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Warriors Notes: Curry, Durant, Pachulia, West

December 16th, 2016 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

Stephen Curry is one of the players who stands to benefit most from the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, as Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com detail. Under the previous CBA, and based on previously reported cap projections, Curry looked to be in line for a new deal that started at around $29MM. However, the designated player rule should allow Curry to get a starting salary closer to $36MM.

According to Windhorst and Stein, the “widespread expectation in league circles” is that there’s little chance Curry leaves the Warriors next summer, but the extra money the team can offer him should even further increase his odds of remaining in Golden State. If the Dubs were to offer a full five-year max deal and it started at $36MM, it would be worth a staggering $208MM+ over five years, including $47MM+ in the final season. In other words, there’s a decent chance Curry could become the NBA’s first $200MM player in July.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

  • While Windhorst and Stein focused on Curry, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post takes a closer look at what the new CBA means for Kevin Durant. As Bontemps details, if Durant wants a new maximum-salary contract next summer, Golden State will have to make some tough roster decisions on their complementary players, including Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala.
  • The Warriors’ frontcourt is banged up, with Zaza Pachulia already out of action and David West leaving Thursday’s game early. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter), Pachulia’s MRI showed a deep bruise – but no fracture – on his right wrist, and he has no definitive timeline for a return. West, meanwhile, will undergo an MRI today after injuring his hip, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com.
  • Before the NBA and NBPA finalized an agreement on a new CBA this week, Haynes published a conversation with Draymond Green in a piece for ESPN.com, examining (in part) the big man’s penchant for speaking in mind. A day later, Green lived up to that reputation when he became one of the only NBA players to criticize the new CBA deal.
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Mavericks Acquire Andrew Bogut From Warriors

July 7th, 2016 at 9:24am CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 9:24am: The Mavericks have formally confirmed in a press release that they’ve acquired Bogut and a future second-round pick in exchange for a conditional future second-rounder.

MONDAY, 6:11pm: The Mavs will receive a conditional 2019 second-round draft choice along with Bogut, a league source told Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

3:37pm: The Mavs are sending a future second-round pick to Golden State as part of the deal, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.

1:35pm: The Warriors and Mavs are now in agreement on a trade involving Bogut, Stein reports (via Twitter).Andrew Bogut vertical

1:29pm: The Warriors and Mavericks are in the “final stages” of negotiations on a trade that will send Andrew Bogut to Dallas, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links). There are still some details to be sorted out, but it looks like a deal will get done, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Stein had reported earlier today that the Mavs had emerged as a strong potential suitor for Bogut, in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s agreement with Golden State.

Because the Warriors need to clear cap room, the Mavs won’t be sending back any salary in the proposed deal, and will absorb Bogut into their own cap space. The other parts of the deal aren’t known yet.

Dallas will have to send something to Golden State in the deal, but it could just be a heavily-protected future draft pick or the NBA rights to a previously-drafted player. If draft picks are involved in the swap, I’d expect the Mavs to land the better pick, since they’re essentially doing the Warriors a favor, allowing Golden State to clear the room necessary for Durant.

A former No. 1 overall pick, Bogut remains a solid presence in the middle when he’s healthy. His 5.4 PPG for the Warriors this past season represented a career-low, but he contributed 5.3 RPG and 1.6 BPG to go along with a .627 FG%. Golden State obviously didn’t lean on Bogut for offense, but the team seemed to miss his rim protection and rebounding in the NBA Finals after he went down with a knee injury.

In addition to finalizing a deal for Bogut, the Mavericks are attempting to secure an agreement with Harrison Barnes, and will look to re-sign Dirk Nowitzki, per Wojnarowski.

Meanwhile, with a probable landing spot lined up for Bogut’s $12.68MM salary, the Warriors intend to fully guarantee Shaun Livingston‘s $5.78MM salary for the coming season, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Pacific Notes: Livingston, Pierce, Stevens

June 28th, 2016 at 6:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Warriors intend to keep Shaun Livingston on the roster for next season, Marc Stein and Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated relay. Livingston’s contract for 2016/17, worth $5,782,450, is partially guaranteed for $3MM and will become fully guaranteed if he is still a member of the team on Thursday, which will now be the case, according to the ESPN duo’s report. “I would love to be back with Warriors next year and feel there is something special cultivating with the organization,” Livingston told the scribes via text message. “The time spent there has allowed me the platform to see the ingredients of winning and the importance of culture.”

