New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

New York Notes: McBride, Towns, Claxton, Fernandez

October 28th, 2024 at 8:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Miles McBride is a player development success story for the Knicks and has a chance to be the team’s first Sixth Man of the Year in more than a decade, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. The fourth-year guard didn’t play much in his first two seasons, but he got coach Tom Thibodeau’s attention by improving his game behind the scenes. He emerged as a rotation member last season and has become a vital part of the second unit following the team’s offseason moves.

“From the front office down to the coaching staff and my teammates, there has been a lot of belief in me,” McBride said. “It gives me a lot of confidence to go out there and do what I do.”

After trading RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto last year, New York signed McBride to a three-year, $13MM extension that’s turning out to be a team-friendly contract. Edwards notes that the organization’s faith in McBride made it easier to part with Donte DiVincenzo last month in the deal for Karl-Anthony Towns.

“Every time he was called upon, he was ready,” Thibodeau said. “I think it was a byproduct of the work ethic. When he went down to the G League, he played really well. Anytime he was thrust into the rotation, he played really well in those situations.”

There’s more from New York City:

Towns appreciates having more chances to play in front of his family after the Knicks acquired him from Minnesota, per Ethan Sears of The New York Post. His father still coaches in New Jersey at the school where Towns once played. “It’s special to be around family more often,” Towns said. “My niece and nephew being able to be at more of my games and being able to see them grow up on my off-days. It’s really special. Definitely special to be back home.”
Nic Claxton is still coming off the Nets‘ bench after missing the preseason with a hamstring injury, but he looks close to reclaiming his starting job, observes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Claxton played a season-high 22 minutes Sunday night, helping to control Giannis Antetokounmpo while posting 10 points, 11 boards and two blocks. “I’m still finding [my rhythm]. I’m still finding it,” Claxton said. “It’s gonna take some time. But I felt better today being out there just helping out trying to just make something positive happen on every single possession. And I did that.”
The Nets gave Jordi Fernandez his first win as an NBA head coach on Sunday, Lewis adds in a separate story. It was extra special because his family flew in from Spain to watch the game. “You have to enjoy this moment, because there’s only one time that you’re the head coach when you win a [first] game,” he said. “On the other hand, I also feel like what’s the next step, and we’ve got to move on to the next thing. I want to be in this league, I want to be with this club for a long time.”

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Walker, Claxton, Hart, Raptors

October 27th, 2024 at 4:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League affiliate, officially announced their training camp roster this weekend ahead of the 2024/25 NBAGL season. The roster features several players who were in camp with the NBA team earlier this month, including Ron Harper Jr., Jay Scrubb, Tristan Enaruna, and Dmytro Skapintsev.

However, there’s one notable absence among the players waived by the Celtics during the preseason: Lonnie Walker.

Walker’s contract with Boston included a $77.5K Exhibit 10 bonus that he could earn by spending at least 60 days with Maine, and he said in September that he was “perfectly fine” with the idea of playing in the G League. But it appears as if he’s still weighing his choices.

While playing in the G League may be the most logical path back to the NBA for Walker, there are other options available to him this season. The veteran wing was rumored last week to be drawing interest from Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Nets center Nic Claxton, who was sidelined by a hamstring injury during the preseason, has come off the bench in the first two games of the regular season and has been on a strict minutes limit, logging 15 minutes on Wednesday and 20 on Friday. That limit will increase again on Sunday, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. As Lewis writes in a full story, it sounds like head coach Jordi Fernandez will only reinsert Claxton into the starting five once he’s been cleared for a starter’s workload. “Obviously, you can be creative. But if you go to starter minutes, then it’s somewhere around low 30s, because I think if you do more, health is an issue,” Fernandez said. “But for me, starters usually play starting at 24 all the way to 33-34, that range.”
Josh Hart struggled to find his fit in the Knicks‘ new-look starting five during the preseason, but those frustrations haven’t carried over to the regular season, writes Andrew Crane of The New York Post. After scoring 20 points on Friday in the team’s first win of the season, Hart made light of his preseason comment about feeling “lost” on offense. “I was just having fun with y’all, man,” he told reporters. “I knew I was going to be solid. It was preseason. I have a good feel for everybody. I think we’re all really getting into a rhythm offensively and, more importantly, defensively — playing with each other, seeing where everyone likes the ball and those kind of things. I’m good.”
A lawsuit filed by ex-Clippers strength and conditioning coach Randy Shelton against his former team opens an old wound for Raptors fans, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. The suit alleges the Clippers conducted an extensive recruitment of Leonard during his time in Toronto that “leapt well beyond the bounds of the NBA constitution” and included sending then-assistant GM Mark Hughes to about 75% of the Raptors’ games in 2018/19. Leonard, whose desire to play in Southern California was widely known, left Toronto for L.A. in 2019 immediately after winning a title with the Raptors.

