Trayce Jackson-Davis Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors Notes: Saric, Green, Kuminga, Moody, Jackson-Davis

November 25th, 2023 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors kept their chances alive to advance in the in-season tournament with a win over San Antonio on Friday night, but it might not have happened without another strong performance from Dario Saric, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Saric came off the bench to hit four three-pointers and score 20 points in 26 minutes, along with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. He has reached the 20-point mark in all three of Golden State’s tournament games.

Saric has been a tremendous find in free agency for a team that needed size but didn’t have many resources available to spend. He signed a one-year, minimum-salary contract, so he’ll be back on the open market in 2024.

“We gave him a hard (free agency) pitch,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He asked me, ‘How much am I going to play? Am I going to play?’ He knew this was a year he slipped through the cracks, free agency-wise, and needed to be in a good spot to show what he could do. This is definitely the spot. He’s playing so well. He’s clearly a player who is going to command a big salary next summer.”

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Draymond Green‘s return from his five-game suspension will create some difficult decisions for Kerr, Slater observes in the same piece. Saric is playing too well to cut his minutes and Kevon Looney is a fixture in the frontcourt, so that may lead to less playing time for Jonathan Kuminga. Although Kuminga wasn’t outstanding during Green’s absence, Slater notes that he played an important role in Friday’s win, scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Kerr made a change to his starting lineup Friday, Slater adds, replacing Chris Paul with Moses Moody. Even though he came off the bench, Paul logged 29 minutes compared to Moody’s 17. “Just wanted to change some of the combinations,” Kerr explained. “We were looking to get some different guys together and some apart.”
Trayce Jackson-Davis is a huge fan of the NIL system, which enabled him to amass more than $1MM in sponsorships in college and remain at Indiana long enough to polish his skills for the NBA, per Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle. Kerr is happy to have a rare rookie with four years of NCAA experience. “He has (126) college games under his belt, so you don’t have to teach him a lot of the things you’d normally expect to have to teach a rookie,” Kerr said. “He’s another guy I’d like to play more because he’s a very good player. I just haven’t been able to find the minutes.”

Pacific Notes: Harden, Warriors, Santa Cruz, Kings Depth, Booker

November 4th, 2023 at 11:54am CST by Tristan Tucker

New Clippers guard James Harden discussed his desire to help the team win a championship during his introductory presser on Thursday, and the Clippers are much closer to winning a chip by acquiring him, Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register opines. However, Swanson argues that trading for Harden puts the Clippers under more public scrutiny, adding Harden to a list of big-name players alongside Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

The fit between Harden and Westbrook, who have played together twice before in Houston and Oklahoma City, will be interesting to watch unfold. Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times further explores the fit, adding that coach Tyronn Lue said he hasn’t yet talked to the two about splitting ball-handling duties.

“I don’t predict the future. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know, bro,” Westbrook said. “But it’s going to be a process. It’s going to be ups and downs, going to be good games, bad games. It’s not just going to come together and mesh and we’re going to be perfectly fine. That’s unrealistic expectations for everybody. The realistic expectations, like I said, it’s going to be a process. I don’t have the answer to what that is.”

Harden said he’s used to adjusting his playing style, having done so in Brooklyn and Philadelphia alongside other superstars, though he expressed displeasure with his role in Philly.

“Somebody that can have that dialogue with me and understand and move forward and figure out and make adjustments on the fly throughout the course of games, that’s all I really care about,” Harden said. “It’s not about me scoring … 34 points. I’ve done that already.”