The 30-year-old appeared in 78 games this season for Golden State and averaged 6.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 19.5 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .536/.167/.860. Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • If the Warriors miss out on signing unrestricted free agent Kevin Durant, the team could shift focus and look to add a proven big man, Stein and Spears relay in the same piece. Potential targets could include Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, David West and Timofey Mozgov, the duo note.
  • Veteran Clippers forward Paul Pierce remains undecided about continuing his playing career next season or retiring, but is expected to make his decision over the next couple of weeks, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times relays (via Twitter). Pierce has two seasons remaining on his current contract and is slated to earn $3,527,920 for his work in 2016/17 if he chooses to suit up for an 18th campaign.
  • Celtics coach Brad Stevens is regarded as one of the top coaches in the game and according to Suns GM Ryan McDonough, Phoenix made a run at hiring him prior to Boston convincing Stevens to leave Butler for the NBA, Jay King of Mass Live writes. The two sides even had a meeting to discuss the post, King adds. “So yeah, we were at his kitchen table,” McDonough said. “We were meeting with him about potentially coaching the Suns. Ultimately he decided at that time to stay at Butler, and then a month or two later he chose to go to the Celtics. But as far as how close it was or what his decision-making process was, you’d have to ask him about that. But we were sitting around his kitchen table discussing him potentially coaching the Suns in May of 2013.“
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Pacific Notes: Curry, Blatt, Shaw, Crawford

May 22nd, 2016 at 1:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Two-time MVP Stephen Curry has earned a raise, but the Warriors can’t afford to renegotiate, writes Danny Leroux of The Sporting News. Curry will receive a little more than $12.1MM next season in the final year of his contract, about half of what other top stars make. Working out a new deal over the summer would prevent Curry from reaching free agency, but it would also upend the team’s salary structure, Leroux warns.

Curry is eligible for a new contract because he will be entering the fifth year of his current deal. However, any raise he receives — and it would surely be a maximum contract starting in the neighborhood of $25.9MM — would drain Golden State’s cap space. The Warriors plan to operate under the cap this summer, and a new contract for Curry could cost the team Harrison Barnes or Shaun Livingston and Festus Ezeli. Also, the NBA limits renegotiated extensions to four seasons, which would include 2016/17. If Curry waits until free agency next summer, he can receive a five-year contract that would run through 2021/22, and he could receive even more money if max deals are increased as part of a 2017 labor renegotiation.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • David Blatt is not on Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s short list to become his top assistant, tweets Monte Poole of CSNBayArea. Kerr was interested in Blatt for the position two years ago.
  • Brian Shaw is nearing a return to the Lakers as lead assistant, but the rest of Luke Walton’s staff is uncertain, writes Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. Shaw, who was an assistant in L.A. under Phil Jackson from 2005-11, was also rumored to be a candidate for assistant posts with the Pacers and Magic, Oram reports. He adds that no one knows if any members of former head coach Byron Scott’s staff will be retained, as Walton may seek coaches with ties to the Lakers or he may try to lure other assistants from Golden State, where Walton had been serving as lead assistant.
  • Shaw’s hiring is imminent, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News, who says the two sides are finalizing the contract.
  • It wouldn’t take a playoff team to pry free agent combo guard Jamal Crawford away from the Clippers, tweets Noah Coslov of CineSport. “Definitely money, situation, could be a team on the rise,” Crawford said in listing his priorities in an interview on Bleacher Report Radio. “Doesn’t have to be contender.”
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Pacific Notes: Looney, Casspi, Livingston

April 23rd, 2016 at 11:45am CST by Eddie Scarito

Warriors combo forward Kevon Looney underwent a successful left hip arthroscopy on Friday to repair a torn labrum, the team announced. Looney will begin rehabilitation from the surgery immediately and is expected to be out a minimum of four to six months before returning to basketball activity, per the team. This is the second such procedure that Looney has endured, the first occurring in August of last year. The 20-year-old was the No. 30 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft and he appeared in just five games for the Warriors this year, averaging 1.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 4.1 minutes per outing.  Looney also appeared in 12 games for the team’s D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, posting averages of 9.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in 19.3 minutes.

