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Warriors Notes: Curry, Reserves, Butler, Hield, 2020 Draft

May 7th, 2025 at 8:01am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors‘ 99-88 Game 1 victory over the Timberwolves on Tuesday came at a big cost. Stephen Curry suffered a left hamstring strain in the second quarter and missed the second half.

“He’s obviously crushed,” coach Steve Kerr said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “But the guys picked him up and played a great game, and obviously we’re all concerned about Steph but it’s part of the game.”

Kerr doubts Curry, who will undergo an MRI today, can play in Game 2. Curry limped out of the arena and didn’t speak to the media.

“We don’t know yet,” Kerr said. “But with a hamstring, it’s hard to imagine that he would play Thursday.”

Forward Draymond Green is optimistic the team can hold its own until Curry returns, especially with another proven playoff performer in Jimmy Butler.

“Jimmy’s capable of carrying a team. He carried a team to the Finals twice. So we won’t panic,” Green said. “We will figure out what that means. We have the best coaching staff in the NBA. We know they’ll put us in a good spot and let us know what our offense looks like without Steph if we have to go on without him. We got full confidence in the guys that are on this team that we can make plays, can make shots.”

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Bench contributions from Pat Spencer, Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney helped the Warriors to overcome Curry’s absence, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. Thrust into backup point guard duties, Spencer had two steals, two rebounds and a pair of key baskets. Payton, sidelined in Game 7 of the first round by an illness, played a bench-high 26 minutes and supplied four assists, five rebounds and eight points. Looney secured two late offensive rebounds.
Butler and Buddy Hield dragged the Warriors to the finish line offensively. Butler finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals, while Hield scored all but two of his 24 points after halftime. “I’m Batman today,” Hield quipped. “I saved the day.” Hield is in the first year of a four-year, $37.8MM contract.
The Timberwolves and Warriors had the top two picks in the 2020 draft — Minnesota got a star in Anthony Edwards, Golden State swung and missed with James Wiseman. Slater offers details on the developments leading up to that draft, reporting that the Warriors had conversations about trading out, trading back and even the trading up for Minnesota’s selection before ultimately deciding to retain the No. 2 pick.

Warriors Notes: Butler, Hield, Payton, Green

May 5th, 2025 at 9:49am CST by Luke Adams

Jimmy Butler helped the Warriors clinch a Game 7 victory and a second-round date with the Timberwolves, scoring 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting while also contributing eight rebounds and seven assists in Sunday’s 103-89 series-clinching victory over Houston.

Butler played just eight minutes in Game 2 due to a pelvic injury that also cost him Game 3, and he had a forgettable Game 5, with just eight points on 2-of-10 shooting in a one-sided loss. But his presence made a difference for the Warriors during the second half of the season and over the course of the first-round playoff series, prompting team owner Joe Lacob to express to Sam Amick of The Athletic on Sunday that he’s glad he signed off on the deadline deal for the star forward.

“Sometimes you get them right,” Lacob told Amick with a laugh. “That’s all I can say.”

Given the ugly way that Butler’s time in Miami ended, there were questions about whether it would make sense to give up multiple assets to acquire him and sacrifice major cap flexibility to sign him to a maximum-salary extension. But general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. insisted Butler was worth that risk and Lacob is happy he trusted his GM.

“Yeah, there were (concerns about Butler),” Lacob said. “But you do your analysis, you make your choices, and, yeah, it was a little bit of a risk. But we’ve got to take risks in this life. And he’s worth every freaking penny. That’s all I can say. He’s fantastic.”

Here’s more on the Warriors, one of eight NBA teams still in the hunt for a title:

