming their lawsuit against the league doesn’t result in a new broadcast rights deal that begins in ’25/26.

The full regular schedule for the 2024/25 NBA season is expected to be released later this week, according to Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. In the meantime, here are a few more notable matchups, courtesy of Charania:

The new-look Sixers, led by former MVP Joel Embiid, reigning Most Improved Player Tyrese Maxey, and free agent addition Paul George, will host the Bucks on October 23 to open their regular season (Twitter link).
The first regular season game at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood will be played on October 23, when the Clippers host the Suns (Twitter link).
Klay Thompson and the Mavericks will visit the Warriors on November 12 in Thompson’s first trip back to the Bay Area (Twitter link). That will also be the first game of the in-season tournament (NBA Cup) for both Dallas and Golden State (Twitter link).
The NBA Finals rematches between the Celtics and Mavericks will take place on January 25 in Dallas and February 6 in Boston (Twitter link).
In case you missed it, 2024’s Christmas Day matchups were reported last week.

Christmas Day Games Include Sixers-Celtics, Lakers-Warriors

August 8th, 2024 at 9:20pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA’s leaked slate of Christmas Day games will feature several heavy hitters.

Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) that, as usual, five games will be broadcast, highlighted by a marquee matchup between two longtime Eastern Conference foes, the revamped Sixers and the Celtics. Boston, the reigning league champion, will host.

The schedule will be rounded out by several clashes between starry clubs, from veteran-laden squads to young up-and-comers. The Spurs will travel to Madison Square Garden to play the Knicks. A Western Conference Finals rematch is also on the docket, as the Mavericks will host the Timberwolves.

The newly Klay Thompson-less Warriors will host the Lakers, and the Nuggets will travel to Phoenix to face the retooled Suns.

Philadelphia almost completely overhauled its roster around incumbent All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The new additions are headlined by nine-time All-Star combo forward Paul George, who departed the Clippers to sign a four-year, maximum-salary deal with the Sixers. Philadelphia also signed seasoned free agents like forward Caleb Martin, center Andre Drummond, and shooting guard Eric Gordon while bringing back wing Kelly Oubre Jr.

The Celtics retained all of their own key players after going 64-18 in the regular season and 16-3 in the playoffs. A pair of new extensions for All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum and All-Defensive Team guard Derrick White highlighted the team’s transactions, though longer-term uncertainty looms as owner Wyc Grousbeck is looking to sell the franchise.

Led by Defensive Player of the Year and impending Olympic medalist Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs figure to improve on their paltry 21-61 record in 2023/24. The team signed 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul to a one-year deal this summer, and traded for veteran combo forward Harrison Barnes. San Antonio also used its No. 4 pick in the lottery on NCAA championship-winning UConn guard Stephon Castle, the 2023/24 Big East Freshman of the Year.

The Knicks, meanwhile traded for former All-Defensive small forward Mikal Bridges this summer to maximize their ability to switch on the wing. The team also re-signed free agent forward OG Anunoby to a long-term contract and free agent center/power forward Precious Achiuwa to a shorter-term deal, inked All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson to a contract extension, and brought aboard veteran point guard Cameron Payne for extra depth.

Fresh off its first NBA Finals appearance with star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Dallas added future Hall of Famer Thompson away from the Warriors as part of a sign-and-trade, while also acquiring young guard Quentin Grimes from the Pistons. Dallas also signed free agent wing Naji Marshall to a three-year deal.

After winning their first (two) playoff series in 20 years this spring, the Timberwolves traded for the draft rights to No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham and retained several of their own free agents.

While Golden State did lose out on Thompson, the Warriors quickly pivoted on the perimeter, signing free agent guard De’Anthony Melton and signing-and-trading for free agent wings Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield. The team is hoping to rebound from a finish as the West’s No. 10 seed and a quick play-in tournament exit.

Denver let free agent starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk in free agency and brought in reserve guard Russell Westbrook.

