Draymond Green Rumors | Hoops Rumors

More Contract Details: White, Lyles, A. Holiday, Draymond, D-Lo, More

July 11th, 2023 at 7:24am CST by Luke Adams

Coby White‘s new contract with the Bulls and Trey Lyles‘ new contract with the Kings both include unlikely incentives that could increase the value of those deals, Hoops Rumors has learned.

White’s three-year pact is guaranteed to be worth at least $36MM and has $1.3MM in annual incentives that could push the guard’s earnings up to $40MM in total. As for Lyles, he’ll make $8MM guaranteed salaries in each season of his two-year deal with Sacramento and could earn another $1.2MM in bonuses, which would increase the overall value of the contract to $18.4MM ($9.2MM per year).

Here are a few more details worth noting on several recently signed contracts:

Aaron Holiday‘s one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Rockets is only partially guaranteed. Holiday is assured of about $1.05MM and would receive his full $2.35MM salary if he remains under contract through at least January 7.
Draymond Green‘s four-year, $100MM contract with the Warriors includes a 15% trade kicker, while Jevon Carter‘s three-year, $19.5MM deal with the Bulls has a third-year player option.
Only the first season of Julian Champagnie‘s new four-year, $12MM contract with the Spurs is guaranteed. For each of the following three years, he’ll have to remain under contract beyond August 1 to guarantee his salary for that season.
A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year deal (or a two-year deal with a second-year option) has the right to veto a trade, since he’d lose his Bird (or Early Bird) rights if he’s dealt. However, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement allows a player to waive that right to veto a trade when he signs that sort of contract, and Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell became the first player to do so, per Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Alex Len also waived his right to veto a trade as part of his new one-year deal with the Kings, Hoops Rumors has learned.

Warriors Notes: Curry, Draymond, Saric, Paul, Myers

July 9th, 2023 at 3:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

A galvanizing Stephen Curry speech made to rally his Warriors ahead of an eventual Game 7 victory against the Kings in this year’s first round informed the team’s eventual summer ethos, writes Tim Kawakami of The Athletic.

Kawakami argues that all of the team’s front office moves since that moment, as conducted by new GM Mike Dunleavy Jr., stem from its impact. Golden State’s offseason thus far has been highlighted by its decisions to re-sign All-Defensive big man Draymond Green, move on from pricey sixth man Jordan Poole in favor of a potential one-year Chris Paul rental, and generally lean on veteran depth a bit more than the club did last year.

There’s more out of Golden State:

Head coach Steve Kerr is relishing the chance to coach Green again on the Warriors this season, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN. “We’re really excited to have Draymond back,” Kerr said. “Given that he plays so well with Steph and Klay [Thompson], it was really a no-brainer to try to bring him back.”
The Warriors also made a move to shore up their front line, agreeing to sign veteran floor-spacing big man Dario Saric to a one-year, minimum deal. Anthony Slater of The Athletic and Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area consider the 6’10” vet to be a decent bench defender in addition to his three-point shooting abilities.
In a conversation on the flagship ESPN program SportsCenter (YouTube video link), Curry reflected on the addition of longtime rival Paul onto the team’s roster, as well as the subtraction of longtime GM Bob Myers, who left the Warriors this summer.

Draymond Green Re-Signs With Warriors On Four-Year Deal

July 8th, 2023 at 1:12pm CST by Rory Maher

JULY 8: The Warriors have officially re-signed Green, the team announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

JUNE 30: Draymond Green is re-signing with the only club he’s ever known, agreeing to a four-year, $100MM contract to remain with the Warriors, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The final year of the deal will be a player option, Charania adds. Marc Stein reported shortly before free agency officially opened that $100MM to return to Golden State was looking likely for Green. He previously declined his $27,586,224 player option for 2023/24 in order to sign a long-term deal, which has come to fruition.

Green, 33, is one of the most accomplished players of the 2023 free agent class. The 2016/17 Defensive Player of the Year, Green is an eight-time All-Defensive Team member, four-time All-Star, and two-time All-NBA member.

More importantly, he’s a four-time NBA champion, spearheading Golden State’s defense during the team’s dynastic run over the better part of the past decade. You can easily make the case that he’s been the most impactful defensive player of his generation.

The forward/center is also an accomplished play-maker, holding a career average of 5.6 APG. In 73 games last season, he averaged 8.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 6.8 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.8 BPG on .527/.305/.713 shooting in 31.5 MPG.