While no Warrior had more rebounds (10) or assists (7) than Stephen Curry on Sunday, it was Buddy Hield who unexpectedly led the team in scoring, pouring in 33 points while matching an NBA record with nine three-pointers in a Game 7. A nine-year veteran, Hield played in the postseason for the first time in 2024, but didn’t see many minutes in Philadelphia’s first-round loss. As Marcus Thompson II writes for The Athletic, the veteran sharpshooter embraced the opportunity to play a larger role this time around. “I never been in this situation before,” Hield said. “Just trying to seize the moment. Relish the moment. Just be in the moment. … and enjoy the moment.”
After earning a start in Game 6, veteran guard Gary Payton II was unable to suit up for Game 7 on Sunday due to an illness, writes Kristie Rieken of The Associated Press. “He’s just sick as a dog,” Kerr said before the game. “Woke up ill and didn’t go to shootaround. Hasn’t eaten. No way (he) can play.” Although Payton played a regular rotation role during the series, Golden State struggled during his minutes — the team had a -17.7 net rating when he was on the court and a +8.2 mark when he wasn’t.
Draymond Green racked up four technical fouls and two flagrants in the Warriors’ seven-game series vs. Houston, but kept his emotions in check in Game 7 to help the team advance to round two, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “He’s the key to our team,” head coach Steve Kerr told Slater. “He’s the guy who can drive winning. But he can also drive losing, frankly. What makes him great is also his kryptonite. His emotion, his passion, his competitive fire. … When Draymond is centered and organized and poised and Steph is taking care of the ball, it’s so easy for the rest of the group just to follow and do their jobs.”
According to Kerr, Green “set the tone” ahead of Game 7 at a players-only meeting on Saturday, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “Basically, he owned up to losing his poise in Game 6, and I agreed with him,” Kerr said after Sunday’s victory. “I thought the flagrant foul (in the first quarter of Game 6) was a tone-setter, and he knew it and so he talked to the group and said, ‘I got to be poised and I have to be better, and we’re going to come in here tomorrow and get it done.’ And I think his emotional stability tonight, just his poise from the start, set a great tone.”
Butler and Green will be public enemies number one and two in Minnesota during the conference semifinals, according to Jon Krawcznyski of The Athletic, who notes that Butler’s messy exit in 2018 and Green’s frequent criticisms of Rudy Gobert have earned the duo the ire of Timberwolves fans.

Warriors Notes: Butler, Lineup Changes, Looney, Kuminga, Game 7

May 3rd, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors missed two chances to close out their first-round series with the Rockets, but they remain confident going into Sunday’s Game 7, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Golden State was blown out in Game 5 and watched Houston pull away in the fourth quarter of Game 6, but there were no signs of panic in the locker room after Friday’s loss.

“We’re good. We’re smiling,” Jimmy Butler said. “We’re listening to our music, celebrating life. We’re ready to compete. We were ready to compete tonight. Things didn’t go our way. OK, we’re going to be ready to compete on Sunday. We’re going to make the game go our way.”

The Warriors believe their experience in high-stakes games will ultimately decide the series, Youngmisuk adds. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have a 3-2 record in seventh games during their time together, with the last one coming in 2023 when they won handily at Sacramento. Butler has been in four Game 7s, going 2-2.

Many of the Rockets’ core players are going through their first playoff experience, but Youngmisuk notes that they have some veterans who’ve been in this situation before. Jeff Green, Steven Adams, Fred VanVleet and Aaron Holiday have collectively been in 10 seventh games.

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Steve Kerr made two changes to his starting lineup before Game 6 — replacing Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski with Buddy Hield and Gary Payton II — and he might consider revising it again on Sunday, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Slater explains that Golden State is trying to get Alperen Sengun involved in actions involving Curry, but the zones Houston has been employing are making it easier for Sengun to avoid that matchup. Slater suggests that Kevon Looney could see more time to battle against Adams after playing just two minutes on Friday.
Kerr said putting Jonathan Kuminga back into the rotation is “100 percent on the table” for Game 7 (Twitter video link from Slater). Kuminga has made just two appearances in the series, logging 26 minutes in a Game 2 loss and 17 minutes in a Game 3 win.
Butler dismissed concerns that the veteran Warriors are being worn down by a younger, more athletic opponent, per Ann Killion of The San Francisco Chronicle. “We’ll be all right,” Butler said. “I’m 35, I can’t remember how old Steph is (37), Dray is 35, too. Everybody’s got to travel the same distance. Ain’t like we’re going to go around the world and land in Houston and they got only a five-minute flight to Houston. They’ve got to travel just like we’ve got to travel.”

Rockets Notes: VanVleet, Offense, Green, Sengun, Landale

April 28th, 2025 at 6:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets hold a $44.9MM club option on Fred VanVleet‘s contract for next season. The veteran guard hasn’t done himself any favors in the playoff series against Golden State. In the first three games, VanVleet made only 26.8% of his shots (11-of-41), including 20.7% of his three-pointers (6-of-29), while averaging 11.3 points and four assists in 41 minutes per game, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle points out. Game 4 is tonight.