Knicks Notes: Towns, Bridges, Hart, Robinson

October 26th, 2024 at 8:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Playing his first home game at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, Karl-Anthony Towns looked to be well worth the price the Knicks paid to acquire him from Minnesota, writes Andrew Crane of The New York Post. Towns was the centerpiece of the offense as New York dismantled Indiana by 25 points. He finished with 21 points, 15 rebounds, two blocks, a steal and 10 free-throw attempts while appearing comfortable operating under coach Tom Thibodeau’s system once again.

“I just always want to impose a lot of energy into the game and amplify my teammates,” Towns said, “and I thought that was a good opportunity [with the dunk] to get some energy instilled to us — and the crowd obviously was bringing a lot of energy.”

The Knicks were successful with Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein in the middle last season, but they haven’t had a center who can score like Towns for a long time. Jalen Brunson is excited about the potential for the offense as team chemistry continues to improve.

“I’m learning a lot,” Brunson said of playing with Towns. “He has so much gravity on the floor when he’s out there. People have to respect that. Obviously, he’s one of the best shooters in the league.”

There’s more from New York:

Mikal Bridges seems to have calmed any fears about his jump shot, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. There were concerns about Bridges’ shooting mechanics heading into the season, but he went 8-of-12 from the field on Friday and scored 21 points. “No one is gonna shoot great for 82 games,” Thibodeau said. “Oftentimes, you’re in preseason and just trying to work through things and get in a rhythm, and you’re trying to figure out a new system and new teammates. And each day, that gets better and better. But if you think logically, this guy has shot almost 38% from three for his career. Me, I’d bet on that.”
The Knicks displayed resiliency after getting blown out by Boston on opening night, notes Chris Herring of ESPN. The defense was much more aggressive, forcing a rare scoreless night by Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton. “Whenever you get your butt kicked on national TV in the NBA, it means you have to step it up,” Josh Hart said.
A source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that Robinson is still expected to return from ankle surgery in December or January, but that timetable could change. Robinson hasn’t talked to reporters since undergoing the operation in May, but he updated his condition Thursday in a livestream video on social media. “You seen what happened when I rushed to come back? I was back out,” Robinson said. “At this point, I gotta make sure I’m good for life, too. C’mon, now. Let’s not be selfish here. … But we’re going to be good. We’re going to be all right. We’re going to be okay. Promise you, we’re going to be straight.”

NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

October 26th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Each of the NBA’s 30 teams is permitted to carry 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, which works out to a maximum of 540 players across 30 rosters.

Of those 540 potential roster spots, 524 are currently occupied, leaving 16 open roster spots around the NBA. Three of those open roster spots belong to a single team, while 13 other clubs have one opening apiece.

[RELATED: 2024/25 NBA Roster Counts]

Here’s the full breakdown:

Three open standard roster spots

New York Knicks

As we’ve previously discussed in stories about the Knicks, teams can only keep two or more spots on their standard rosters open for up to 14 days at a time, so New York will have to add two players to reach the 14-man minimum by November 5 at the latest.

The Knicks’ roster situation is further complicated by the fact that they don’t have enough room below their hard cap to fit two veteran minimum-salary contracts, meaning at least one of the two players they add to the standard roster will have to be a rookie whom they drafted.

Rookie big man Ariel Hukporti is the frontrunner to receive a promotion from his two-way contract, but it remains unclear who will join him by Nov. 5. Landry Shamet was the favorite to fill the other spot, but won’t be considered until he recovers from his dislocated shoulder. Matt Ryan has been rumored as a potential target, but it might make more sense to have him fill the two-way slot that Hukporti vacates.

