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Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Looney, Green, Iguodala, DiVincenzo

September 24th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors‘ first practice of the season was a valuable learning experience for James Wiseman, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Wiseman closed today’s session by working one-on-one with starting center Kevon Looney while big man coach Dejan Milojević looked on. Wiseman could only watch last season while recovering from a knee injury, so just being on the court is an important step forward.

“Watching Loon the last couple years has helped James,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “But now playing against him, he’ll be able to see and feel those tricks of the trade Loon is so good with — flipping the screen, catching the ball in the pocket, (dribble handoffs), all those things.”

Wiseman enters his third NBA season as the primary backup for Looney and may even start a few games when Looney rests. Looney played every regular season and playoff game last year, and the team doesn’t want to put that kind of strain on him again.

“I definitely want to play 82 again,” Looney said. “But I’m not going to compromise myself to do it. If I feel like I don’t look good or the training staff thinks I’m not moving as well or something is nagging me, I’ll take the break. But if I’m healthy, I’m going to play. I’m not going to sit because it’s a back-to-back just cause. I’m 26. I feel good. I missed a lot of years, so I have some games to make up.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Kerr was encouraged by Draymond Green‘s performance in today’s practice session, Slater states in the same piece. Green came to training camp straight from the Olympics last year, but there were concerns he wouldn’t be as sharp without an offseason competition to push him. “His conditioning looked good, his body looked good,” Kerr said. “He was really moving well both laterally and sprint speed up and down the floor. He was mentoring the young guys, coaching them up in drill work. Then on the floor, the blue team — with Looney, (Stephen Curry), (Andrew Wiggins) — that group just demolished everybody.”
The only player not at today’s practice was Andre Iguodala, who announced Friday that he will play one more year, Slater adds. Iguodala will report to practice Monday and will accompany the team on its trip to Japan. “He was planning on retirement,” Kerr explained. “This was sort of a last-minute decision for him. We gave him the freedom to do the things he already had scheduled. … His presence is going to mean the world to us. We have so many young guys. The more mentoring and coaching from within, the better.”
The Warriors’ history of success played a big role in attracting free agent Donte DiVincenzo, tweets NBA journalist Mark Haynes. “I wanted to get back to that winning culture,” DiVincenzo said. “The joy of playing simple winning basketball. I think I thrive in that.”

Warriors Notes: Training Camp, Wiseman, Poole, DiVincenzo

September 22nd, 2022 at 4:11pm CST by Rory Maher

Speaking to the media today, head coach Steve Kerr said the Warriors expect to have a fully healthy roster for training camp, with their first practice coming on Saturday, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter links). Rookies Ryan Rollins and Patrick Baldwin Jr., who dealt with injuries this summer, will have no restrictions.

As Slater notes, it will be the first full training camp for third-year center James Wiseman, with his rookie camp disrupted by the pandemic, followed by last year’s injury-plagued season, which saw him miss all of 2021/22 after multiple knee surgeries and setbacks. Kerr said Wiseman has gained confidence in his knee and is healthy now.

“He’s healthy. He’s played in a ton of pickup games in our building (the last month)…I think he’s got a lot of confidence in that knee now. That’s the first step. The next step is finding his role within this team,” Kerr said.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

President of basketball operations and general manager Bob Myers said he’ll meet with Jordan Poole‘s agents to discuss a rookie scale extension once the team returns from Tokyo in early October, according to Slater (via Twitter), who says it will be the “first substantial negotiations” about a potential deal. Golden State is playing a couple of preseason games against the Wizards in Japan on September 30 and October 1.
Regarding the possible extensions for Poole and other veterans on the roster like Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, Myers said the price points will play a factor. “We want all those guys. Can we get them all? I don’t know. It depends on the money … we’re not at the point where we can make those decisions yet,” he said (Twitter link via Kendra Andrews of ESPN).
Guard Donte DiVincenzo, who signed with the Warriors as a free agent this summer, has hired a new agent. He’ll now be represented by Jason Glushon of Glushon Sports Management, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal.