“There’s times and places where I have to play better, I have to make shots at a higher clip,” VanVleet said. “I have to find rhythm and find ways to be more aggressive. But obviously, if I’m getting two on the ball at 28, 30 feet, I feel like I’ve done my job for that possession. If I can draw a mismatch and I can draw a best defender, there’s opportunity for other guys, I feel like I’ve done my job on that possession. So, it’s different ways to attack. I have to be better, 1,000%, and if I make two more shots we probably win Game 1. If I make a couple more (Saturday), we probably get out of here with a win, so that’s totally on me, for sure.”

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The Game 3 loss to Golden State, in which the Warriors survived the absence of Jimmy Butler, showed that the Rockets probably need an offensive star to be true contenders, Sam Amick of The Athletic writes. Houston, which was held to 85 points in Game 1, was limited to 93 points in Game 3. If the Rockets decide to go shopping for a roster upgrade, Jalen Green — who signed a three-year, $106MM extension in October — is widely expected to be part of the deal, according to Amick.
Houston needs to do a better job of holding down the Warriors’ role players, Kelly Iko of The Athletic notes. Buddy Hield and Gary Payton II combined for 33 points on 7-of-14 three-point attempts in Game 3. The Rockets also need Alperen Şengun to deliver in clutch moments. The center shot 7-for-18 from the field and made only one of six free throw attempts in Game 3.
Backup big Jock Landale, who has yet to play in the series, is listed as probable for Game 4, Lerner tweets. Landale has been recovering from a knee contusion.

Injury Notes: Butler, Garland, Heat, Bucks

April 25th, 2025 at 6:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors swingman Jimmy Butler has been listed as questionable to play on Saturday vs. Houston and was referred to by head coach Steve Kerr on Friday as “day-to-day,” according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Kerr isn’t ruling out the possibility of Butler suiting up for Game 3.

“I’m relatively optimistic,” Kerr said. “I mean, Jimmy is Jimmy. We know he’s willing to play through anything, so we’ll see. I mean, this is a day-to-day thing for sure, and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow, but I think there’s a chance he plays.”

Kerr noted Butler’s injury is “very similar” to the one Stephen Curry suffered in March, which cost the Warriors star two games.

“It’s a pain tolerance thing, that’s why he’s day-to-day,” Kerr added.

Butler isn’t the only Warrior whose status for Saturday’s contest is up in the air. Veteran guard Gary Payton II has been listed as questionable due to a right shoulder strain after averaging just under 14 minutes per night in the first two games of the series, Youngmisuk notes.

The good news for Golden State is that guard Brandin Podziemski isn’t listed on the injury report after being limited to 14 minutes in Game 2 due to an illness. Podziemski said he’s ready to go for Game 3.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland is listed as questionable to play in Game 3 vs. Miami on Saturday due to a big toe sprain on his left foot, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Garland has averaged 24.0 points and 7.0 assists per night in the first two games of the series, both Cleveland wins.
Heat big man Kevin Love (personal reasons) and guard Terry Rozier (left ankle sprain) will remain out for Game 3 on Saturday, but the rest of the roster is available, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). Rozier was unable to practice on Friday due to his ankle injury, Winderman adds.
While neither player would have been in the rotation, the Bucks have ruled out Tyler Smith (left ankle sprain) and Chris Livingston (personal reasons) for Friday’s Game 3 vs. Indiana, the team announced (Twitter links).
In case you missed it, while Shams Charania reported that Grizzlies star Ja Morant would miss Game 4 on Saturday vs. Oklahoma City due to his hip injury, Memphis isn’t entirely closing the door on the possibility of Morant suiting up, having listed him as doubtful. His injury designation is a hip contusion.

Pacific Notes: Payton, Beal, Hayes, Carter, Kings

April 3rd, 2025 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Golden State should have one of its top defensive players back in the near future. While veteran swingman Gary Payton II has been ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Lakers, he is making “good progress” from the partially torn ligament in his left thumb is now considered day-to-day, according to an announcement from the Warriors (Twitter link).

