Star forward Kawhi Leonard didn’t travel to Walt Disney World this week with the rest of the Clippers this week, sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. According to Haynes, Leonard was given permission by the club to tend to a family matter. Haynes wrote on Wednesday that the reigning Finals MVP was expected to arrive in Orlando within “a few days.”
Leonard isn’t the only Clippers player who will be late in arriving to the NBA’s campus. Sources tell Andrew Greif and Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) that forward JaMychal Green is tending to a family matter of his own and isn’t in Orlando yet. Green is expected to arrive on Sunday, per The L.A. Times.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- Anthony Slater of The Athletic digs into the question of whether J.R. Smith or Dion Waiters will help the Lakers more this summer in Orlando.
- Not all of the Suns players are at the NBA’s campus yet, but Monty Williams declined on Thursday to identify the players arriving at a later date, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Phoenix’s head coach did say it was good to get back on a practice court. “It’s not weird when we get into the gym,” Williams said of the unusual circumstances. “It’s just when we leave the gym and you have to put your mask on and the coaches have had their mask on the whole practice. So you can imagine the huffing and puffing that goes on with us older coaches.”
- Appearing this week on David Aldridge’s “Hoops, Adjacent” podcast at The Athletic, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr discussed a bevy of topics. Among them: His desire to conduct offseason team activities and the Warriors’ plan for Stephen Curry to make sure they’re “not wearing him out” going forward.
Warriors are planning to draft Tyrese Haliburton to help Curry.
Warriors take Ball and draft him to Knicks for Haliburton and 25th pick.
Fair enough?
PG should be the top priority for Golden State after Curry having missed 125 games over the past 3 seasons. Load management will be the only way to keep him from missing even more time next season when he turns 33.
Anyone and everyone can play point guard today. Curry will be shooting threes from 30 ft to least 40 years old. Hardly a real worry.
The actual nail biting of Curry’s career was 3 years ago, 4 years ago when he would sprain his ankle with NO ONE AROUND. He’d be dribbling the basketball and down he would go without an opposing player within 10 feet of him !!
But those glass ankles are history. They will only be further and further in the past as he gets older and avoids contact even more so by not going to the rim as much and just dancing at the three-point line even more than he does today.
You’re in dream land if you think Curry will be playing well at 40. Talk to us when he’s 35. The drop off will happen quickly.
It’s equally silly to speak as if you know for sure he will fall off at 35. “the drop off will happen quickly” ok so can your crystal ball also tells us who wins the next title? No? Then stop talking like this! haha
If indeed he has missed 125 games the last three seasons it sounds like the drop-off has already begun. Great talent but you have to be on the court.
You’re probably right Lionel but as a shooter those guys don’t go away. Vince Carter 41 Jamal Crawford 40 Andre Miller played late 30s so it’s been happening these last few years. We’ll see but yeah you’re probably right. 37 Max.
I mean we’ll see where we pick but I agree the Halliburton rumors are true, would love to see us use the $17M trade exception on a veteran backup like Satoransky too tho
The problem with using that exception is the enormous luxury tax bill it would create. The Warriors are already facing a bill around $26M, so that would raise it over $70M and I doubt they want to pay that much in taxes.
oh you’ve spoken to Lacob extensively about this?
So he wants to spend $175M in salaries then go ahead and drop another $75M on top of that and pay a quarter of a billion dollars?
Sure let him waste all that money for nothing, see if I care.
Warriors have no problem spending big money. They proved it in the past. Even recently they used incredible strategy and not losing Kevin Durant’s Max spot. If you think about that, it was genius !! With the 3 big money makers in Oakland, sorry San Francisco, you can’t bring in a new Max guy from the outside.
So what do they do? They put together a sign-and-trade for another Max guy as Durant walks out the door. That move keeps the max slot roster spot in house. You can shuffle out Russell and bring in Wiggins (and get a 1st round pick with it LOL unbelievable.) Next you can add assets and ship out Wiggins and bring in a different Max guy. Absolutely genius.