Here’s more from out West:

  • Kings small forward Omri Casspi lamented the firing of coach George Karl and blamed the players for the team’s woes this season, international journalist David Pick relays (via Twitter). Casspi, who is under contract for $2,963,814 next season, believes he will be a part of the team’s plans moving forward, Pick adds. “The Kings want me back next season, I’m not sure who the coach will be, but I’m adaptable, I’m comfortable in most systems,” Casspi told Pick. “I’m confident I’ll be back in Sacramento next season.”
  • Shaun Livingston, whose $5,782,450 salary for 2016/17 is partially guaranteed for $3MM, wants to remain with the Warriors next season and beyond, notes Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group. “I want to stay here as long as I can,” Livingston said. “It’s a unique and special situation. A lot of guys including myself, I want to [be] here for as long as I possibly can depending on the contract situation.”
  • Former Clippers team owner Donald Sterling is appealing the dismissal of his $600MM antitrust lawsuit against the NBA and his wife, Shelly Sterling, as Nathan Fenno of The Los Angeles Times. U.S. District Judge Fernando M. Olguin had ruled against Sterling, noting that he was “skeptical Sterling suffered any injury at all, let alone an antitrust injury” by the sale of the team for $2 billion to Steve Ballmer, Fenno adds, also noting that the judge called other parts of the lawsuit implausible.
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Pacific Notes: Clarkson, Cousins, Livingston

April 21st, 2016 at 9:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

During Jordan Clarkson‘s exit interview, the Lakers stressed that the point guard would need to improve his defense over the summer or risk losing minutes next season, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. “If we get the right players in here and if he doesn’t do it, he won’t play much,” coach Byron Scott said of Clarkson. “It’s that simple.” Opposing players shot 62.5% against Clarkson and the point guard finished with a lackluster defensive rating of 111.5, Medina notes. “He is too athletic and too quick to be that bad defensively,” Scott said. “Numbers from our analytical department don’t lie.”

Clarkson, who is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason, acknowledged the need to improve his defense and added that he wants to remain part of the Lakers moving forward, Medina relays. “I feel confident I’ll be back here. I want to be here,” Clarkson said. “I want to be one of those guys that is not bouncing around from team to team. I want to be somewhere where I can come home and leave my mark or legacy or somewhere I can call home. I feel like this is the place I can do that.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Kings have been clear to candidates for their head coaching post that the front office will support them in disciplining players, including center DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays in a series of tweets. The franchise is fighting the notion that George Karl was fired to appease Cousins, and higher-ups have been clear that the big man isn’t a consideration when hiring or firing personnel, Jones adds.
  • Warriors GM Bob Myers noted that while Shaun Livingston‘s contract for 2016/17 is only partially guaranteed for $3MM, the point guard remains in the team’s future plans, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group relays (Twitter link). The $5,782,450 that Livingston is scheduled to earn next season will become fully guaranteed if he remains on Golden State’s roster past June 30th. The 30-year-old appeared in 78 games for the Warriors this season and averaged 6.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
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Pacific Notes: Varejao, Teletovic, Booker, Karl

February 23rd, 2016 at 1:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Leandro Barbosa helped recruit fellow Brazilian Anderson Varejao to the Warriors, Varejao said, adding that his familiarity with former teammates Shaun Livingston, Marreese Speights and Luke Walton and respect for Golden State’s stars also helped persuade him to sign with the team, observes Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com. Varejao’s agency confirmed the Hawks, Spurs, Thunder and Mavericks were his other suitors, while Marc Stein of ESPN.com also heard the Clippers made an offer.

“I’m glad I came here [to Oakland], because I can tell they love each other,” Varejao said, according to Poole. “That’s what it’s about. When you want to win, you have to be like they are. Friends that have fun out there, have fun in the locker room. I’ve been here for a couple hours, but I can tell. I can tell this group, they love each other.”

See more from the Pacific Division:

  • Mirza Teletovic is on a one-year contract and was reportedly the subject of trade talk between the Suns and Bucks, but he said he’d like to stay in Phoenix as long as possible, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
  • Rookie Devin Booker is the top scorer remaining on the Suns in the wake of injuries to others and the Markieff Morris trade, but while Booker manages the difficulty of having become the focal point for opposing defenses, the Suns want him to work on his defensive development, Coro writes in a separate piece. “His major, major growth opportunities are on defense,” Suns interim coach Earl Watson said. “We don’t care about offense and averaging 20 points a game. We care about defensively being accountable, getting stops, being in the right position, helping your team.”
  • The Kings have been unfair to George Karl, argues Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, who believes that the coach has much too long a track record of success to put up with the turmoil in Sacramento. Still, Dempsey can’t envision Karl quitting and walking away from the money the team owes him.
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Pacific Notes: Murphy, Russell, Livingston