According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Warriors will save $43MM toward the luxury tax in ’23/24 as part of the deal. Green will earn $22.3MM next season, with annual raises in subsequent seasons.

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Murray, Fox, Clippers, Preston

July 5th, 2023 at 6:00pm CST by Rory Maher

On a recent episode of Podcast P with Paul George (YouTube link), Draymond Green said new point guard Chris Paul will help stabilize the Warriors‘ second unit and “unlock” one of the team’s former lottery picks.

“CP can anchor that unit…and I think that is a big thing to helping unlock our team again…I’ll tell you one more thing that I think it unlocks and I look forward to learning this from him; I think Chris Paul will completely unlock Jonathan Kuminga and his growth. CP is great with young guys,” Green said (hat tip to HoopsHype).

The Warriors are trading Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, Patrick Baldwin, a top-20 protected 2030 first-round pick, and a 2027 second round pick to the Wizards for Paul. The deal isn’t official yet but likely will be tomorrow once the free agency moratorium lifts.

Here’s more from the Pacific:

Kings forward Keegan Murray is once again shining in Summer League action. As he prepares for his sophomore season, the first-team All-Rookie member is working with star guard De’Aaron Fox on a daily basis, writes Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “I’ve been with him every single day so far this summer,” Murray said. “We play one-on-one three, four times a week so that’s helped me a lot in different areas on the court.” For those curious, Murray said he has yet to beat Fox one-on-one, though he’s come “very close.”
Additional trades could still be in the works, but it appears as though the Clippers‘ free agency work is done, according to Law Murray of The Athletic, who examines the team’s moves this offseason. With 16 players on standard contracts and Jason Preston on a non-guaranteed deal (it will be guaranteed July 18), the young guard’s performance during Summer League will be critical for his future with the team, says Murray.
Speaking of Preston, he said he underwent LASIK eye surgery and had another procedure to fix a deviated septum, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. The 23-year-old former second-round pick missed his entire rookie season after foot surgery and appeared in just 14 games with the Clippers in 2022/23.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Draymond, Preston, Duarte, Kings

July 1st, 2023 at 10:58am CST by Rory Maher

The Lakers made some roster changes yesterday, agreeing to free agent deals with guard Gabe Vincent and forwards Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish. They’re also signing big man Jaxson Hayes to fortify their frontcourt depth.

Vincent will replace Dennis Schröder, who wound up signing with Toronto after the Raptors lost Fred VanVleet in free agency. That transaction came after the Vincent deal was reported.

Team sources tell Jovan Buha of The Athletic that the Lakers contemplated re-signing Schröder, but believe Vincent is a better player and will provide more value. According to Buha, head coach Darvin Ham was one of the people “strongly in favor” of bringing Schröder back.

Despite waiving Mohamed Bamba before his $10.3MM salary became guaranteed, the center is still interested in returning to Los Angeles, a source tells Buha. However, Buha’s article was released before the team agreed to sign Hayes, and the Lakers still have Wenyen Gabriel and Tristan Thompson as free agents.

Here’s more from the Pacific:

Draymond Green and the Warriors both had negotiating wins for his new four-year, $100MM contract, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. As Slater explains, the Warriors got significant tax savings for 2023/24 by Green taking a first-year pay cut compared to his declined player option, while Green got a fourth year tacked on to the end of the deal.
Clippers and guard Jason Preston mutually agreed to push back his salary guarantee date to July 18, a source tells Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The 33rd pick of the 2021 draft out of Ohio University, Preston missed his entire rookie season after undergoing right foot surgery. Preston only appeared in 14 regular season games for a total of 124 minutes this past season. The 23-year-old spent most of ’22/23 in the G League with the team’s G League affiliate. His salary will remain non-guaranteed for now.
The Kings and Pacers were reportedly nearing an agreement Friday morning on a trade that would send wing Chris Duarte to Sacramento in exchange for draft compensation. However, as of Friday night, the two teams had yet to agree to terms, a league source tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.