One open standard roster spot

Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
New Orleans Pelicans
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings

Many of these teams are carrying an open roster spot for luxury tax reasons. The Celtics, Cavaliers, Warriors, Heat, Pelicans, Sixers, and Suns are all over the tax line, while the Pacers, Grizzlies, and Kings don’t have much breathing room below it. Most of those teams will add 15th men eventually, but they’ll be in no rush to do so yet.

The Pistons, meanwhile, still have about $10.2MM in cap room, which could come in handy in an in-season trade. They could add a 15th man if they want to, but they probably won’t do so unless there’s a specific target they really like, since bringing someone else on board would cut into their remaining cap space.

Of all the teams in this group, the Rockets may be the best bet to add a 15th man sooner rather than later, since they’re well above the cap and well below the tax, so there are no concerns related to finances or spending flexibility. Still, they have a deep roster, so there’s no point in filling that roster spot with someone who will just sit on the bench. The Rockets might keep it open unless they get bitten by the injury bug or have their eye on a specific prospect they want to develop.

One open two-way roster spot

Orlando Magic

In past seasons, a team without a G League affiliate of its own might be slow to fill its two-way contract slots, but all 30 NBA clubs now have affiliates in the NBAGL, so there’s no real excuse not to carry a full complement of two-way players.

With training camps set to get underway on Monday for G League teams and the season tipping off on November 8, it wouldn’t surprise me if Orlando fills its lone two-way opening within the next week or two.

And-Ones: Franchise Valuations, Breakout Candidates, Bitim, More

October 26th, 2024 at 9:21am CST by Luke Adams

Forbes has released its NBA franchise valuations for 2024, and according to Justin Teitelbaum and Brett Knight, the Warriors are the league’s most valuable team for a third straight season, with an estimated valuation of a whopping $8.8 billion. The Knicks ($7.5 billion), Lakers ($7.1 billion), Celtics ($6 billion), and Clippers ($5.5 billion) round out Forbes’ top five.

As Teitelbaum and Knight detail, franchise valuations are up 15% as a whole from last year’s estimates, with an average of $4.4 billion for the league’s 30 teams. Forbes projects that none of those 30 clubs would sell for less than $3 billion if it were put on the market today, with the No. 30 Grizzlies coming in at a valuation of exactly $3 billion.

According to Forbes, new and renovated arenas – which have led to an increase in local revenue via premium seating and sponsorship revenue – have helped spur growth across the league. Teitelbaum and Knight suggest that the Warriors’ total revenue during the 2023/24 season reached $800MM.

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

John Hollinger of The Athletic published an 11-player list of prime breakout candidates on Friday, naming Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, Raptors forward RJ Barrett, Hornets guard Tre Mann, and Rockets jack-of-all-trades Amen Thompson as a few of the players he believes are poised for big seasons.
Relaying reporting out of Turkey, Dario Skerletic of Sportando writes that forward Onuralp Bitim is believed to be drawing interest from Anadolu Efes in the EuroLeague after being waived by the Bulls last week. Bitim made his basketball debut with Anadolu Efes earlier in his career and also spent time with multiple other clubs in his native country of Turkey before signing a two-way contract with Chicago in the summer of 2023. He averaged 3.5 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 23 NBA games (11.7 MPG) last season.
Grizzlies center Zach Edey sits atop the rookie power rankings published by Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link). Woo’s list, which ranks players based on their potential to make an immediate impact in 2024/25, also has Rockets guard Reed Sheppard, Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, Spurs guard Stephon Castle, and Wizards big man Alex Sarr in the top five.
Ben Golliver of The Washington Post takes a look at the new court designs for this season’s NBA in-season tournament and explains why last season’s issue with slippery surfaces shouldn’t be a problem this time around.

G League Notes: Knicks, Shamet, Ryan, Bronny, Knox, More

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

The Cleveland Charge, the Cavaliers‘ G League affiliate, announced on Friday (via Twitter) that they’ve traded the No. 2 pick in Saturday’s NBAGL draft to the Westchester Knicks in exchange for the No. 3 pick and the returning rights to two players (forwards Troy Baxter Jr. and Milhan Charles).

As a result of the deal, the Knicks’ G League team now holds the top two picks in Saturday’s draft, and Marc Stein (Twitter links) reports that there’s an expectation Westchester will use those selections to nab veteran wings Landry Shamet and Matt Ryan, both of whom are draft-eligible in the NBAGL this fall.