The Suns hired title-winning head coach Mike Budenholzer and signed Tyus Jones to a steal of a veteran’s minimum contract. Phoenix also brought back several of its own free agents, including wings Josh Okogie and Royce O’Neale and Damion Lee. The team also inked free agents Mason Plumlee and Monte Morris to minimum-salary contracts.

The most questionable omission from all this Christmas scheduling is clearly the Thunder, who claimed the West’s No. 1 overall seed last season and added ex-Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein via a lucrative three-year, $87MM deal. Oklahoma City also dealt guard Josh Giddey – who fell out of the starting lineup in the playoffs – to Chicago for All-Defensive wing Alex Caruso.

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having finished as the MVP runner-up last year and young pieces Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams set to develop, the Thunder look poised to contend for the West’s top seed once again.

Pacific Notes: DeRozan, Robinson, Abbott, Kuminga

August 8th, 2024 at 7:41pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With six-time All-Star swingman DeMar DeRozan joining the Kings this offseason (and veteran forward Harrison Barnes no longer on the roster), Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee speculates as to what the club’s new starting lineup will look like.

Anderson expects 2023 All-Stars De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis to be joined by Keegan Murray at a forward slot, with DeRozan also in the first five. Anderson notes that Sacramento head coach Mike Brown has some flexibility in terms of which player he wants to be his fifth starter, depending on whether DeRozan lines up at shooting guard or small forward.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Newly-signed Kings reserve big man Orlando Robinson‘s one-year, minimum-salary contract with the team features a partial guarantee of $500K, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Robinson will earn his full $2.09MM salary if he remains under contract through January 7.
First-year Lakers head coach J.J. Redick is adding more depth to his coaching staff. According to the agency CSE (Twitter link), Los Angeles has brought on Ty Abbott as its lead player development coach. Abbott previously served as the Bulls’ player development coach/coordinator from 2020-24.
Warriors wing Jonathan Kuminga is hoping to earn a maximum-salary deal in his rookie scale extension with the team, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reveals in a new episode of the “No Cap Room” podcast. “Jonathan Kuminga is entering the final year of his rookie deal where — according to… various sources — Kuminga and his representatives are looking for a full max extension,” Fischer said. A projected five-year max deal for Kuminga would be worth approximately $224MM.

Warriors Notes: Podziemski, Kuminga, Curry, Green, Moody, More

August 7th, 2024 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors viewed the Jazz‘s asking price in trade talks for Lauri Markkanen as one that would have made it a “bad deal” if they’d met it, sources tell Kendra Andrews of ESPN, which is why discussions between the two teams stalled. Those talks officially came to an end on Wednesday when Markkanen renegotiated and extended his contract with Utah, making him ineligible to be dealt until the 2025 offseason.

Confirming previous reporting from The Athletic, Andrews says the Warriors aren’t feeling any urgency to shift their focus to a new trade target now that Markkanen is off the board, citing team sources who say the club isn’t “hot on” any of the players currently available on the market.

The negotiations with Utah also showed that the Warriors intend to hang onto young players like Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga “very tightly,” Andrews writes, and would only be willing to move one or both of them in an “overwhelming” deal that made the team better in the long run.