Pre-FA Updates: Toppin, Cavs, Niang, Strus, Draymond, Warriors, More

June 30th, 2023 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

With just minutes before free agency begins and a flurry of contract agreements are reported, we have a few items to pass along:

The Pacers have emerged as the leading candidate to trade for Knicks forward Obi Toppin, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). Ian Begley of SNY.tv, who confirms that the two sides have recently been in contact about a potential Toppin deal, says New York is seeking draft compensation and notes that Indiana could potentially acquire the forward and his $6.8MM expiring contract using cap room, so the Knicks wouldn’t have to take a player back.
A scenario in which the Cavaliers sign Georges Niang and acquire Max Strus – either via sign-and-trade or by signing him outright – is being viewed as “increasingly likely,” according to Stein (Twitter link).
The latest whispers Stein from has heard from his sources suggest Draymond Green may get a four-year, $100MM deal to re-up with the Warriors (Twitter link).
Former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker is back with the team that drafted him, at least for a few games in July. The Bucks announced today that Parker is on their Las Vegas Summer League roster.
The Timberwolves have hired former NBA forward Corliss Williamson as an assistant coach, they announced today in a press release. Williams was previously a member of coaching staffs in Sacramento, Orlando, and Phoenix.

Warriors Rumors: Green, DiVincenzo, Kuminga, Poole, Paul, Thompson

June 30th, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors are optimistic about re-signing Draymond Green and have been discussing a three-year deal with his representatives, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype and Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Slater says trading for Chris Paul was a win-now move that the team wouldn’t have made without a level of confidence that Green will return. He projects a new contract for Green starting close to the range of the $27.6MM player option that he declined, but adds that every $1MM the Warriors can save is important because of their inflated tax bill.

There may not have been a realistic market for Green in free agency, Scotto adds. The Kings were floated as a possibility because their head coach is former Warriors assistant Mike Brown, but Scotto points out that they’re hoping to sign Kyle Kuzma and had to work out a new deal with Harrison Barnes. The Pistons and Grizzlies were also mentioned, but Slater states that Memphis dropped out of consideration with the Marcus Smart trade.

There’s more on the Warriors:

Donte DiVincenzo is expected to sign elsewhere and may be able to land a non-taxpayer MLE, which would be more than twice what Golden State can offer him, according to Scotto. Sources tell C.J. Holmes of The San Franciso Chronicle that the Knicks have emerged as the favorite to land DiVincenzo, who prefers to play on the East Coast and is hoping to receive a contract starting at $9-12MM. However, Scotto isn’t convinced that DiVincenzo would be a good fit in New York considering the number of guards already on the roster.
The Pacers were among the teams that inquired on Jonathan Kuminga, offering mainly draft assets in return, sources tell Scotto. Slater also cites interest from the Raptors and says Golden State began asking about OG Anunoby before the trade deadline. However, Slater doesn’t believe the Warriors have been shopping Kuminga, saying the organization still has confidence in him and he’ll likely be on the team when next season begins.
The decision to part with Jordan Poole in the trade for Paul was necessary to unload his contract, but coach Steve Kerr welcomed the chance to move on from a player who was fourth in the league in turnovers last season and often took poor shots, Slater states. Slater envisions Paul as the leader of the second unit, helping to develop young players such as Kuminga and Moses Moody.
Getting rid of Poole’s contract increases the chances for a Klay Thompson extension, according to Slater. Paul’s $30MM salary for 2024/25 is non-guaranteed, so more long-term money is available for Thompson. Slater doesn’t believe the Warriors have started negotiating a salary with Thompson yet, but he expects the veteran guard will have to accept a reduction from his current $43MM.

Free Agency Rumors: Brown, Temple, Green, Suns

June 28th, 2023 at 10:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers are strongly interested in signing versatile Nuggets free agent Bruce Brown, multiple sources tell Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link). Brown, who is in line for a substantial raise after playing an important role in Denver’s first NBA championship, turned down his $6.8MM player option last week.

The Nuggets only hold Non-Bird rights on Brown, which limits them to an offer around $7.8MM — a 20% raise on what he made last season. L.A. may have access to its full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will be approximately $12.4MM.

Brown was an ideal addition when Denver picked him up as a free agent last summer. He averaged a career-high 11.5 points per game during the regular season and logged the most minutes of any Nuggets bench player in the postseason.

There are more free agency rumors to pass along:

The Pelicans have reached an agreement with Garrett Temple to extend the deadline for guaranteeing his $5.4MM contract for next season, moving it from Thursday to July 7, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN (Twitter link). New Orleans is currently $2.8MM below the luxury tax, and pushing back Temple’s guarantee date provides time for other cost-cutting moves, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Temple only appeared in 25 games last season, averaging 6.5 minutes per night. The Pelicans still face several decisions by Thursday, Lopez notes, as they have to determine whether to pick up team options for Herbert Jones ($1.8MM), Naji Marshall ($1.9MM) and Willy Hernangomez ($2.6MM), along with whether to make a qualifying offer to Jaxson Hayes.
Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (Twitter link) is dismissing an internet rumor that Draymond Green traveled to Portland to meet with Damian Lillard about signing with the Trail Blazers. Fentress’ sources say Green is still considered very likely to re-sign with the Warriors.
Spurs forward Keita Bates-Diop and Nets forward Yuta Watanabe are free agents who might be interested in joining the Suns on minimum deals, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7FM.
The Sixers aren’t expected to give Louis King a qualifying offer, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). The 24-year-old forward, who played in just one NBA game last season, will become an unrestricted free agent.