As Stein explains, the Knicks want Landry Shamet to be able to rehab his dislocated shoulder within the organization and have been eyeing Ryan as a potential roster addition at the NBA level. Having both players at Westchester wouldn’t stop another NBA team from poaching them, but it would put the Knicks in good position to promote one or both of them to the NBA squad at some point this season.

According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), there’s still optimism within the organization that Shamet will be able to avoid surgery on his right shoulder injury.

Here are a few more G League notes ahead of Saturday’s draft:

Lakers guard Bronny James will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip from October 28 to November 6 and then will begin bouncing back and forth between the NBA and the G League, according to Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who share more details on the Lakers’ plans for the rookie. The NBAGL’s fall “Tip-Off Tournament” begins on Nov. 8.
The Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s affiliate, acquired the returning rights for Kevin Knox in a three-team trade with the Rip City Remix (Trail Blazers) and Westchester Knicks, per a press release. Knox had been in camp with the Warriors, but his contract didn’t include Exhibit 10 language, so it didn’t appear he was planning to join the team’s G League affiliate. Santa Cruz’s trade suggests that may happen after all.
The San Diego Clippers acquired Tosan Evbuomwan‘s returning rights along with the No. 31 pick in Saturday’s G League draft from the Motor City Cruise (Pistons) in exchange for this year’s No. 12 pick and a 2025 first-rounder (Twitter link). The deal ensures that Evbuomwan, who was signed and waived by the Clippers last week, will be eligible for his $77.5K Exhibit 10 bonus as a returning rights player for L.A.’s affiliate.
The Texas Legends (Mavericks) have traded the returning rights for guard Mike Miles to the Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves) in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick and a 2025 international draft pick, the team announced in a press release. Miles averaged 10.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 21.4 minutes per game across 29 appearances for the Legends last season.

Atlantic Notes: George, Embiid, Knicks, Hauser, Queta

October 24th, 2024 at 10:21pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Sixers star Paul George is continuing to progress well in his recovery from a bone bruise in his knee, but he will not be available for Philadelphia’s upcoming two-game road trip, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (Twitter link). The next update on George’s availability will come early next week, per Charania.

Earlier Thursday, head coach Nick Nurse said both George and Joel Embiid were participating in “most of the action” at practice (Twitter link via The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey). The duo did not participate in the five-on-five scrimmages but were doing some live work.

As we previously relayed, the NBA officially launched an investigation into Embiid’s player participation. He has already been ruled out for the first three games of the year. Without George or Embiid in the season opener, the Sixers lost by 15 points to Milwaukee. They next travel to Toronto and Indiana.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The new-look Knicks were the talk of the offseason after making massive swings by acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges via trade. However, they were defeated by 23 points in the opener against the Celtics, allowing 132 points. According to the New York Post’s Peter Botte, the Knicks are aiming to recovery quickly, starting at the defensive end. “That’s championship-level basketball. For us, it was a punch in the mouth and we gotta respond,” guard Miles McBride said. “Obviously, it’s a long year. Can’t overreact to one game, but I don’t think that’s how you go into a year and set the tone.“
Bridges acknowledged that the Knicks know they’re a work in progress, according to SNY Knicks (Twitter video link). “It’s not going to be right away,” Bridges said. “It’s going to take time and building. You can be a mediocre, a solid to okay team, but that’s not what we’re striving to be. We have to continue and get better every day.” The Knicks made the second round of the playoffs last year but struggled with injuries through the end of the year.
Celtics wing Sam Hauser, who played 24 minutes in the season opener and scored 10 points, missed Boston’s Thursday game against the Wizards, observes Spotrac’s Keith Smith (Twitter link). He’s dealing with lower back soreness.
Neemias Queta made a case for more minutes in the Celtics‘ win over the Wizards on Thursday, Brian Robb of MassLive writes. Queta scored 12 points and seven rebounds in just 14 minutes played, holding his own against Washington’s bigs. As Robb writes, the 25-year-old could help ease Al Horford‘s workload with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined.

Atlantic Notes: Bridges, Towns, Tatum, Thomas, Shead

October 23rd, 2024 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Neither of the Knicks‘ two major offseason acquisitions got off to the sort of start they were hoping for this season on Tuesday night in Boston.