Harden is in the final year of his contract and will earn about $35.6MM this season.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Warriors are off to a 5-1 start, but they are still figuring out certain lineups, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater observes. In particular, head coach Steve Kerr is still working through the team’s closing unit, and Jonathan Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II are all fighting for spots in that lineup, with Payton closing out Friday.
In the same article, Slater reports the Warriors sent Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis to the G League to get playing time in training camp with Santa Cruz. However, Draymond Green argued that the Warriors played with low energy on Friday and that not having the young players there hurt the team. “Next time we have an in-season tournament game, we need them here,” Green said. “You always talk about young guys bringing energy, that’s their job. We don’t have to tell those young guys to bring energy. They do every single day. I wasn’t overly shocked our energy wasn’t there because they lift our energy level. … We need them here. They are a big part of the fabric of this team. We missed them [Friday].“
With both De’Aaron Fox and Trey Lyles still out for the Kings, Sacramento’s depth is being tested early on, The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson writes. Davion Mitchell and Sasha Vezenkov have been taking on the majority of Fox’s and Lyles’ minutes.
After returning to play Thursday, Suns guard Devin Booker is out again for Saturday’s contest against the Sixers, according to Duane Rankin (Twitter link). Head coach Frank Vogel is “hopeful” Booker will play in the second game of the team’s back-to-back on Sunday against the Pistons, but that the short turnaround mixed with ankle soreness is holding him out today.

Warriors Notes: Podziemski, TJD, Wiggins, CP3, Kuminga

October 15th, 2023 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

As head coach Steve Kerr told reporters before the Warriors‘ first preseason game, rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis aren’t expected to have roles in a veteran-heavy rotation when the regular season tips off later this month. Still, both Podziemski and Jackson-Davis have been impressing Kerr and the team in training camp and the preseason, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Podziemski, in particular, had a big game in a win over the Lakers on Thursday, racking up 10 assists to go along with his 10 points. And both rookies were part of the closing lineup that sealed the victory, Slater notes.

“That was the highlight of the game,” Kerr said. “Fourth quarter. Those guys doing a lot of good things to help us win the game. Good possessions, offensive boards, having to feel that game pressure and coming through.”

As Slater observes, while Podziemski and Jackson-Davis may find themselves on the bench when the regular season begins, a strong showing in the preseason is important.

Last season, when rotation players were injured or struggled, the Warriors looked up and down their depth chart for reserves who could give them solid minutes, but they were never fully comfortable giving rookies Patrick Baldwin and Ryan Rollins regular playing time, Slater writes. Podziemski and Jackson-Davis, who aren’t quite as raw, could find themselves called upon at some point in 2023/24 and may be in a better position to contribute.

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Besides winning another title, Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins says his goals for the 2023/24 season include being an All-Star, earning a spot on the All-Defensive team, and representing Canada in the Paris Olympics, according to Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.com. Wiggins also confirmed to Medina that he’s feeling healthy again after playing through a left costal cartilage fracture in the postseason, adding that he didn’t require offseason surgery to address the injury.
New Warriors guard Chris Paul has been pleasantly surprised by how “seamless” the transition to his new team has been, he told Zena Keita on the Dubs Talk podcast (story and quotes via Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports Bay Area).
Kerr said on Friday that he appreciates CP3’s vocal leadership style, according to Angelina Martin of NBC Sports Bay Area. “I think most of our team is quiet, other than Draymond [Green]. But I think, frankly, Draymond needs another voice in that locker room,” Kerr said. “I think we have been at our best over the years when we’ve had veteran guys — guys like David West, Zaza [Pachulia], Shaun Livingston — whose voices really carried well in the locker room.”
While preseason performances doesn’t always carry over the regular season, the Warriors have liked what they’ve seen from forward Jonathan Kuminga, who has scored 50 total points in two preseason contests and is shooting a blistering 65.4% from the floor, writes C.J. Holmes of The San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required). “He’s just more at peace with himself, embracing the coaching more,” Kerr said. “This is, I think, natural in your third year, to be more comfortable with your surroundings and expectations. He’s just doing a great job of staying poised through his mistakes and he’s really been aggressive.”
Will the Warriors win at least 49 games this season? Vote on their win total, along with the other four Pacific teams, right here.

Pacific Notes: LeBron, Green, Jackson-Davis, Sabonis

October 3rd, 2023 at 6:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

As last season ended, Lakers superstar LeBron James hinted he would consider retiring. With training camp opening this week, James struck a much different tone, Jovan Buha of The Athletic writes.

James says he’s ready for another run at a championship. “I feel like I got a lot more in the tank to give,” he said.

However, he’s not ready to commit to playing beyond this season. He holds a $51.4MM option for the 2024/25 season.

