Stephen Curry Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Curry, Lacob, Mbah a Moute

January 15th, 2017 at 9:21pm CST by Austin Kent

It’s no secret that, despite the MVPs, Stephen Curry makes less money than some of his Warriors teammates do. The superstar guard is okay with it. “If I’m complaining about $44MM over four years, then I’ve got other issues in my life,” Curry told the Mercury News in a podcast.

Of course Curry is in line for a hefty pay raise as soon as this summer. Per Chris Haynes of ESPN, Curry will be eligible for a five-year extension worth roughly $210MM and you can be sure that the Warriors will present it to him as soon as they’re able too.

Though it would make little basketball sense for Curry to leave an elite level like a contender, the latest CBA makes it harder to justify on a financial level, too. Were Curry to consider options other than the Warriors, he could only receive $140MM over four years.

“Like I’ve said from Day 1, when I was first asked about free agency, this is a perfect place to play. Bay Area fans are amazing, our organization’s amazing, we’ve put together an amazing team that’s competing for championships every year,” Curry said. “There’s really no reason that I can see right now that would draw me elsewhere.”

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

The Warriors have seven centers on their roster — eight if you include Draymond Green. Tim Kawakami and Marcus Thompson of the Mercury News spoke with assistant general manager Kirk Lacob about how the club structured the roster coming out of training camp and what might come next.
Though not as frequently featured on highlight reels as some of his teammates, Luc Mbah a Moute has had a significant impact on the Clippers, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Head coach Doc Rivers agrees, offering some bold praise about the 30-year-old veteran. “He is one of the best defensive players in the league, bar none, but because he’s not a scorer, no one really notices, but that’s his value to a team.”
Despite their consecutive NBA Finals matchups, LeBron James does not believe the Cavaliers and Warriors have a rivalry. “We’ve had two great Finals appearances the last two years,” James told the media. “But I had the same with San Antonio when I was in Miami. We weren’t rivals. And I think I played those guys more, so I wouldn’t look at it as rivals.”

Curry Intends To Remain With Warriors

January 14th, 2017 at 9:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Two-time MVP Stephen Curry has no plans to leave the Warriors when he becomes a free agent this summer, according to Tim Kawakami of The San Jose Mercury News.

Appearing today on the “The TK Show” podcast, Curry said he’s aware of the potential opportunities he might have, but can’t imagine a better organization for him than Golden State.

“Like I’ve said from Day 1 when I was first asked about free agency, this is a perfect place to play,” Curry said. “Bay Area fans are amazing, our organization’s amazing, we’ve put together an amazing team that’s competing for championships every year. There’s really no reason that I can see right now that would draw me elsewhere.”

Under the new CBA, Curry is eligible for “designated veteran player” status, which would allow him to receive an extension from his current team valued at approximately $209MM over five seasons. Other teams, Kawakami notes, would be limited to offers of about $133MM over four years.

Curry adds that he wanted to make it clear to Kevin Durant during recruiting last summer that he plans to be part of the Warriors for a long time. Durant signed a two-year contract with a player option and is expected to become a free agent again once the season ends.

Curry adds that he expects Durant to join him in signing a long-term deal.

“I don’t see why not,” Curry said. “I think he really enjoys playing with us as a team. He enjoys living in the Bay Area, the opportunities that are out here. I think he just genuinely enjoys coming to work every day. That’s a good recipe for hopefully a long-term presence in the Bay.”

Pacific Notes: Nance Jr., Curry, Clarkson

January 9th, 2017 at 10:04pm CST by Austin Kent

Though he’s been sidelined since December 20, Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. thinks that he could be back in action sooner than the team’s current timetable.

“I have no issues,” Nance told Mark Medina of the Orange County Register. “I’m as content as can be with the way everything is going and how fast it is progressing.”

Nance Jr. believes that the bone bruise in his left knee is healing faster than was originally expected. Initially slated to be out of action until January 22, his 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game would be welcome back to the lineup.

