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Warriors Notes: Wiggins, Curry, Chriss, Luxury Tax

February 9th, 2020 at 9:05am CST by Arthur Hill

Andrew Wiggins‘ first game with the Warriors may have eased the doubts from those who wonder if he will be a good fit for the organization, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Acquired Thursday in exchange for D’Angelo Russell, Wiggins posted 24 points and five steals Saturday night. Coming to Golden State gives him a chance to change the arc of his career after five-and-a-half seasons with the Timberwolves.

“We lost a lot in Minnesota,” Wiggins said. “So coming here, being part of a winning culture, it’s different. Losing’s never fun. Being here, you can tell by everyone’s attitude, everyone’s approach, everything that’s everywhere, they’re winners. That’s something I’ve wanted to be my whole career.”

Slater points out that one of the benefits of making the Russell deal now instead of hoping for a better return this summer is that Wiggins has 30 games to adjust to the Warriors’ style of play. Ideally, he will evolve into a new version of Harrison Barnes, who was able to play power forward in brief stretches next to Draymond Green at center.

“A huge part of this trade is we know Andrew is a better positional fit for us than D’Angelo was,” coach Steve Kerr said. “… To be able to get a valuable wing player is not easy. There’s very few of them in the draft according to scouts and very few of them available in free agency. Wings are hard to come by. Just by bringing in a positional fit, a guy who has a lot of talent, I think the move makes sense.”

There’s more Warriors news this morning:

Stephen Curry confirmed on last night’s broadcast that he’s targeting the first week of March to return from his broken hand (video from NBA.com). Curry played just four games before suffering the injury in late October. He called his rehab “a work in progress.”
Marquese Chriss gave himself flexibility by signing for two years rather than three, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Chris will be just 24 years old when he becomes a free agent in 2021.
After reshaping the roster at the trade deadline, general manager Bob Myers talked about the importance of getting under the luxury tax line for this season (video link from Slater). “To see the numbers of being a repeater the level we would’ve been, the numbers got pretty high,” Myers said. “If we would’ve drafted in top five … the (taxpayer mid-level exception) … the traded player exception, all of a sudden you’re talking high 200 (millions).”

Stephen Curry To Miss Another Month, May Return In March

February 1st, 2020 at 5:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors star Stephen Curry will miss all 11 games in February and will be re-evaluated in four weeks, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Curry is making steady progress in his return from a broken hand, and the team is “hopeful” he can return in March. Curry has increased the intensity of his shooting routines without any issues, Slater adds.

Sources tell Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle that Curry will meet with team doctors on February 29. He is targeting a return to the court sometime in early to mid-March, with the March 1 game against the Wizards a possibility depending on how his hand responds to continued treatment.

The Warriors insist that the potential of taking the league’s worst record into the lottery won’t factor into any decisions on Curry. At 10-39, they hold the top spot in our current Reverse Standings, three games ahead of the Knicks, Cavaliers and Hawks.

“We’re going to try to win every game that we can,” head coach Steve Kerr said recently. “I don’t think there’s a whole lot of value in doing anything else other than that.”

Golden State entered the season with hopes for the playoffs, but those were dashed when Curry broke his hand in an October 30 game. They are 9-36 since the injury, which puts them on pace to tie the worst record in franchise history, Letourneau notes.

Steph Curry Eyeing Possible March 1 Return

January 19th, 2020 at 1:53pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Former two-time MVP Stephen Curry may play his fifth game of the 2019/20 season on March 1, when his Warriors take on the Wizards, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. In his piece, Thompson refers to March 1st as more of a broad “target date” than anything official.

Curry broke his left hand on October 30 against the Suns. The Warriors currently sit at a league-worst 10-34 record, at the bottom of the NBA by percentage points over the 1o-33 Hawks and the 11-32 Knicks. Thompson notes that a Curry return could impede the Warriors’ odds of nabbing a top-five pick, if the six-time All-Star point guard can help the team win.

The flip side of that equation is that Curry’s presence with some of the Warriors’ current players, including D’Angelo Russell and Willie Cauley-Stein, could indicate to GM Bob Myers whether it makes sense to retain their services into next season, when the team should be healthy and competitive once again.

“A Long Way To Go” For Stephen Curry

January 11th, 2020 at 5:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Stephen Curry is traveling with the Warriors for the first time this season, but his timeline for a possible return hasn’t changed, writes Mark Medina of USA Today. Curry, who has missed 35 games with a fractured hand that required surgery, will be re-evaluated February 1. That means Golden State will play at least 10 more games without the two-time MVP.

“There is a long way to go for him to heal and be ready to play in a game,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He just started really getting onto the court shooting and moving around. He has a ways to go, but it’s good to see him out there.”

Curry was averaging 20.3 PPG when he suffered the injury in the fourth game of the season. His jumper was still on target as he participated in a shooting drill yesterday with Draymond Green and assistant coach Bruce Fraser.

The Warriors’ plans also haven’t changed on fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson, Medina adds. His condition will be evaluated during the All-Star Break (February 13-17) to see how much progress he has made in his recovery from the ACL injury in his left knee he suffered in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Thompson has been taking part in shooting practice with his teammates when they have been in San Francisco.