Warriors Notes: Green, Durant, Wiggins, Poole, Baldwin, Rollins

September 17th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant took a lot of heat for joining the Warriors in 2016 just weeks after they defeated his Thunder team in the conference finals, but Draymond Green believes Durant was interested in making the move long before that series. Appearing this week on the “Checc’n In” podcast, Green said Durant was attracted to Golden State because of its style of play (hat tip to Eduardo Razo of NBC Sports Bay Area).

“Everybody’s running pick and roll and taking advantage of mismatches because that was the cycle that the NBA was in,” Green said. “We then changed the game of basketball and how basketball was played. KD saw that. KD wanted to play that brand of basketball. KD wanted to play with us … In my heart, believe before it ever came to them being up 3-1. KD wanted to come to the Warriors.”

There’s more on the defending champs:

Andrew Wiggins‘ future with Golden State appears set, but Jordan Poole‘s is more uncertain, an anonymous Western Conference executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy. Both players are nearing the end of their current contracts, and the Warriors will face tough financial decisions on who they can keep. “Wiggins is like the opposite version of Harrison Barnes, where Barnes won rings early, then wanted to get a bigger role and be the star,” the executive said. “He got to do that for some bad teams and now it is, ‘Jeez, I wish I was winning again.’ Wiggins is going the opposite way. He’s pretty well set on staying with the Warriors, if they can pay him.” The executive believes Poole, who’s only 23, may have a desire to leave for a larger role with another team.
First-round pick Patrick Baldwin Jr. is expected to be ready when training camp opens, but the Warriors haven’t decided if he’ll play in the first two preseason games in Japan, according to C.J. Holmes of The San Francisco Chronicle. Baldwin sat out Summer League and rested through much of this offseason because of an ankle injury that dates back to high school.
A loaded roster will likely keep Ryan Rollins in the G League for most of his rookie season, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. Still, the Warriors liked the Toledo product enough to trade up to grab him with the 44th pick and give him part of their mid-level exception in a three-year, $4.8MM contract.

Atlantic Notes: Aldridge, Holden, Burrell, Simmons, Tucker

September 16th, 2022 at 8:41am CST by Dana Gauruder

Free agent big man LaMarcus Aldridge appears more likely to retire than to sign another contract, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix and Howard Beck said in the latest episode of The Crossover NBA Show (hat tip to NetsDaily).

Aldridge was productive in 47 games with the Nets last season, averaging 12.9 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 22.3 MPG. Aldridge went in retirement the previous season due to a heart condition but was cleared to play again by the league last fall.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

The Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, have named J.R. Holden as GM and Ronnie Burrell as head coach, according to a team press release. Holden spent the past three seasons as director of pro personnel for the Brooklyn Nets. Burrell rejoins the Nets organization after spending the 2019/20 season as an assistant coach with Long Island. Burrell was as an assistant coach with the College Park Skyhawks, the Atlanta Hawks’ affiliate, last season.
Ben Simmons could turn into the Nets’ version of Draymond Green, Ajayi Browne of NetsDaily.com notes. Putting Simmons at the center position could provide the most spacing possible for the Nets offensively due to his play-making skills. He’s also a defensive ace, finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year votes during the 2020/21 season.
After losing the conference semifinals to the Heat last season, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey felt P.J. Tucker would be a great fit if he could sign the veteran forward in free agency, Morey said in a podcast with Philadelphia TV sportscaster John Clark (hat tip to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson). “Just finished playing a series [against] P.J. Tucker. P.J. was able to really impact that series in a lot of ways with his toughness, with his high-level defense, with his energy on the floor, with his offensive rebounding,” Morey said. “And (Joel Embiid) correctly said, ‘Hey, we could use a guy like that.’”

Warriors Notes: Thompson, Iguodala, Green

September 15th, 2022 at 11:33pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson is hoping to get back to his previous All-Star-caliber output during the 2022/23 season, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Poole cautions that Thompson may no longer be quite as versatile on defense as he was through 2019, and may see fewer minutes guarding smaller perimeter players. However, Poole notes that the wing’s two-and-a-half seasons spent rehabilitating from major injuries have helped him flesh out his well-rounded offensive game even further than before. Poole also anticipates that Thompson could see his minutes reduced during the regular season, with the ultimate goal being the preservation of his body for a run at a fifth NBA title.