For now, Podziemski, Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Trayce Jackson-Davis all appear poised to take on larger roles with the Warriors in 2024/25, though nothing will be handed to them, a source tell Andrews, meaning they’ll have to show that they deserve increased minutes and possibly starting spots. While Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are, of course, penciled in as starters, the other three spots in the starting five are considered “wide open” entering training camp, Andrews reports.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Curry and Green want to be consulted on the Warriors’ roster moves, but they’ve made it clear they don’t want to be “final decision-makers,” sources tell ESPN. “Steph has said, ‘Look, I do not want to be making those decisions. It puts me in a different spot than all of my teammates. I do not want that,'” one source said to Andrews. While the two stars are still adjusting to the fact that Klay Thompson is no longer on the roster, they’re excited about the moves Golden State has made this offseason, Andrews adds.
With Thompson and Chris Paul exiting Golden State this summer, adding scoring was the team’s top priority, which was the impetus for the addition of Buddy Hield in particular. The Warriors also expect Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton to contribute in that area while helping to solidify the defense, Andrews writes.
The Warriors haven’t engaged in any serious rookie scale extension discussions with Kuminga or Moody yet, but general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. has expressed interest in exploring deals for both players. Andrews suggests Moody’s next deal could be in the range of $11-13MM per year.
One front office source told Andrews that it was “actually really fun” to be able to operate below the tax aprons this offseason for the first time in years. That allowed the Warriors to use their full mid-level exception (on Melton) and acquire two players (Hield and Anderson) via sign-and-trade.
“Diversifying” the coaching staff and bringing in fresh faces was a goal this offseason, which led to the additions of Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse. A source referred to head coach Steve Kerr and Stotts as “kindred spirits” and said Kerr appreciates the offensive acumen and communication skills the former Blazers head coach will bring to the club. Stackhouse, meanwhile, is expected to team up with assistant coach Chris DeMarco in focusing on the defensive side of the ball, says Andrews.

Warriors Showing No Interest In Brandon Ingram, Zach LaVine

August 6th, 2024 at 10:43pm CST by Tristan Tucker

After not acquiring Lauri Markkanen from the Jazz, the Warriors are reportedly not currently showing interest in vying for the services of either Brandon Ingram of the Pelicans or Zach LaVine of the Bulls, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Tony Jones and Anthony Slater.

Even though the Warriors didn’t land either of their high-profile targets of the offseason after also striking out on Paul George, they aren’t panicking. They’re reportedly comfortable entering the season with their current 14-man group.

Both Ingram and LaVine have experienced limited trad markets this offseason, primarily due to their contract situations. LaVine has three years and approximately $138MM left on his deal, while Ingram – who is on an expiring $36MM contract – appears to be seeking a lucrative long-term extension.

The Warriors lost Klay Thompson this offseason but added De’Anthony Melton, Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and Lindy Waters. They also held firm on their refusal to include Brandin Podziemski in any potential trade for Markkanen, so they’ll be counting on him and fellow young players Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Trayce Jackson-Davis to continue to develop.

Golden State viewed Markkanen as a terrific fit due to his age and contract situation, but now that he’s on track to renegotiate and extend his contract with Utah, they know he’ll be unavailable until at least the 2025 offseason and will continue to evaluate their roster, per The Athletic.

Owning all but one of their future first-rounders (with the exception of a heavily protected 2030 pick) alongside their young players makes the Warriors a threat to pull off a blockbuster at any point of the season, and they’ll look to be buyers up to the February trade deadline.

Until then, the Warriors may seek smaller-scale trades through August and September more actively than what is typical from NBA teams, according to The Athletic’s report.

Lauri Markkanen Not Expected To Sign Extension Until After August 6

August 5th, 2024 at 10:44am CST by Arthur Hill

Jazz star Lauri Markkanen appears likely to delay signing his new extension until after Tuesday so he can ensure that he won’t be traded this season, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Markkanen will become renegotiation-eligible on August 6, which is exactly six months before the NBA’s trade deadline. Contract renegotiations trigger a six-month moratorium on trades, so if he waits until August 7 or later to accept the new deal, Markkanen can make sure that he’ll spend the entire upcoming season with Utah. Tony Jones of The Athletic previously stated that’s likely what will happen.

Veteran extensions are limited to a 40% raise in the first year, so Markkanen would normally be looking at $25,262,362 as the starting salary in his next contract. But because the Jazz still have more than $35MM in cap room, they can renegotiate his salary for 2024/25 from $18MM up to $42,176,400 and start the extension based on that number, giving him something in the neighborhood of a max deal.

With the clock ticking on Markkanen’s extension eligibility, it appears less likely that he’ll be traded before he can sign a new deal with Utah. The Jazz have reportedly been listening to offers, but have said they aren’t actively trying to move their All-Star forward.