The 24-year-old second-year man has recently resumed shooting drills and will soon compete in contact drills.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

There’s a notable difference in how Lakers head coach Luke Walton coaches Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell, writes Mark Medina of the Orange County Register in a separate piece. Walton is more apt to harp on the former, while he approaches to discuss things more with the latter. Walton believes that the players respond better to uniquely tailored approaches.
Concern that Stephen Curry is in a slump is humorous, writes Chris Haynes of ESPN. The reigning two-time MVP acknowledges that his numbers are down but has every confidence that things will average out. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr added: “Ted Williams didn’t hit .400 every year, but every year he hit about .350, .360, and that’s what Steph is doing.“
The NBA has fined Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson $15,000 for his role in an altercation with Goran Dragic, tweets Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet. “I thought it was going to be worse, to be honest with you“, the guard said to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times.

Pacific Notes: Lakers, Clippers, Knight, Curry

December 25th, 2016 at 10:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers and Clippers began to reverse fortunes in 2011 when then-Commissioner David Stern blocked a trade for Chris Paul, writes Mark Heisler of The Los Angeles Daily News. New Orleans had worked out a three-team deal that would have sent Paul to the Lakers, but because the franchise was being run by the league at the time, Stern had the power as a representative of ownership to stop it. The Clippers stepped in with an offer of Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman and Minnesota’s unprotected draft pick, which landed them a franchise point guard.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Changes in the new collective bargaining agreement will force the Lakers to alter the way they have historically operated, Heisler contends in the same piece. Star players have more incentive than ever to stay with their current teams, meaning that any advantages that L.A. once had in free agency will be further neutralized. Heisler lists the top players expected to be on the free agent market in 2017 and contends that every one will remain where they are.
The Kings have been talking to the Suns about a possible deal for Brandon Knight for several months, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Appearing on a podcast with Zach Lowe, Windhorst said Sacramento is looking for help at point guard and has been talking to Phoenix about Knight since the summer. Knight still has three seasons and nearly $44MM left on his current deal.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr called out his team in general and two-time MVP Stephen Curry in particular for poor decisions in today’s loss to the Cavaliers, relays Chris Haynes of ESPN. Golden State had 20 turnovers leading to 21 Cleveland points in the 109-108 loss. “A lot of [the turnovers] early was not even due to the pressure,” Kerr said. “It was more just decision-making. Around-the-back passes in the paint, silly plays. We just have to make simple plays, and we talk about that all the time, but we’ve got to make it more of a habit.”

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.

Stephen Curry On: Durant, Free Agency, Hornets

November 29th, 2016 at 7:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

As a result of the Warriors’ offseason addition of Kevin Durant via free agency, Stephen Curry is no longer leading the team in scoring and is averaging 2.5 less shots per game than he did a season ago. Despite the slight hit his statistics have taken in 2016/17, Curry says he is fine with the arrangement and welcomes the addition of Durant, Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer relays. The point guard is still stung by the Warriors’ collapse against the Cavaliers in last year’s NBA Finals, when Golden State blew a 3-1 series lead, thus, making him more amenable to sharing the spotlight if it helps the franchise regain the NBA title this season, Fowler notes. “It’s something you’ll never forget, just because it was so close and we didn’t get the job done,” Curry told the scribe. “Does it haunt me? I would more say that it motivates me.”

“It’s been a pretty natural transition,” Curry said of the addition of Durant. “Early in the preseason, we had to find the flow, and just trying to figure out how the ball moves and whatnot. …But with the unselfishness of everybody on our team, and obviously the talent, the ball has been hopping. We’re getting everybody involved. It’s been very, very unforced.”

When asked about how big an adjustment Curry had to make now that Durant is his teammate, coach Steve Kerr told Fowler, “He [Curry] spent most of the preseason sitting back and letting Kevin score and get acclimated and get comfortable. And then maybe the last preseason game or two, he really got aggressive again. But I don’t think his game has changed a whole lot. He [Curry] came into the season realizing that we’re going to play the same way, but he’s probably going to take maybe a couple fewer shots per game and score a couple fewer points. That’s about it.”

The 2016/17 campaign is the only one that Durant and Curry are guaranteed to be teammates, with Curry set to hit unrestricted free agency in July and Durant possessing a player option for 2017/18, Fowler writes. While Curry will assuredly be in wide demand next offseason, re-signing with Golden State appears to be his preference, Fowler adds. “Obviously I love it here in the Bay Area,” Curry said. “It’s all I’ve known in the league. And if the situation is right going forward, this is a place I would love to play.”