Initial reports on Payton’s thumb injury indicated he would be sidelined indefinitely, but the Warriors announced last Thursday that he’d be reevaluated in one week and it sounds as if that exam went well. While the defensive specialist won’t suit up on Thursday, he has yet to be ruled out for the second end of the team’s back-to-back set, so it’s possible he could return as soon as Friday vs. Denver.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Bradley Beal isn’t listed on the Suns‘ injury report for Friday’s game in Boston and is on track to make his return after missing eight games with a left hamstring strain. He shares fans’ frustrations about his inconsistent availability this season and is hopeful he won’t have to miss any more games this spring, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “It’s not ideal, obviously, it’s not fun,” Beal said. “You don’t enjoy it. You control what you can control. That’s all I can do. I always preach about being available and that’s something I’m definitely kicking myself about, but that’s sometimes how the cookie crumbles. All I can do is keep my head up and keep getting better. The staff has been great, my body is in a better place and I feel really good right now. Hopefully it continues to stay that way.”
Jaxson Hayes averaged a career-low 12.5 minutes per game in his first season with the Lakers in 2023/24, but has taken on a significantly more important role in the second year of his minimum-salary deal following the trade sending Anthony Davis to Dallas. Hayes, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is looking to make the most of the chance to start at center alongside an elite pick-and-roll play-maker like Luka Doncic. “I just view it as opportunity to make a name for myself, an opportunity to go win some games and win a ring,” Hayes said on Wednesday, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “And I just look at it as I gotta come in locked in every day and just try to make the most out of every day, be the best version of myself.”
The Kings got good news on Devin Carter after the rookie guard exited Saturday’s game early due to a right shoulder injury. Carter is considered day-to-day due to a shoulder contusion and is being listed as questionable to play on Friday in Charlotte (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). Carter has a history of shoulder issues, so the team can breathe a sigh of relief now that the injury appears to be relatively minor.
While the Carter update was a positive one, there hasn’t been much else to celebrate in Sacramento as of late. As Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes, the Kings‘ loss in Washington on Wednesday represents a new low for a team struggling to separate itself in the play-in race from a Phoenix squad that has lost four games in a row. The 36-40 Kings have a one-game lead on the Suns for the No. 10 seed in the West.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

Warriors’ Gary Payton II Has Thumb Injury, Out Indefinitely

March 27th, 2025 at 3:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

3:41 pm: The Warriors have put out an official statement on Payton, announcing that he has a partial tear of a ligament in his left thumb and will be reevaluated in one week (Twitter link).

12:33 pm: Warriors guard Gary Payton II has a torn ligament in his left thumb and will be out indefinitely, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. Anthony Slater of The Athletic was the first to report that Payton had a thumb injury (Twitter link).

The Warriors will have to make do without a key part of their rotation as the postseason approaches. They’re currently tied with the Clippers for the sixth-best record in the Western Conference with a 41-31 record. The Timberwolves are lurking right behind with a 41-32 mark.

The top six teams automatically qualify for the first round in the playoffs while the next four teams in the standings have to fight through the play-in tournament.

Payton’s workload has steadily increased down the stretch. He’s averaging 11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 steals in 21 minutes per game this month. Overall, the veteran guard has appeared in 58 games — his highest total since the 2021/22 season — with averages of 6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.8 steals in 14.9 minutes per game.

Payton, 32, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Without him, the Warriors will likely lean more on Gui Santos and Pat Spencer. Regardless, his overall contributions will be tough to replace.

Warriors Execs, Players Address Jimmy Butler Acquisition

February 8th, 2025 at 8:13am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Warriors made a bold move at the deadline in acquiring six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler, consolidating four players to bring him in and change the makeup of the roster. In a media session ahead of Golden State’s game in Los Angeles on Thursday, members of the Warriors and Butler himself discussed the move.

“I’ve always loved him,” owner Joe Lacob told The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “I love Draymond [Green]. So we’re dealing with something similar. Incredible competitiveness. My kind of guy.”

The Suns were considered the top suitor for Butler for weeks, with reports repeatedly citing strong mutual interest between the two sides. Phoenix was considered to be the team most willing to pay Butler the maximum-salary extension he sought, and the star forward liked the idea of a future playing alongside Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

However, Bradley Beal‘s contract – which includes a no-trade clause – proved too difficult to move and thus, Butler wound up in Golden State and Durant stayed put in Phoenix.

“[Butler] was trying to get where he thought he wanted to go,” Lacob said. “He just happened to be thinking incorrectly at the time. That’s now been amended.”

Given their reported desire to make a change to the roster, the Suns even engaged in talks about the idea of a trade that would have sent Durant either Golden State or Miami. However, Durant was uninterested in a reunion with Golden State, which prompted the Warriors to pivot to pursuing Butler.

Green, who played with Durant from 2016-19, downplayed Durant’s reported unwillingness to reunite forces, according to Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina. “Didn’t affect my life one bit,” Green said.