November 12th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Warriors announced today that Chris Murphy has been named team president of the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s D-League affiliate. “We’re extremely pleased to have Chris in position to lead our business efforts with the Santa Cruz Warriors,” said Golden State team president Rick Welts. “He’s done a terrific job of enhancing our ticket sales initiatives with the Warriors in recent years and he’s ready for a bigger challenge and an opportunity to expand his role within our organization. We truly view our Santa Cruz partnership as the perfect training ground for not only our players and coaches, but for front office personnel such as Chris. This is a great example of that synergy within the organization and a move that will benefit both the Warriors and Chris as we move forward.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Despite receiving criticism for not playing rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell, Lakers coach Byron Scott says that he won’t rush the young playmaker’s development along, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “I’m not just going to put him out there to put him out there. If I do that and he’s not prepared and he’s not learning, then I’m preparing him to fail,” Scott said. “And I’m not going to do that. I think this kid is too valuable to us. His learning process is getting better and better. Our coaches are spending more time with him. So I’m pretty confident that he’ll be better in a week or so, that he’ll understand exactly what we need from him on a night to night basis.“
  • Warriors guard Shaun Livingston credits the late Flip Saunders for reviving his career back in 2010 when both were with the Wizards, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. “After playing the season with him, I just felt like I understood the NBA game, and that was the first time I really understood it,” Livingston said of Saunders. “I always had a high IQ, but just as far as time and score and just as a pro, he was a guard’s coach. He gave me the opportunity to implant me back into the NBA. Just to be somewhat relevant again…he gave me an opportunity. He blessed me an opportunity and allowed me to a chance to make the most of it.”
  • Xavier Henry, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tear while with the Lakers last season, said he was glad to join the Warriors‘ D-League team as an affiliate player this season because of the reputation of the team’s training staff, who are lauded for their ability to rehab players from serious injuries, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest relays. Henry also told Johnson that the current timetable for his return to action is anywhere from one to two months. “I can’t really tell you exactly, could be better in three weeks, it could be better in two and a half months, but the things that I’ve done already that I have in place I feel like all I need is more strength, more structure,” Henry said. “And from then on as long as everything’s great, strength and your form’s good then it’s all about repetition, repetition, repetition before you can really do it full speed, every day on the court.”
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Pacific Notes: Suns, Warren, Livingston

March 11th, 2015 at 6:04pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The reinvention of the Suns‘ backcourt has been put on hold temporarily, courtesy of Brandon Knight being out indefinitely with a sprained ankle, Paul Coro of The Arizona Repulic writes. “Finally was figuring out how we’re going to play,” Knight said. “Like I said, that’s going to take time and that’s not going to be perfect right away. I was finally figuring that out. Hopefully, once I do come back, we continue to work on that.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Suns have brought rookie T.J. Warren along slowly this season, including four trips to the NBA D-League, to create a smooth transition from college for Warren and to avoid a small forward logjam with P.J. Tucker and Marcus Morris, Coro adds. “It feels good to get an opportunity and get comfortable out there,” Warren said. “Just trying to build my confidence as we move forward and just go play hard every time I get a chance.”
  • Warriors guard Shaun Livingston credits his former head coach with the Wizards, Flip Saunders, for his opportunity to work his way back into the league after his gruesome knee injury way back in 2007, Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders writes. “Flip Saunders, he revived my career,” Livingston said. “He believed in me and gave me a chance, one. Two, it was after the whole Gilbert Arenas fiasco. We were young, it was a rebuilding situation. He taught me the game, he’s an offensive genius. He kind of changed his offense to tailor [to] my game, so he really put me in a position to excel.”
  • David Lee would take issue with his reduced role if the Warriors weren’t so successful this season, Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com writes. “We’re winning and we’re having fun,” Lee said. “It’s hard at times. I couldn’t do this if we weren’t winning. But we are. I’m not going to put myself ahead of that.”
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Pacific Notes: Goodwin, Green, Jordan

January 20th, 2015 at 10:04am CST by Chuck Myron

Suns reserve shooting guard Archie Goodwin is frustrated with his lack of playing time amid Phoenix’s continued addition of guards, as he tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Goodwin cautioned that he understands all the guys ahead of him on the team are talented players and that he wants to maintain a professional attitude. Still, the 20-year-old is putting up a strong performance while on D-League assignment, and he tells Deveney that he won’t tolerate a limited NBA role next season.

“I don’t know what they’re doing,” Goodwin said. “Honestly, I really don’t. I guess they know what they’re doing — I can just play ball and let them make the decisions. I don’t know what the purpose is for it, but there is nothing I can do about it.”

Indeed, there isn’t much recourse for Goodwin, since his rookie scale contract runs through 2016/17, but he’s not the only one dissatisfied in Phoenix, even as the Suns have won 13 out of their last 17. Here’s more from Phoenix and elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

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