One competitor for Curry’s services will be the Hornets, with the guard having grown up in North Carolina. Charlotte already has Kemba Walker at point guard, but Curry could conceivably play alongside him at shooting guard, Fowler opines. When asked if he would consider playing for the Hornets, Curry told Fowler, “I don’t know.” Curry did note that joining Charlotte would have been a greater possibility earlier in his career, Fowler relays.

“Obviously I had a strong tie to Charlotte and would have loved to play there. I’m very comfortable in that city. It’s hard to say exactly what the situation will be this summer,” Curry said. “[Free agency] is on my radar, but it’s not really on my mind as much day-to-day. I’m just trying to enjoy what this season is going to bring.”

Warriors Rumors: Durant, Curry, McGee, Jones

November 12th, 2016 at 1:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Retaining both Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant beyond this season could prove difficult for the Warriors under the next CBA agreement, Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com examines in great detail. While the provisions in the new labor deal are unclear, Durant might have to leave money on the table to re-sign with Golden State, or opt in and take the $27.7MM salary in the final year of his two-year contract, in order to keep the Super Team together. As a non-Bird free agent if he opts out, Durant would likely have to take less than the max to stay put because of cap-space constraints, Feldman continues. The amount of cap space available will depend in part on the cap hold for Curry, who will become an unrestricted free agent next summer, and the hold could be significantly greater in the new CBA, Feldman explains. Max salary tiers could also rise, complicating the process even further, Feldman adds.

In other news regarding the Warriors:

Coach Steve Kerr wants to give reserve center JaVale McGee increased playing time, Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News reports. McGee sparked the team in his first chance to play rotation minutes against the Nuggets on Thursday, contributing 10 points, three rebounds and two blocks in 15 minutes. “We’re looking at the first part of the season as somewhat experimental,” Kerr told Slater and other reporters. “We haven’t really given him a chance yet. You could see he gives us a dimension that we don’t have, throwing it up to the rim for a lob, which provides you extra spacing.” McGee was signed to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract in September. His $1.4MM salary becomes fully guaranteed if he’s still on the roster January 10th.
Rookie center Damian Jones is expected to join the Warriors’ D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz on November 20th and make his season debut there five days later, according to Connor Letorneau of the San Francisco Chronicle. The late first-round pick underwent surgery in June for a torn right pectoral muscle, which he suffered during a weight-lifting session. He is one of four centers on the NBA roster, along with McGee, Zaza Pachulia and Anderson Varejao, but Jones could spend much of the season in Santa Cruz. “He’s a kid, he’s a rookie, and it takes a while to get to know this league and understand how to be productive,” Kerr told Letorneau .“We’re not being overly hopeful for him to step in and play right away.”

Curry On 2017 Free Agency: “I Want To Be Here”

September 28th, 2016 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Along with the return to NBA players and coaches to training camps this week, we also got the return of players in contract years answering questions about their future plans. Of course, at this point in the league year, very few players – Rudy Gay excepted – will even hint that they may considering leaving their current teams next summer, and Stephen Curry provided no surprises on that front. Asked about his 2017 free agency, Curry replied, “I want to be here. That’s it” (Twitter link via ESPN’s Marc Stein).

The Warriors will head into the 2016/17 season as significant favorites, and if they can win another championship this season, there’s little doubt that Curry will continue his relationship with the franchise for the foreseeable future. Still, while it’s hard to imagine things not working out in Golden State upon Kevin Durant‘s arrival, there’s no guarantee it’ll be smooth sailing from now until next June, so we’ll have to wait to see how the year plays out.

As Stein tweets, Curry could be in line for a maximum-salary contract in the range of $165MM over five years next summer if he sticks with the Warriors. Those figures are based on the NBA’s most recent salary cap projection of $102MM for the 2017/18 league year, which would mean a starting salary of $28.8MM for players with Curry’s experience. If Curry were to sign with another team, his salary under a $102MM cap would max out at about $123MM over four years.

Curry ranked first in the initial installment of our 2017 free agent power rankings earlier this month, one spot ahead of his new Warriors teammate (Durant).