While Mikal Bridges salvaged his night to some extent by making 7-of-8 shots for 16 points in the second half, he went scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting in the first two quarters, didn’t grab a single rebound in his 35 minutes on the court, and was a team-worst minus-33 in his Knicks debut, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Bridges also admitted he wasn’t at his best defensively against Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, who poured in 37 points.

“I definitely could have done better. I think my performance at the defensive end wasn’t that (good) for me personally, as well as our team,” Bridges said. “Me personally, I think I just could have been better, especially (against) a guy getting it and having that rhythm from the three, just getting up a little bit more (on Tatum).”

Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns had a relatively quiet night in his first game as a Knick, scoring 12 points and recording seven rebounds. The Celtics also frequently targeted him in screening actions, as Botte writes in a separate New York Post story. Like Bridges, Towns didn’t express concern about New York’s offense, but said the defense needs to be better.

“I just think that we just didn’t do enough defensively to give ourselves a chance to win the game,” the four-time All-Star said. “We’ve just gotta do a better job of executing on that end. Our defensive identity is what’s gonna give us a chance to do something great. Offensively, I think we showed tonight we can score, we’ve just gotta play defense.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Ahead of Tuesday’s regular season opener, Tatum spoke to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about what it means to have won his first title and why he believes the Celtics are well positioned to win another championship.
None of the three Nets players eligible for rookie scale extensions signed a new contract before Monday’s deadline, but that was expected, since Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams have played limited roles in their first three NBA seasons and extending Cam Thomas would’ve eaten into Brooklyn’s projected 2025 cap room. As Brian Lewis of The New York Post relays, Thomas said on Tuesday he’s not bothered by not having completed a deal, while head coach Jordi Fernandez told reporters he didn’t feel the need to discuss the guard’s contract situation with him. “Yeah, conversations have been great. I think he’s in a good place, and I didn’t see anything that I should go and talk to him about it, the way he feels,” Fernandez said. “I think he’s been great. He’s done his job, and we have a clear path and direction for what we’re trying to do.”
In an in-depth feature for Sportsnet.ca, Blake Murphy takes a closer look at what the Raptors are getting in Jamal Shead, a “high-IQ, high-motor” rookie guard who may have been overlooked this offseason as the third of four players selected by Toronto in the 2024 draft. “Jamal actually should have gone in the first round,” Kelvin Sampson, Shead’s former coach at Houston, said of the No. 45 pick. “There’s such an undervaluing of the things that he does well. … If you’re a coach, you want Jamal. All he does is win.”

Wolves Notes: Lore, A-Rod, Randle, Finch, Conley, Edwards

October 23rd, 2024 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

With an arbitration hearing around the corner, prospective Timberwolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez have put $942MM into an escrow account, according to reports from Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico and Shams Charania of ESPN.

As Novy-Williams explains, Lore’s and Rodriguez’s goal is to make it clear that there are no liquidity issues and that they have cash on hand to complete their purchase of the Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx if an arbitration panel rules in their favor. The group has also set aside about $300MM in working capital in the event that they’re given the go-ahead to assume control of the team, per Sportico.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst first reported last month on Lore’s and Rodriguez’s plan to put more than $900MM in escrow in advance of November’s arbitration hearing. The $942MM in escrow would be enough to fully buy out longtime Glen Taylor based on the terms of their agreement and would give the new owners 100% control of the two teams.

Lore and Rodriguez reached an agreement back in 2021 to buy the Timberwolves from Taylor for a valuation of $1.5 billion. The plan was for Lore and A-Rod to buy in gradually over three years, first purchasing a 20% stake in the team, then increasing that stake to 40% before assuming majority control earlier this year by bumping their stake to 80%. Taylor would have retained 20% of the franchise in that scenario.

However, Taylor announced in March that he’d be retaining his majority share of the Wolves due to the fact that the prospective owners missed their deadline for that third payment deadline (which would have taken them from 40% to 80%). Lore and Rodriguez disputed that claim, stating that they had submitted the necessary financial documentation and were awaiting league approval.

The arbitration hearing is set to begin on November 4. While Lore and Rodriguez are reportedly confident about their chances to prevail, it will likely take at least a few weeks for the panel to reach a decision.