Medina suggests the Warriors might set up conditioning and scrimmaging drills for both players after they have been checked by team doctors.

And-Ones: 2020 Draft, Giannis, Curry, Silver

January 10th, 2020 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

The 2019 NBA draft, like many in recent years, had an obvious hierarchy at the top, with No. 1 prospect Zion Williamson followed by clear top-tier options like Ja Morant and RJ Barrett. However, things don’t project to be quite so simple in 2020, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider link), who suggests that the this year’s draft might be the weirdest one in years.

As Givony explains, James Wiseman‘s departure from the University of Memphis, Anthony Edwards‘ inconsistency at Georgia, and a handful of unknowns surrounding LaMelo Ball have ensured there’s no clear-cut favorite to be the No. 1 pick in June. Wiseman’s absence, along with injuries to Ball, Cole Anthony, and R.J. Hampton, have also resulted in a dearth of opportunities for evaluators to scout many of this year’s top prospects.

With so much uncertainty about the top of the 2020 class, a chaotic draft night is possible, according to Givony, who thinks teams might have big boards that look very different.

Despite Givony’s assertions, there seems to be at least a rough consensus among experts on the top of the draft order for now. In their latest mock drafts, Givony and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic each have Edwards, Wiseman, and Ball going 1-2-3, in that order. The two mock drafts do diverge significantly from there, however.

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

After his postgame conversation with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on Wednesday went viral, Warriors Stephen Curry claimed to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (video link) that he wasn’t talking to Giannis about teaming up in Golden State in the future — he was giving him his gamer tag for the online game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. “Don’t shoot the messenger,” Haynes said, perhaps recognizing that some fans will find Curry’s explanation dubious.
Former NBA first-round pick Jared Cunningham, who had been playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League, has opted to return to China and sign with the Shanghai Sharks, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Cunningham, who has appeared in 84 regular season NBA games, played in the Chinese Basketball Association for Jiangsu in 2016/17.
Ethan Strauss of The Athletic identifies five issues facing commissioner Adam Silver in the coming years, including the NBA’s next TV rights deal and the league’s delicate relationship with China.
The National Basketball Players Association is creating an accelerator program to help current and former players invest in and create startup companies. Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg has the story and the details.

Pacific Notes: Kuzma, Bradley, Bowman, Lee, Curry, Thompson

January 6th, 2020 at 5:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers aren’t close to dealing Kyle Kuzma and want a substantial package if they do move the high-scoring forward, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. The Kings are reportedly among the teams interested in acquiring Kuzma. The Lakers would likely ask for a quality rotation player, preferably a point guard, along with a first-round draft pick that projects to be in or around the lottery, Deveney continues. The Lakers would also consider two lesser first-round picks as part of a package for Kuzma, Deveney adds.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Lakers guard Avery Bradley suffered a right ankle sprain against Detroit on Sunday, Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays. X-rays were negative and it’s uncertain when Bradley will return to action. Bradley missed 13 games earlier this season due to a right leg injury and hasn’t played more than 63 regular-season games over the previous three seasons due to an assortment of ailments.
The Warriors will send Ky Bowman to the G League when D’Angelo Russell returns from a right shoulder contusion, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Bowman has six days remaining on his 45-day NBA allotment under the terms of a two-way contract. The team’s other two-way player, Damion Lee, has just two days remaining until he must remain in the G League or receive a standard contract. A roster spot is likely to be cleared for Lee at some point, Slater adds.
Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry are getting antsy as they rehab from long-term injuries, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Thompson is working his way back from the knee injury he suffered during last season’s playoffs, while Curry is rehabbing from hand surgery. “In an ironic way, this has been probably a good chance for them to blow off some stream and whatever metaphor you want to use,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “But that can only last for so long. They’re both dying to play. And we’re dying to have them back.”

Warriors Notes: Curry, 2020 Draft, Kerr, Chriss

December 24th, 2019 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Stephen Curry recently rejoined the Warriors as he continues to recover from his broken left hand, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. Curry, who underwent a second procedure earlier this month to remove the pins from his hand, had been in Los Angeles for a couple weeks, but has since resumed rehabbing the injury with the club.

“He’s been doing basketball movements,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said on Sunday. “He hasn’t been shooting the ball, but he’s been out on the floor doing a lot of lateral movement, jumping, that kind of stuff. And it’s nice to have him in the gym; it just feels better when he’s around.”

Curry’s recovery timeline hasn’t changed at all since he underwent his first surgery on November 1, Friedell notes. The plan is still for the former MVP to be re-evaluated at the three-month mark, which will happen at the start of February.