In his 32 healthy regular season games last year, all starts, Thompson still put up solid numbers for the eventual 2022 champs. He averaged 20.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.8 APG, posting .429/.385/.902 shooting splits.

There’s more out of Golden State:

The Warriors continue to keep a rotation spot open for reserve wing Andre Iguodala heading into the 2022/23 season, which would be the swingman’s 19th in the league. Anthony Slater of The Athletic explains that the 2015 Finals MVP has developed into one of the most trusted voices in the locker room for Golden State, even as his on-court contributions have become significantly more limited. The 38-year-old has said that he will announce his eventual decision regarding his future on his podcast.
During a potential contract year, All-Star Warriors power forward Draymond Green is looking to stay healthier than he did in the team’s title-winning 2021/22 season, when he looked like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate ahead of a midseason back injury that shelved him for two months, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.
In case you missed it, team president Bob Myers appeared on the TK Show with Tim Kawakami this week to discuss the team’s historic payroll, his expectations for Iguodala’s future, Golden State’s impending decision on its team option for oft-injured center James Wiseman‘s fourth season, and more. We have the highlights here.

Warriors’ Myers Talks Roster, Payroll, Iguodala, Wiseman, More

September 15th, 2022 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on The TK Show with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers said he expects to open the 2022/23 season with just 14 players under contract, leaving one opening on the team’s 15-man roster. However, he left the door open for that to change.

“I think we’d like to stay at 14, barring somebody that just snatches it,” Myers said. “But we said the same thing last year. If you would’ve been doing this podcast with me last year at the same time, I would’ve said the same thing. And (Gary) Payton (II) came along and took that job and put us in a spot where he kind of forced our hand to add him to the roster. If somebody does that (we’d keep them) — you know (team owner) Joe (Lacob) as good as I do, he wants to win. But I don’t see that. I actually hope it doesn’t happen because it’s just another big chunk on top of a pretty big payroll.”

Addressing the Warriors’ record-setting payroll, Myers acknowledged that there are “constraints,” but he said he has never been given a specific line that he can’t cross and that those financial decisions are made on a situational basis.

Golden State’s long-term cap outlook will play a role in the team’s ability to lock up Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green, all of whom can reach free agency in 2023. Myers told Kawakami that he hopes the franchise can find a way to retain all three players long-term.

“We’ve had conversations with all three players (and) their representatives. I’m not going to get into the likelihood or not of any of them getting done, but we know how important they are. I don’t know that we win a championship last year if you take any of them away,” Myers said. “… Too early for me to say what will happen or won’t happen, but the goal is to keep those guys, all three of them, as long as we can. But again, there’s a financial component.”

Here’s more from the Warriors’ top basketball executive:

The Warriors expect a decision from Andre Iguodala soon and are hoping that he decides to return to the team for at least one more year. “He’s one of the few people in the world who can look (Stephen) Curry or Draymond or Klay (Thompson) in the eye and meet them at their level, but also grab a Jordan Poole or (James) Wiseman or (Jonathan) Kuminga and speak to them and encourage them,” Myers told Kawakami. “There’s no one else in the league that can do that for our team. And we think he can still play and help us in certain spots. So we really want him back. This isn’t like a charity thing. It’s not, ‘Oh, you know, we can’t not say yes to Andre because he’s won championships.’ We have pursued him more than he has pursued us.”
Myers acknowledged that the Warriors could use one more ball-handler, but suggested the team may not address that need right away. “If you’re talking about just a point guard, that player probably only plays if Curry or Poole is out. So you’re talking about 12 minutes if one of them is out,” Myers said, noting that the team could use a two-way slot to sign that sort of player. “… That also may be a situation where if (an injury) does happen and we need to add, we would add on the fly rather than rostering somebody right away. … That’s where the latitude of the 15th spot may be good too, to see how things break, and if we need a guard, we can add one as we go.”
Myers expects rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr. (ankle) and Ryan Rollins (foot) to be ready to go for training camp. “Patrick’s been playing pick-up for the last few weeks and Ryan’s just about to start,” he told Kawakami.
Barring another injury this fall, there’s “no reason to think” the Warriors won’t exercise Wiseman’s fourth-year rookie scale option for 2023/24 by next month’s deadline, according to Myers. That option would pay the former No. 2 overall pick approximately $12.1MM.