“I don’t know what the end of this road looks like, or at the end of the season. I have no idea,” he said.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

While some people look at the Warriors’ roster and conclude they need more beef up front, Draymond Green has a different take, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “They said we didn’t have enough size in 2022, and we won,” Green said. “I’ve been told I wasn’t the right size forever, and I’ve won. … I can show you where we didn’t have enough size and we won. In saying that, I’m not totally against having another big.” Golden State doesn’t have a traditional center to back up Kevon Looney.
Late second-round pick Trayce Jackson-Davis knows what he must do to get playing time in his rookie year with the Warriors, Anthony Slater of The Athletic relays. “I’m going to screen for some of the best shooters in the world, and I’m going to get rebounds,” the forward out of Indiana University said. “I’m going to try to be a lob threat, and I’m going to try to bring energy.”
Kings star big man Domantas Sabonis says his thumb is fully healed and didn’t require surgery, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee tweets. Sabonis suffered an avulsion fracture in his right thumb last season and played through the injury.

Warriors Notes: Holiday, Roster, Jackson-Davis, Looney, More

September 29th, 2023 at 9:10pm CST by Rory Maher

There are logical reasons why the Warriors should pursue Jrue Holiday, who was traded to the Trail Blazers in the Damian Lillard blockbuster.

As Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes, Holiday — a two-time All-Star and five-time All-Defense member — is one of the best two-way guards in the league. He’s also five years younger (33) than Chris Paul (38), who would almost certainly be included in a potential deal for salary-matching purposes.

However, according to Poole, the possibility of trading Paul so soon after acquiring him creates a dilemma for Golden State. The team has spent the past few months talking up how well the future Hall-of-Famer will fit in, and how he was the “missing piece.” Flipping him before he plays a game for the Warriors would likely have future free agents questioning the organization’s integrity, Poole writes.

Poole believes Holiday would improve the roster, and is “probably a more seamless fit into the team’s culture.” But trading Paul now would still carry a level of risk.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Kendra Andrews of ESPN examines key storylines for the Warriors entering the 2023/24 season, including how the team will fill its final standard roster spots. After the chemistry issues of last season, Golden State is looking for a “glue guy” who will be a good locker-room presence, team sources tell Andrews.
Rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis could be a seamless fit for Golden State’s system, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 6’9″ big man has plenty of experience, having played four highly productive college seasons at Indiana. Head coach Steve Kerr sounded impressed with the second round-pick on Monday, Johnson notes. “What I like about Trayce is he plays the way we like to play — good passer, dribble handoff guy at the top of the key, good screener, gives us a lob threat that we don’t otherwise have, which is a really nice addition,” Kerr said. “And I think he’s just the kind of guy who feels the game well. He’s got a good feel for passing, cutting movement. And a lot of the stuff that we already run he runs really well. So Trayce is a really intriguing prospect and will be fun to watch him play.”
In a lengthy interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, center Kevon Looney talked about his rebounding prowess, his desire to keep his consecutive games streak alive (he hasn’t missed a game the past two seasons), how long he hopes to play, adjusting to new teammates, and more.
The Warriors are close to hosting the 2025 All-Star game, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The news isn’t official yet, but it’s heading in that direction. As Charania notes, 2024 All-Star weekend will be held in Indianapolis.

Warriors Not Expected To Add Veteran Center Before Camp

September 22nd, 2023 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite having scoured the free agent market in recent weeks, the Warriors aren’t expected to add a veteran center to their roster before training camp gets underway, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium (Twitter video link).

Dwight Howard met with the Warriors this week and was believed to be receiving legitimate consideration from the team, which has also reportedly taken a look at vets such as Dewayne Dedmon, Derrick Favors, and Tony Bradley. However, Charania says Golden State has decided to put off a frontcourt addition for now and will maintain the flexibility to sign a big man later in camp or during the regular season.

The Warriors are carrying just 13 players on standard contracts and will need to add at least one more to meet the opening-night minimum of 14. According to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link), the club is prioritizing an extra wing for that 14th slot.

Golden State’s roster is short on traditional centers, but the club has several players it believes can capably handle the position. Besides Kevon Looney and Draymond Green, players like Dario Saric, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Usman Garuba may see time at the five. Jackson-Davis has impressed the team since he was drafted in June, per Slater, who adds that Garuba is viewed by the organization as a player with real upside.