Here’s more on the Wolves:

The bond between Julius Randle and Wolves head coach Chris Finch dating back to their time together with the Pelicans was one reason why Minnesota felt comfortable with the idea of acquiring Randle when they traded away Karl-Anthony Towns. Chris Hine of The Minneapolis Star Tribune and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic take a closer look at that bond, sharing some interesting tidbits of information and considering how the Randle/Finch dynamic will help determine the Wolves’ ceiling in 2024/25. As Krawczynski notes, Randle advocated for Finch back in 2020 when the Knicks were seeking a new head coach. “He just opened up my game and I became a really versatile player,” Randle said of his time with Finch in New Orleans, per Hine. “I always say, playing there and even still to this point, that was the easiest my game ever felt playing under Finch.”
At age 37, Mike Conley doesn’t feel as if his game is declining at all, but the Wolves will still take some extra precautions with the veteran point guard this season, Hine writes for The Star Tribune. The goal will be to reduce Conley’s playing time a little after he averaged about 29 minutes per game last season. “We feel like we could keep his minutes in the mid-20s,” Finch said. “So kind of save some miles there.”
Speaking to Jamal Collier as part of an ESPN feature story, rising Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards expressed a desire to spend his entire NBA career in Minnesota. “If I can, I’m trying to be here for my whole career,” Edwards said. “I ain’t trying to go nowhere.”
In case you missed it, the Wolves and Rudy Gobert agreed to terms on a contract extension that will keep the four-time Defensive Player of the Year under contract through at least 2027.

Warriors Rumors: George, Markkanen, Towns, Expectations

October 22nd, 2024 at 3:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., who spent a year as teammates with Paul George in Indiana in 2010/11, “led the charge” in the team’s efforts to acquire the star forward from the Clippers in June before George declined his player option and became a free agent this summer, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

As Slater outlines, Dunleavy got Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and head coach Steve Kerr involved in the recruitment of George, who was on board with the idea of picking up his player option and getting traded to Golden State. However, the Clippers decided they’d be better off not taking on significant salary in a trade with the Warriors.

“Paul George wanted to come here,” Green said. “So shout out to Mike. The Clippers just wouldn’t do (an opt-in and trade).”

There’s still some “fading frustration” within the organization about the failed pursuit of George, according to Slater, who says the Warriors may argue the Clippers underestimated their chances of losing the forward for nothing in free agency.

While Golden State’s subsequent pursuit of Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen was viewed as a Plan B after missing out on George, Slater says it was actually part of Plan A and that the Warriors initially wanted to land both players.

“The conversation was always about that possibility,” Green said. “You get both of those guys, you make a huge splash. But the Clippers weren’t really willing to play ball. Then (Jazz CEO) Danny Ainge was being Danny Ainge.”

The Warriors had hoped they’d be able to acquire George while preserving enough assets to meet Ainge’s asking price for Markkanen, Slater explains. They still talked to Utah about Markkanen after striking out on PG13, but at that point Dunleavy felt it wasn’t the right move for the team to go all-in for the Jazz forward.

“Mike is very sensible,” Kerr said. “He just said to me, ‘It doesn’t make sense to sell your entire future for a team that you think can be pretty good, but isn’t awesome, right?’ Especially at this stage with the ages of our stars.”

Here’s more out of Golden State:

The Warriors also spoke to the Timberwolves about a possible Karl-Anthony Towns trade before he was dealt from Minnesota to New York, league sources tell Slater. However, the Wolves targeted a specific Knicks package that the Warriors couldn’t replicate.
Despite striking out on top trade targets this summer, the Warriors are high on the players they added – Kyle Anderson, Buddy Hield, and De’Anthony Melton – and are more bullish than outsiders about their chances this season. According to Slater, the Warriors’ internal models have them in the top six in the West and there has been talk within the organization that 50-plus wins should be the expectation.
Still, that doesn’t mean the Warriors won’t continue to keep an eye out for a chance to acquire an impact player who could help take them to the next level. “We’re sitting about as good as we could, subject to the point that we didn’t catch the big fish that we were going after,” team owner Joe Lacob told Slater. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t. It just means we didn’t yet.”
Dunleavy told reporters on Tuesday that the Warriors aren’t concerned about not having reached an agreement on a contract extension for Jonathan Kuminga before Monday’s deadline, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link). “Not much has changed in regards to our hopes for his future with this team,” Dunleavy said. “Sometimes these things get done, sometimes they don’t. … Hope to get something done in the offseason.”