Sources tell Fischer that the Kings and Warriors have both tried to deal for Markkanen since the start of free agency. Sacramento made “significant progress” in negotiations before trade talks collapsed in early July, Fischer adds. Golden State has also made offers for Markkanen, but Fischer’s sources say that Utah has prioritized Brandin Podziemski or Jonathan Kuminga, who are both viewed as starters for the Warriors this season.

Fischer also hears that the Spurs have expressed interest in Markkanen ever since he was a restricted free agent back in 2021, and San Antonio had hoped to acquire Markkanen in the sign-and-trade deal that sent DeMar DeRozan to Chicago that summer. The Thunder also had interest in Markkanen at the time, Fischer adds.

Fischer points out that Utah already has a large collection of first-round picks and trade swaps, so there’s limited value in acquiring more draft assets in exchange for Markkanen, a 27-year-old who’s playing at an All-Star level and wants to stay in Salt Lake City. Fischer believes that – except for the Kings – much of the trade talk surrounding Markkanen this summer has been “preliminary at best.”

Bobby Marks and Tim MacMahon of ESPN also examine the Markkanen situation, including the prospects of a last-minute trade. Their sources indicate that the Warriors and Jazz haven’t come close to reaching a deal, with one source saying Golden State is being “very protective” of Podziemski.

Pacific Notes: Jones, Durant, Podziemski, Christie

August 2nd, 2024 at 4:15pm CST by Luke Adams

While Tyus Jones surely expected to sign for more than the veteran’s minimum when he first reached free agency on July 1, he’s thrilled about his new opportunity in Phoenix despite settling for a one-year, $3MM deal. As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes, Jones raved during his introductory media session this week about what he views as an ideal fit with the Suns.

“I’m excited. I’m ready for the opportunity, ready to seize it, but for me, again, going back to the fit. I felt like the fit was perfect,” Jones said. “I’m ready for the season to be here already. I know we got some time, but I just want to hoop. I want to get out there with the guys, build our camaraderie, build our chemistry and ultimately compete for a championship. That’s our end goal.”

Jones told reporters that the Suns did a “great job” recruiting him and that the strength of the roster helped convince him to sign in Phoenix. He’s looking forward to serving as a facilitator within a high-powered offense led by Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.

“Just trying to make their job easy,” Jones said of his role. “Last year, I know Book, Brad had to do a lot of playing the one, kind of facilitating, orchestrating the offense. The fact that they can do that, but what they really do is put the ball in the basket and so I know it’s going to be up to me to put them in the right spots. Put KD in the right spots, put Book in the right spots, put Brad in the right spot, everybody.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

It’s unclear if Durant will receive the one-year, $59.7MM extension he’s eligible for before the regular season begins, but Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein tells Rankin that the relationship between the star forward and the organization is in a great place. “The most important thing is Kevin loves being here and we love having Kevin here,” Bartelstein said. “… I talk to (Durant’s manager) Rich Kleiman, who works with Kevin, all the time. Conversations are great not just on extension stuff, but on all things that have been going on.”
Appearing on The Dinner Table podcast, Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski made it clear he’s not bothered by the fact that his name has popped up in trade rumors this summer. In fact, he thinks it’s “fun” to see the discourse on whether or not he should be included in an offer for Jazz star Lauri Markkanen, as Will Simonds of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “No one likes to admit it, but everybody sees … the good and the bad,” Podziemski said. “For me, I think the bad can just be used as motivation. Obviously, my name has been in the Markkanen trade a lot, so if the trade doesn’t go through and I’m still here, to have a good second year and be like, ‘Good thing we didn’t trade him,’ would be cool for me.”
The Lakers are counting on third-year guard Max Christie to become a more significant part of their rotation as he begins a new four-year, $32MM contract, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. In particular, Christie expects to match up on defense with opponents’ top wing or backcourt scorers and has been working this offseason on building up his stamina in preparation for those assignments. “When you’re guarding the best player, all the actions are being run for him,” Christie said. “You’re running through screens, so that’s tiring. It’s hard. And then, especially if you’re chasing shooters … it’s fatiguing. … I want to keep growing my game, obviously defensively, looking ahead to next season.”