With the Warriors not planning to sign another center in the short term, Howard is expected to consider other options and see if there’s another NBA team interested in bringing him in, says Charania.

Pacific Notes: Paul, Labissiere, Warriors Rookies, Lakers

September 9th, 2023 at 10:54am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Warriors made one of the splashiest moves of the offseason when they acquired Chris Paul from Washington after he was sent to the Wizards by Phoenix in the Bradley Beal trade. Even though the Warriors sent out Jordan Poole in the deal, lineup questions arose for Golden State, who return 2022/23 starters Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney — that could leave CP3 as the odd man out in the starting five.

However, appearing on a recent episode of Yahoo Sports’ Vince Goodwill’s “Good Word With Goodwill” podcast (Podcast link), Andscape’s Marc J. Spears said he expects the Warriors to start Paul.

“I do expect him to start. And I think it’s like five-minute spurts,” Spears said on the podcast. “I don’t know that they really want his minutes to be high, but I think they’re gonna try it. I could be wrong, but that’s the gist I’m getting. This isn’t an opinion that he’s expected to start; it’s what I’m hearing. He’s never not started in his career.”

As Spears notes, Paul has started in all 1,214 of his NBA appearances. If that streak continues, it means one of the Warriors’ entrenched starters would have to move to the bench. Looney is a natural candidate, but the Warriors are lacking size and going that route would put them at a disadvantage in that regard, since it would make 6’6″ Green and 6’7″ Wiggins the tallest players in the lineup.

We have more notes from the Pacific Division:

The Kings plan to sign and then waive Skal Labissiere on the same day, meaning he won’t report to the team’s training camp The Kings Beat’s James Ham tweets. This was always the expected outcome for Labissiere, especially after the team secured his G League rights in a trade on Friday. Labissiere, 27, played for the Kings from 2016-19 after being drafted by the team with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2016 draft. He holds career averages of 7.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 148 NBA appearances between the Kings and the Trail Blazers.
Warriors rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis are becoming closer throughout the offseason, recently touring several attractions in San Francisco, Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News writes. Podziemski and Jackson-Davis, who could both play rotational roles for a Warriors team seeking to contend, are becoming acclimated to the city and the franchise, according to Rubin. Rubin reports that the two were part of a players-only mini-camp hosted by Curry at the end of August, and the entire team grew closer as a result of the event.
Signing Christian Wood is the latest in a series of flashy Lakers moves this offseason, but Heavy’s Sean Deveney writes that rival executives believe coach Darvin Ham is going to have his hands full with developing and sticking to a rotation. “They’re deep,” the executive said, per Deveney. “They’re 12 deep. That’s great when you look at it on paper. But when happens when the ball goes up and you’re playing nine guys, and one of those guys is playing eight minutes? That gets sticky for a coach. [Ham] is as good as anyone at relating to players, but a depth chart like that can be a coach’s nightmare.” Deveney suggests that Wood wouldn’t have joined the Lakers if his role wasn’t going to be big. Los Angeles also brought in a handful of players in free agency, including Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince, while retaining Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell. Second-year player Max Christie is also in line for more playing time.

Pacific Notes: Vincent, Gordon, Vezenkov, Jackson-Davis

July 14th, 2023 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

Discussing his move from Miami to Los Angeles, Gabe Vincent said that he was “honored (the Lakers) reached out to me” when he became a free agent, as Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (subscription required) writes.

After earning the minimum salary during his first four seasons in the NBA, Vincent received a considerable raise as a free agent this summer and will make $11MM annually on his new three-year deal with the Lakers. Despite the substantial pay bump, the 27-year-old is ready to accept whatever role the team he wants him to play, big or small.