You can plug the holes with vets who are ring chasing as the KnickerBockerAl said. Nope, spending money is NOT a problem for the Warriors. They bought the franchise in 2005 (or so.. 2008?) for 400 million and now it’s worth 2.5 billion? New building? Nope, finances are not a problem.
Better than them wing-dreaming of Oubre.
nope.
Sillivan, that’s the one scenario that might happen. “Might.” Warriors would much rather have a veteran who knows what the hell is going on, then have to groom a rookie who would be ready for major playoff minutes in two or three years.
I still think that even if your scenario goes down they would trade Tyrese Haliburton for a future asset, when the 30 year olds are near the end, or a veteran influence now.
The Warriors need a big man, not another PG. A skilled and athletic big man is a must.
17.2M TE for big man
Draft pick for PG
or vise versa
Option would be draft Okongwu and TE to Magic for Fournier
One thing for sure is that Okongwu and Haliburton will be available at 6.
I would not be surprised if a team like the Knicks end up winning the lottery pick. NBA always seems to be wanting to get a big name into NY. Warriors need a big man to rebound and pick screens for Curry and Thompson. The only teams they have problems against are more physical big teams.
If the Knicks win the lottery it’s a year too late!!!! The NBA should of wanted Zion in NY. How convenient they trade AD to the Lakers and win the lottery
oh you poor NY homer.
who do you think @ThePeople’sElbow
TheGoldenStateWarrior30, when’s the last time a big man dominated team won the championship? Tim Duncan? Kevin Garnett? Shaq? It’s been awhile.
This is a “wing” dominated League now. You need a few Shooters on the perimeter, you need major defense, and you need a dominant wing player or two.
They have a gap. Criss/Looney is not an answer. Not even Morey would try that. You want Green to be 5, tell him about it and keep him from getting thrown out.
Wiggins & Klay is not a gap, neither is Curry.
Well what’s it going to be Bob Myers.
Green is your 5 in the last 2 minutes of the ball game. You don’t wear him out against the Grinders the other 30 minutes.
The Warriors are okay at the 5. Marquis Chris was a pleasant surprise this year. Very good passer, decent at blocking a couple shots here and there, unselfish and extremely grateful to have a roster spot. You can alley-oop him you can keep them on the floor for 15 to 18 minutes and it’s not a problem. Wonderful find. Lot of guys don’t bloom until they’re 25. There was a reason he was a top 10 draft pick.
Same thing with Looney but he was hurt this year and I hope he recovers. Started off with hip problems and then other stuff crept in this year. He was fantastic on the pick-and-roll defense. A big man who could move his feet well. I think the Warriors are fine in the not so important big-man positions.
There will be plenty of vets. That will play for less or minimum. To be able to chase rings 2-3 yrs with Warriors. Gasol, Howard, Rondo, Ibaka, Millsap, Drajic, Baynes, Kanter, even Cousins. Warriors have draft, trade exception (17.5 mill), mid level exception, and vets they can sign or make trades. And going over cap for new stadium. And winning more rings. Is the price of doing business. Unlike the Rockets. When you have a real contender you pay the tax.
Truth. The REAL basketball fan who calls them as he sees them. Love it.
Heartfelt “good luck” to your Knicks, I hope they hire the correct coach and draft well this year. Kudos !
New stadium isn’t worth much if you can’t sell tickets and fill it up.
You know this is not going to last forever right. After about 5 years of staying home we’ll be able to go to ball games again. The stadium will be full again.
Let’s take it yr by yr. Thanks Gary. Not a Warriors fan. But I respect who they are. When you are going for rings. Cap should not be an issue. Then you have state of the art new stadium. Not like they are throwing money away. You make good decisions. They will have at least 1 ring. Only thing I’m still not sure about. Is if they trade on draft night.
Unlike the Rockets? Whatever. Houston’s future is far brighter than the Warriors. Golden State will be lucky to win just 50 games next season.