Here’s more on the Dubs:

The Warriors’ down year represents a rare opportunity for the franchise to land a top-five pick, but Ethan Strauss of The Athletic wouldn’t be surprised if Golden State ends up trading its 2020 first-rounder. As Strauss observes, the Warriors will want to add win-now pieces to their veteran core in the offseason, and the 2020 draft class is short on players who can make an immediate impact.
After leading to the Warriors to the NBA Finals for five straight years, Steve Kerr has had a much different job description this year for the injury-plagued, lottery-bound version of the club. As Anthony Slater of The Athletic details, Kerr has welcomed the challenge of coaching Golden State’s young, non-star players. “I’ve learned how to be a better coach, honestly,” Kerr said.
Marquese Chriss, the only player on the Warriors’ roster without a fully guaranteed salary for 2019/20, seems unlikely to be waived before his guarantee deadline next month, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. In fact, Thompson believes the former lottery pick might even stick with the club beyond this season. “I see a future for Marquese with this team,” Kerr recently said during an appearance on KNBR.

Warriors In No Rush To Deal D’Angelo Russell

December 6th, 2019 at 11:03pm CST by ChrisCrouse

From the time the Warriors acquired D’Angelo Russell in the Kevin Durant sign-and-trade, many around the league have been operating under the assumption that the Dubs would deal Russell once they were eligible to do so.

“It’s just going to come down to when they want to do it,” one executive tells Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. “Could do it now. Could do it later. But they’ll do it.”

The majority of offseason signings will be eligible for a trade on December 15 (sign-and-trades like the acquisition of Russell count as a signing) and leading up to that date, one might suspect the Warriors to already be in the process of parsing the market.

However, Deveney hears that Golden State has been quiet with regard to Russell negotiations with other clubs. One rival GM doesn’t believe the Warriors are pushing for a deal.

“If it is something that they’re going to do quickly, like before the end of this month, I wouldn’t say they’re pushing for it,” one general manager said. “Maybe they have a deal in mind, maybe they’re sitting on something and laying low. But I’d be surprised. That’s not how they’d approach it, I’d think. You want to create a market if you are going to trade a player like him, you want to pit teams against each other, drive up the price. You don’t want to lock into one deal. But the market thing, that’s not really happening yet. They’re not pushing the market for him.”

Russell has struggled to stay on the court, as various injuries have limited him to just 11 games. When he has been able to suit up, he’s impressed. Russell is averaging 23.7 points per game, he’s sporting a career-high 21.6 player efficiency rating, and he leads the Warriors in NBA Math’s Total Points Added despite many of his teammates playing twice as many games as him.

It’s likely that the lack of trade talks between the Warriors and other teams doesn’t reflect a lack of interest from rivals. The franchise, which is expected to land a top pick in the 2020 draft, could be planning to keep Russell for the season and then package the point guard with the likely top-five selection for a star via trade since adding a rookie to the core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green wouldn’t exactly mesh timeline-wise.

Then again, the team could keep Russell and head into next season with a three-guard rotation that is unmatched by any around the league. Deveney writes that the Warriors have let it slip that this could be their approach in talks with rival teams, though one GM says that is likely a “smokescreen” intended to make the Warriors look less eager to trade Russell.

The Wolves are among the teams expected to pursue a Russell trade. Minnesota went after him in free agency. Perhaps a package that includes Robert Covington could entice Bob Myers and Golden State’s front office.

Russell is in the first year of the four-year, max deal he inked this past offseason. Where he finishes that contract is anyone’s guess.

The Latest On Stephen Curry

December 6th, 2019 at 5:31pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Stephen Curry has undergone another surgery on his broken left hand, Scott Cacciola of the New York Times reports. The latest surgery is to remove the pins that were inserted in his hand during the first procedure earlier this year.

Curry is still expected to be re-evaluated in February. There were whispers that Curry would not play again this season. The Warriors have refuted such reports and Curry told the media last that month that he “definitely” expected to play again during the 2019/20 season.

“I definitely expect to be ready to play — I don’t know when … I’m excited that the rest of the season isn’t lost,” Curry said.

The Warriors are 4-19 on the season, so even if Curry returns, it’s not a given that he plays big minutes for the rest of the year. The team may be better off resting the point guard and gearing up for a 2020/21 campaign where he and Klay Thompson are both expected to be healthy.

Stephen Curry Expects To Play Again This Season

November 11th, 2019 at 10:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors star guard Stephen Curry will require another surgical procedure on his broken hand but he’s optimistic he’ll play again this season, he told Anthony Slater of The Athletic and other reporters on Monday (Twitter link).

Curry is aiming for an early spring return from a broken left hand. He underwent surgery at the beginning of the month and is expected to miss a minimum of three months.

He’ll need another procedure in a few weeks to remove the pins securing the broken bones, Slater adds in another tweet.

“I have to get a second procedure done, beginning of December probably, remove some of the pins there,” he said. “So swelling is going to be of the utmost priority early in the rehab process, to give me a chance to come back and get my range of motion back pretty quickly.”

There’s also some concern about nerve damage. Curry said he experienced some nerve irritation and that will be closely monitored. He won’t be allowed to travel with the team until after the New Year

“Nerves are tricky,” he said. “They can come back quickly or over a sustained amount of time. … When you’re dealing with hands, that’s where it gets tricky.”

Curry suffered the break against Phoenix on October 30. The Warriors had gone 1-5 since the injury heading into their game with Utah on Monday.