“I’m just here to add on,” Vincent said. “They have a great core, a great situation, and hopefully I can just add to it and help us bring home a championship.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

After falling short of an NBA title during his time in Houston, Suns guard Eric Gordon is bullish about his chances of contending for a championship with his new team, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Gordon took a significant pay cut, agreeing to a minimum-salary deal with Phoenix. “I’m older in my career so I’ve played for a long time and money is not always such an issue,” Gordon said. “Of course, I want a lot more, don’t get me wrong. But at the end of the day, I want to do well here every year that I’m here and we’ll just see what happens down the line, but that’s why I want to come here, win a championship.”
Although Sasha Vezenkov has officially signed his contract with the Kings, who submitted it to the NBA’s league office, the forward is still awaiting a letter of clearance from FIBA in order for that contract to become legally binding, a source tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. That’s expected to happen soon, at which point the Kings will officially announce the signing.
After missing the Warriors‘ first three Las Vegas Summer League games due to a right hamstring injury, second-round pick Trayce Jackson-Davis made his debut on Thursday, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 20 minutes. C.J. Holmes of The San Francisco Chronicle takes a look at what Golden State is getting in Jackson-Davis, a mature 23-year-old rookie who may nonetheless find minutes hard to come by in his first NBA season.

Warriors Sign Trayce Jackson-Davis To Four-Year Deal

July 5th, 2023 at 6:29pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6: The Warriors have officially signed Jackson-Davis, the team announced today (via Twitter).

JULY 5: The Warriors are signing second-round pick Trayce Jackson-Davis to a four-year contract, agents James Dunleavy and Max Lipsett tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The first two years will be guaranteed, according to Wojnarowski.

The 57th overall pick in last month’s draft, Jackson-Davis is coming off an impressive four-year college career at Indiana. As a senior in 2022/23, the 6’9″ forward averaged a double-double (20.9 PPG, 10.8 RPG) with 4.0 APG and 2.9 BPG in 32 contests (34.5 MPG).

Jackson-Davis was a consensus first team All-American and an All-Big Ten player in 2023, earning the Karl Malone award as college basketball’s top power forward.

Golden State acquired Jackson-Davis’ draft rights from the Wizards in exchange for cash considerations.

The Warriors have no cap room and no mid-level exception available this offseason, so they would’ve been limited to offering Jackson-Davis a two-year, minimum-salary contract if not for the NBA’s new second-round pick exception, which allows them to go up to four years. The final year of the deal will be a team option.

Warriors Notes: Paul, Curry, Jackson-Davis, Baldwin

June 24th, 2023 at 12:01am CST by Rory Maher

Chris Paul‘s deliberate, often ball-dominant style seems like a strange fit with how the Warriors operate offensively, but it could be just strange enough to work, opines Seerat Sohi of The Ringer.

As Sohi details, the contrasting styles between Paul and Golden State were on display multiple times in the Western Conference playoffs, with the Warriors prevailing on two of those three occasions (Paul’s Clippers defeated the upstart Warriors in the first round in 2013/14).

However, the Warriors have also had success with high IQ veterans who can control the tempo, Sohi notes, particularly former swingman Shaun Livingston. Paul may be able to help get Golden State’s young players easy shots on the second unit, according to Sohi, and allow Stephen Curry to play more off the ball when they’re paired.

Obviously it’s a risk since Paul is 38 years old and he could be backing up another older player who has been injured a lot the past few seasons in Curry. But the Warriors might be better next season with Paul instead of Jordan Poole, and shedding Poole’s long-term contract while picking up Paul’s non-guaranteed deal for ’24/25 gives the team financial savings in the future, Sohi writes.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Paul and Curry are excited to be teammates, with the two-time MVP blessing the blockbuster trade, sources tell Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Thompson takes a look at the shared history between the two former rivals.
New general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. says the team plans to have Trayce Jackson-Davis on the 15-man roster, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter video link). The Warriors traded cash considerations to Washington to land the No. 57 pick in last night’s draft, which they used on the Indiana big man. “We’re not overly loaded in the frontcourt,” Dunleavy said, adding the Warriors had him much higher on their draft board.
As Slater writes for The Athletic, agreeing to include 2022 first-rounder Patrick Baldwin in the Poole/Paul trade created considerable tax savings, but it was also a bet on Jackson-Davis being more ready to contribute next season. Dunleavy’s brother, James Dunleavy, is Jackson-Davis’ agent, and the sides worked together to ensure he wouldn’t get picked until the Warriors could select him. Getting a guaranteed minimum-salary contract is rare for a player chosen late in the second round, Slater notes, but that’s the intention for the forward/center.