Western Notes: Marjanovic, Cauley-Stein, Lakers Arena, Warriors

August 22nd, 2022 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

What is the status of the ever popular Boban Marjanovic? According to Marc Stein in a Substack post, Marjanovic has a place on the Rockets’ opening night roster despite an excess of big men.

Marjanovic was dealt by Dallas as part of its package for Christian Wood. He has one season left on the two-year, $7MM contract he signed last offseason.

Alperen Şengün is projected as Houston’s starting center, with Bruno Fernando and Willie Cauley-Stein also vying for spots on the regular season roster.

We have more from the Western Conference:

The addition of Cauley-Stein isn’t official yet, as Houston must clear a roster space to sign him. He’s a low-risk, potentially solid-reward addition, Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes in his latest mailbag. Over the past five seasons, Cauley-Stein’s teams defended nearly five points better with him on the floor, Iko notes. He’s still athletic enough to play in Houston’s up-tempo system and should help the team defensively.
The home arena for the Lakers and Clippers in undergoing major renovations over the next three summers, according to David Wharton of the Los Angeles Times. Upgrades are being made at every level of Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as the Staples Center. The upgrades include new jumbo screens, updated concession stands, a better sound system and an enhanced “fan experience.” The Clippers are scheduled to leave for their new arena in 2024.
Which member of the Warriors’ big three will leave? In a mailbag post, Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett speculates that Draymond Green is the only one who might depart in the near future. Stephen Curry has four years left on his deal and is the face of the franchise, while Klay Thompson has two years left on his contract and will likely sign another with Golden State. Green can opt out of his contract after next season and the heavily taxed Warriors may pin their hopes on one of their young frontcourt players emerging at a lower cost, Bulpett writes.

Eastern Notes: Pistons, D. Green, Celtics, Sixers

August 12th, 2022 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

An Eastern Conference executive who spoke to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com believes the Pistons are a team to watch if Draymond Green doesn’t sign an extension with the Warriors before he becomes eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2023. Green was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, attended Michigan State, and grew up rooting for the Pistons, who have long had interest in acquiring him, according to the executive.

“(Pistons owner Tom) Gores is a Michigan State guy, and they wanted to give Draymond an offer sheet when he was a free agent (in 2015), but by then, the Warriors were going to match any offer,” the executive told Heavy.com. “So they just have not had the chance. If they can show some improvement this year with their young guys, they could get themselves in the mix.”

The idea of Green playing a mentor role on a young Pistons team is an intriguing one, and the combination of his local connection, Detroit’s projected 2023 cap room, and the rising cost of the Warriors’ roster make it a possibility worth considering. But for now, this feels more like idle speculation by a rival executive than anything concrete.

If Green and the Warriors are far apart in contract talks and he seriously considers leaving in 2023, Detroit could certainly emerge as an option, but there’s no reason at this point to think that Golden State won’t make every effort to lock up one of the cornerstones of its recent dynasty.

Here are a few more notes from around the East:

In a separate story for Heavy.com, Sean Deveney spoke to a pair of assistant coaches about veterans the Celtics could theoretically target with one of their trade exceptions if they want to fortify their frontcourt. Alex Len, Tony Bradley, and Marquese Chriss are among the names mentioned, though I suspect the team may simply fill that spot on the depth chart with a minimum-salary signing.
Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com considers the best- and worst-case scenarios for newly-signed Sixers forward P.J. Tucker, noting that the veteran’s age (37) increases the risk of a decline in his performance.
Addressing recent rumors linking Kevin Durant to the Sixers, David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer says the team needs to answer two important questions: Do the 76ers have the assets necessary to acquire Durant? And if so, would it make sense to cash all of them in for the two-time Finals MVP?

Kerr, Draymond Convinced JaMychal Green To Join Warriors

August 2nd, 2022 at 7:58am CST by Luke Adams

New Warriors forward JaMychal Green said during his introductory press conference on Monday that he had been preparing to join another NBA team before he received a call from Golden State head coach Steve Kerr that made him change his mind, as Kendra Andrews of ESPN details.