Kings Rumors: Barnes, FA Targets, Kuzma, Lyles, Sabonis

June 27th, 2023 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

Harrison Barnes‘ departure from Sacramento this offseason appears increasingly likely, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, who identifies the Pacers as a “strong contender” to sign the Kings‘ free agent forward.

As previously reported, Barnes’ connections to Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton and head coach Rick Carlisle could make Indiana an appealing landing spot for him. Fischer says Barnes is close with Haliburton, who played with him in Sacramento, and has support from Carlisle, who coached him in Dallas.

Here’s more on the Kings:

Sacramento’s decision to trade Richaun Holmes and the No. 24 pick in Thursday’s draft to Dallas in order to generate additional cap room has rival executives speculating that the Kings have a specific move in mind for free agency, says Fischer. While Khris Middleton and Draymond Green have been floated as possible targets, those veterans are considered likely to remain with the Bucks and Warriors, respectively, according to Fischer, who hears that the Trail Blazers and Pistons may nonetheless make a run at Green.
The name gaining the most traction as a possible Kings free agent target is Kyle Kuzma, according to Fischer. The Jazz‘s trade for John Collins should take a rival suitor for Kuzma off the market, Fischer explains, since Utah is unlikely to pursue another significant frontcourt piece in free agency after adding Collins.
Besides using their $33MM+ in cap room to pursue Kuzma, the Kings will also likely look to bring back free agent forward Trey Lyles and renegotiate and extend Domantas Sabonis‘ contract, Fischer reports, estimating that a new deal for Sabonis could be worth in the neighborhood of $120MM over four years.

Damian Lillard To Meet With Trail Blazers Officials About His Future

June 26th, 2023 at 1:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

1:37pm: The meeting will take place on Monday, tweets Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT. Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, will also be present.

8:51am: The Trail Blazers’ lottery luck and the addition of a strong rookie class weren’t enough to change Damian Lillard‘s mind about playing with a young team, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic.

General manager Joe Cronin said over the weekend that he’ll talk with Lillard once the star guard returns from a vacation in France (Twitter link from Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan in Portland). That meeting is expected to take place early this week, giving Lillard and the Blazers time to map out their future before the start of free agency on Friday.

Portland landed the No. 3 pick in this year’s lottery and was able to add a potential future star in Scoot Henderson. The Blazers also picked up Kris Murray at No. 23 and Rayan Rupert at No. 43, adding three more prospects to the collection of young talent already on hand.

However, it’s not the type of team that Lillard prefers as he nears his 33rd birthday next month. Lillard declared after the regular season ended that he wants Cronin to add some veterans who will help turn the Blazers into a contender, and he has repeated that stance in subsequent interviews.

Amick hears that Lillard’s dream scenario is to re-sign Jerami Grant and add Draymond Green in free agency. The Warriors are reportedly confident about their chances to keep Green, but Amick states that the size of his contract could still become an issue.

Amick also points out that the Blazers don’t currently have enough cap room to sign Green, who’s believed to be seeking a new deal with a starting salary in the $20MM range. A sign-and-trade could be possible, although Amick believes a third team would have to be involved to make the financial aspects work.

Amick mentions Raptors forwards Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby as other possibilities, but he notes that Toronto has numerous teams that are interested in both players.

An important part of this week’s meeting will be for Lillard to gauge the front office’s commitment to upgrading the roster in time for next season, sources tell Amick. If he believes Cronin and owner Jody Allen are serious about building a contender, then he’ll hold off a decision about his future through at least the early part of free agency. If he’s not convinced, Lillard could decide to ask for a trade, possibly before free agency begins.

If that happens, Amick singles out the Heat as the main team to watch. Lillard has “serious interest” in going to Miami, sources tell Amick, and the Heat are believed to be equally interested in acquiring him.

Lillard’s desired destination will factor into any trade because of his years of service in Portland and the size of his contract, Amick adds. With four seasons left at $216MM, including a $63MM player option for 2026/27, Amick states that it’s hard to imagine any team trading for Lillard unless he wants to go there.