Western Notes: Morant, Clark, Stackhouse, Suns

July 28th, 2024 at 5:38pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant only made nine appearances last season after missing the first 25 games of the year due to a suspension and then his final 48 with a shoulder injury. Speaking to reporters on Thursday (Twitter link via WPSD’s Logan Whaley), Morant asserted he was about 75% healthy ahead of next season and sent a warning to the rest of the league.

“I feel like that’s still scary for whoever’s in front of me,” Morant said.

Memphis suffered a litany of injuries last season, with 33 players seeing playing time for the organization after various hardship signings. Morant, Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart played just 71 combined games and only two Grizzlies players appeared in 60 or more games.

If Morant comes back healthy, the Grizzlies will almost certainly factor into the Western playoff picture. The team won 50 or more games in the two seasons prior to 2023/24 and while last season was disappointing, the openings created by the injuries allowed young players like Vince Williams and GG Jackson to emerge as rotation options.

We have more from around the Western Conference:

Timberwolves two-way guard Jaylen Clark missed all of last season with an Achilles injury, but the UCLA product was all smiles even amid a tougher-than-expected first summer league with the team, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. The 53rd overall pick in the 2023 draft, Clark might not see much playing time on a contending Wolves roster, but he’s happy to simply be back on the court. He earned praises from his coaching staff in Las Vegas. “What I like about him is he picks up early and he’s very strong,” Wolves assistant and summer league head coach Chris Hines said. “He stands up guys. For him, it’s just finding how to drive and kick and get back to respace, set his feet and shoot the ball.“
Jerry Stackhouse was expecting to sit out a year from coaching after exiting from Vanderbilt, but the Warriors called him and he impressed Steve Kerr, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater details. “I don’t think the timing could’ve been more perfect for me,” Stackhouse said of joining the team as an assistant. The Warriors are reportedly excited to be bringing in a former player and plan on having Stackhouse run the team’s defensive schemes.
The Suns‘ ’23/24 season went far from expected, as the team bowed out in the first round of the playoffs following the formation of a “big three” consisting of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. In a subscriber-only story, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic breaks down his predictions and projections for next season. The Suns improved by adding Tyus Jones and generally did well in addressing their depth but as Rankin observes, it will be difficult to climb the standings if the likes of Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Dallas continue on their current trajectories along with mainstays like Denver.

Joe Lacob Reluctant To Trade Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski

July 27th, 2024 at 5:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors are rumored to be among the teams with the most interest in trading for Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, but team owner Joe Lacob tells Tim Kawakami of The Athletic that it would be difficult to part with either Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski in any deal. Lacob says teams have inquired about both players, but he sees them as future franchise cornerstones.

“We’re extremely high (on Podziemski),” Lacob said. “By the way, so are a lot of other teams that are interested. We get a lot of calls on both him and JK. We do on Moses (Moody), as well, by the way. … I do believe that if you talk about Podz in particular, I said it at the Summer League, I think he has the potential to be an All-Star in this league. And I absolutely believe it. And so does everyone in our organization. I think that JK is in the same boat. He has the potential to be an All-Star in this league. The potential.”

Podziemski showed he was ready for a rotation role in his first season, averaging 9.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 74 games and finishing fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting. Kuminga, who is extension-eligible this summer, has taken longer to develop his game, but he’s coming off a breakthrough season with career highs in virtually every category.

A recent report stated that Golden State hasn’t included Podziemski or Kuminga in its offer for Markannen, instead centering the package around Moody, other contracts and draft assets. That hasn’t been enough to sway Utah, which may not feel a need to move Markkanen before he becomes eligible to renegotiate and extend his contract on Aug. 6.

“I’m not going to get into specifics like that, there’s no way,” Lacob replied when asked if he would be willing to deal Podziemski. “(But) I don’t want to give him up, or JK. We love these guys. And Moses, Trayce (Jackson-Davis). These are good young players.”