And-Ones: Roberson, Babcock, Ujiri

September 16th, 2016 at 8:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Raptors executive Masai Ujiri noted that the decision to sign a multiyear extension with the team this offseason was an easy one, given his love for the city of Toronto, Lauren La Rose of The Toronto Star writes. “I love it here. I really do. Toronto is home for me,” Ujiri said. “We don’t go to another home in the States or somewhere else. This is our home. And I love the organization, I think they’ve treated me well. They’ve given it their all. It’s humbling for me for them to come to me and say: ‘Hey, let’s do this.’ And then the city, the fans, everybody — what else can you ask for?”

Here’s more from around the league:

With the offseason addition of guard Victor Oladipo, Andre Roberson, who is a natural shooting guard, will likely see extended time at small forward for the Thunder this season, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman writes. The potential shift doesn’t trouble Roberson because coach Billy Donovan’s offensive scheme, Horne adds. “With our offense, the way we want to run it, it doesn’t really matter what position you’re in,” Roberson said. “We all kinda work together, jell together and have the offense cutting, moving and just sharing the ball more. It’s definitely going to be a fun year and more ball-oriented stuff, so it should be fun.”
Former Raptors and Wolves executive Rob Babcock is currently doing some consulting work to pass the time, with the former executive hoping to land another NBA post in the future, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets. Minnesota fired Babcock, who was the team’s Vice President of Basketball Operations, back in May.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who is from North Carolina, has mixed emotions regarding all the events that have pulled from the state due to a controversial bill that many say will lead to discrimination for LGBT people, The Associated Press relays. “I think it’s unfortunate for our city and our state to be under the microscope with HB2 and how it’s unfolded,” Curry said. “I’m all for equal and fair rights and treatment for everybody. Until it gets addressed, until some changes are made, this could be a recurring theme in North Carolina. I don’t want that happen.“

Western Notes: Chriss, Jazz, Curry

September 5th, 2016 at 7:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Suns primary target with the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft was Dragan Bender, due to his combination of size and skill, Ian Thomsen of NBA.com writes. But the franchise was also enamored with Marquese Chriss‘ potential, which prompted the team to work out a trade with the Kings to allow them to select the forward out of Washington, the scribe adds. “It’s an idea we came up with on the morning of the draft, once we had more information about who was likely to go where,” Phoenix GM Ryan McDonough said. “We felt like if the Celtics took Jaylen Brown at No. 3, which they did, and we took either Dragan Bender or Marquese Chriss, the next three picks would be guards. That’s exactly the way it happened: Kris Dunn to Minnesota, Buddy Hield to New Orleans and Jamal Murray to Denver.”

Discussions between Phoenix and Sacramento regarding the No. 8 pick began a week prior to the draft, Thomsen notes.. “It’s really hard to acquire picks in the mid-lottery,” said McDonough. “We knew Sacramento would consider dropping down from 8 to 13 if we made it worth their while. But both teams wanted to get on the clock in the draft to see who was still available on the board. We took Dragan and said, let’s see what we can do to get No. 8 and get both of them. We think those two guys are perfect for the modern NBA, where athleticism and shooting and defensive versatility is at a premium, and they were the two best guys in the draft at those things.”

Here’s more from out West:

The Jazz have set themselves up for a big season, adding a number of veterans to their solid young core. But the talent the team has accumulated will become markedly more expensive over the next few season if the team wishes to keep the roster together, Tony Jone of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. “Post Karl Malone and John Stockton, the Jazz have had some decent years, most notably with Deron Williams and Paul Millsap,” said Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. “They’ve done a great job in building this current team, but now this is a key moment. Gordon Hayward can leave, Rudy Gobert is up for an extension. The front office has to make decisions now for the long term. They need to show who they are, and the players need to show they are a core worth building around.”
Warriors guard Stephen Curry finally made himself watch Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, telling Darren Rovell of ESPN.com that he is using the loss as motivation for the coming season. “I was a little mad at myself and getting back into the grind of working out for next season,” Curry said. “I think it was a good motivator to get back into the gym and keep working. I wasn’t 100%, but who cares? I was playing. I was out there trying to help my team win and that’s all that really matters. I’ve taken advantage of the summer to get right and I still have a little bit of work to go.“