“He told me that (the Warriors) were interested, that they wanted me here, wanted me to be a part of the program,” Green said. “After talking to him, I couldn’t tell him no. The organization and what they built over here, I’d love to be a part of it.”

Following his conversation with Kerr, Green placed a call to Draymond Green, whom he has known since the eighth grade through AAU basketball. As Andrews writes, that phone call helped solidify JaMychal’s decision.

“He was just excited,” JaMychal said. “We both know what we bring to the table, and we just had a good conversation about everything and he made it easy for me to come here.”

JaMychal Green, who spent last season in Denver, was traded to Oklahoma City in June and was subsequently bought out of his expiring contract by the Thunder. He’s joining a Warriors team that lost a pair of key reserve forwards – Otto Porter and Nemanja Bjelica – in free agency, and sees himself as someone who can help fill the hole those departures created, as a complementary piece to the team’s stars.

“Just come in and play hard,” Green said of the role he expects to play for his new team. “Be a dog. Do the dirty work — help Draymond out with the dirty work. Knock down shots and play defense. I feel like if you come here and handle your business, you set yourself up for life.”

Porter and Bjelica were two of the Warriors’ most reliable three-point shooters last season, making 37.0% and 36.2% of their three-point attempts, respectively. Green converted just 26.6% of his shots from beyond the arc last season for the Nuggets after entering the year with a 38.0% career rate — he said on Monday that he’s confident in his ability to bounce back, noting that a nagging wrist injury affected his effectiveness in ’21/22.

“Toward the end of the season I just stopped shooting, period,” Green said, according to Andrews. “It’s all about rest and confidence. As long as I get my reps in this summer, I’ll be good to go. I was just fighting through some things last year… it’s going to get up.”

Warriors Rumors: Green, Wiggins, Poole, Thompson

July 27th, 2022 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Signing all of Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and Klay Thompson to lucrative contract extensions that lock them up long-term probably isn’t financially viable for the Warriors, according to Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic.

As Slater and Thompson outline, extending Green, Wiggins, and Poole to deals that are worth a combined $90MM or so in 2023/24 would result in that season’s roster costing a projected $550MM+ when accounting for team salary and luxury tax penalties. Joe Lacob and Warriors ownership spent a record $362MM on the roster this past season, but Lacob has suggested that even $400MM+ may be too step a price for the organization to stomach, per The Athletic’s duo.

Removing even one of those three hypothetical extensions (worth approximately $27-30MM) from the Warriors’ books for 2023/24 would result in the projected cost of the roster decreasing by more than $200MM, due primarily to the tax savings, according to Slater and Thompson.

In other words, unless they can negotiate some very team-friendly deals, the Warriors may soon face a major decision on which one of their core players they’re most comfortable moving on from.

Here’s more from Slater and Thompson:

Draymond Green believes he has earned a four-year, maximum extension from the Warriors, sources tell The Athletic. Such a deal would begin in 2023/24 and would be worth about $138.7MM. However, there are no indications that Golden State plans to put that offer on the table for Green this offseason, even though he can reach unrestricted free agency next year if he turns down his ’23/24 player option.
Green wants to remain with the Warriors, but his contract situation will be worth keeping an eye on, according to Slater and Thompson, who suggest the former Defensive Player of the Year could be willing to explore other options to get the kind of contract he wants. Sources also tell The Athletic that Stephen Curry wouldn’t be happy if the club lost Green for financial reasons.
Andrew Wiggins may be the best candidate on the Warriors’ roster to sign an extension this offseason, but the club would want any deal to start well below Wiggins’ maximum, per Slater and Thompson. The duo believes Golden State would be interested in a contract starting in the $27MM range. Wiggins will earn $33.6MM in 2022/23 and is coming off his best season as a pro, so he’ll likely be seeking more than that.
New deals for Anfernee Simons (four years, $100MM) and Jalen Brunson (four years, $104MM) figure to be reference points for Jordan Poole and the Warriors as they explore an extension, Slater and Thompson observe.
Klay Thompson still has two guaranteed years left on his contract, so he’s probably the least likely of these four Warriors to sign an extension this year, according to Slater and Thompson, who say there’s no sense that Thompson is “clamoring” for a new deal.