Lacob offers more insights in the wide-ranging interview:

On a possible deal with Stephen Curry, who is eligible for a one-year, $62.6MM extension this summer that would push his contract through the 2026/27 season:

“We have not discussed it. He’s busy right now and he should stay busy and focused on that with the Olympics. But if he wants to talk about that, that’s up to him. He’s not said that at all, but if he wants to, we’ll certainly entertain that discussion. … Let’s put it this way, Steph Curry I fully anticipate he’ll be a Warrior for life. I thought Klay (Thompson) was going to be, too, but I was wrong.”

On Curry’s recent comments that he wouldn’t want to stay with the Warriors if they were to become a “bottom feeder”:

“From what I’ve heard, all he said was what you’d expect, I’d think, which is, ‘I want to win.’ And if we were a really bad team, I guess he would rethink, you know, whether he really wanted to finish his career here. But he didn’t expect — that’s not the case and he didn’t expect that to be the case. And certainly from any conversations I’ve had with Steph, and I’m pretty close to Steph, we talk a lot. I think we have a great relationship. I think he’s very comfortable with the path of the franchise and how hard we do try to put a great, as good a product on the court as we can.”

On the loss of Thompson, who had been an important part of the franchise since being drafted in 2011:

“To be frank and honest, Klay made the decision prior to the beginning of free agency and he informed us of it that his intention was to not come back. … He called me and said the same things you heard (at Klay’s Dallas news conference). Klay is an open book. He felt he needed for a variety of reasons to have a fresh start. I would love if Klay had been a Warrior for life. And under a fair and equitable basis, we wanted to try to achieve that very badly. We did achieve it with Draymond (Green) (last summer), a different situation. Steph’s under the contract. So we felt we on a path to do that. It just didn’t work out. … And we had to move on and accept that.”

Western Notes: Jazz, Clarkson, Draymond, Klay, Blazers, Kings

July 25th, 2024 at 8:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Within a look at the Jazz‘s potential depth chart, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune says that Jordan Clarkson hasn’t drawn any real trade interest this offseason, so it appears the veteran guard will still be on Utah’s roster when the regular season tips off this fall.

In Larsen’s view, Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and Keyonte George all possess similar skill sets as score-first guards who aren’t particularly strong on defense or super-efficient as shooters. While each of them may be best suited as a sixth man, Larsen projects George and Sexton as the starters, with Clarkson coming off the bench.

Rather than trying to start John Collins again alongside Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler in the frontcourt, the Jazz should give 2024 lottery pick Cody Williams a shot in the starting five, Larsen contends, noting that the team needs to gamble on upside and adding that Williams looks capable of fitting in as an offensive connector.

In his hypothetical Jazz depth chart, Larsen has Isaiah Collier, Taylor Hendricks, and Drew Eubanks joining Clarkson and Collins on the second unit.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Appearing on the Club 520 Podcast with Jeff Teague (YouTube link), Warriors big man Draymond Green said he’s happy Klay Thompson was able to move on from Golden State this summer — for Thompson’s sake. “I’m happy as hell he’s gone, and the reason I’m happy he’s gone is because he wasn’t happy anymore,” Green said. “As a brother, I only want what’s best for you. Not what’s best for me, not what’s best for this team, not what’s best for the organization. … To see him unhappy – I wouldn’t even necessarily say unhappy, he was uneasy though, just bothered – and to see him that way… that bothered me. … I think it was time for him.”
The Trail Blazers have announced an addition to their coaching staff, issuing a press release to officially confirm the hiring of Ronnie Burrell as an assistant under Chauncey Billups. A former UNC Greensboro standout and a professional player in Europe, Burrell spent last season on Brooklyn’s staff after serving as head coach of the Long Island Nets in 2022/23.
Jim Moran, who coached the Rip City Remix in the G League last season, is joining Mike Brown‘s staff as a Kings assistant, league sources tell Sean Cunningham of FOX 40 Sacramento (Twitter links). Moran previously served as an assistant under Dwane Casey in Detroit and Terry Stotts in Portland, Cunningham notes.

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