“When you walk on the court and you look on the other end and you see guys that you respect, half the battle is fought,” Green said of the Warriors trading for Butler. “And with Jimmy, that’s half the battle. So that’s going to be fun because we can compete at the highest level.”

Warriors players, including Green, seemed grateful that Golden State’s front office made a move that makes them more competitive this year after the team slid out of the playoff field over the course of the last couple months. Tied with the Kings but sitting in 11th, the Warriors have the final two months of the season to climb into the postseason.

“We’re going in a direction,” general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said. “We have three kind-of-older generational players. But the beauty of the whole thing to me is we’ve got a lot of good complementary pieces. We’ve got assets, we’ve got young players. So in some ways in terms of our financial stuff, there’s a commitment. But on the whole, we’ll have a lot of flexibility.”

The Warriors explored other moves leading up to the deadline, according to Slater, but they value what veterans on expiring contracts like Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II bring to the locker room.

The rest of the Warriors’ season will also be about replenishing their roster after they were left with four open spots on their 15-man roster. They filled one of those by converting center Quinten Post to a standard deal and Santa Cruz Warrior Kevin Knox could be another consideration, per Slater.

Dunleavy and Lacob both applauded one another for their willingness to be aggressive. This move allowed them to add a star player without sacrificing the likes of Brandin Podziemski or Jonathan Kuminga. According to Slater, the Warriors will be able to reassess in the summer and still be in position to make another big move at that point if they see fit.

As for Butler, he expressed excitement about having the chance to play alongside the best shooter in the world in Stephen Curry, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. He’s hoping to make his Warriors debut on Saturday against the Bulls.

“I got a feeling I’m [going to] be back, in a big way, too,” he said. “So I’m smiling. I’ve been going at it, I’ve been training, I’ve been doing everything I’m supposed to be doing. I know that I have my joy back now. I’m in a different situation, different group of guys.”

Butler himself was a big winner of the deadline, finding a team willing to pay him big money in a CBA landscape that makes teams have to be more conscious with how they allocate their finances. He and his new team reportedly agreed to a two-year, maximum-salary extension projected to be worth $111MM.

“I’m not going to say that was a big part,” Butler said of his contract playing into his exit from Miami and the new one he received from Golden State. “But I’m happy about it. I am happy about it. I think the biggest part was getting me to be able to play basketball again. I just want to be able to go out there and do what I’ve been doing for a very long time. And have fun, smile, rip and run and not feel like I’m just doing cardio majority of the game. So I’m very, very, very happy that I’m not getting suspended no more.”

Trade Deadline Rumors: Warriors, Post, Bulls, Jazz, Schröder, Lakers, More

February 6th, 2025 at 6:37am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors may not be done after agreeing to acquire Jimmy Butler in a four-team blockbuster, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Golden State would still like to add a shooting big man, with Bulls center Nikola Vucevic among the club’s potential targets.

Slater notes that the Warriors can still offer the expiring contracts of Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney, which total more than $17MM. However, if they want to acquire Vucevic, they’d need to offer at least one more player besides those two, due to the center’s $20MM cap hit and Golden State’s proximity to the first-apron hard cap.

As they look to navigate that hard cap, one anticipated move for the Warriors is converting center Quinten Post from his two-way deal to a standard contract, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Because he was a second-round pick in the 2024 draft, Post can be signed for the prorated rookie minimum, which only counts for about half as much for cap and apron purposes as a prorated veteran’s minimum deal would.

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

The Jazz and Bulls were engaged in trade talks as of Wednesday, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link), though he doesn’t have any details on which players they were discussing. Neither team is considered a deadline buyer, so if the two clubs end up making a deal, it could be centered more around contracts and finances than win-now players.
The Jazz aren’t expected to retain guard Dennis Schröder after acquiring him as part of the four-team Butler trade, reports Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). It’s unclear if Utah’s plan is to flip Schröder to another team or simply to buy him out. If he’s bought out, the veteran point guard would be ineligible to sign with any teams operating above either tax apron, since his salary ($13MM) exceeds the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.8MM).
Having agreed to trade for Mark Williams, the Lakers have an open roster spot and could prioritize play-making and/or three-point shooting with that opening, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Based on conversations with sources around the NBA, as well as the fact that many of the Nets‘ top trade candidates were active for Wednesday’s game, Brian Lewis of The New York Post wouldn’t be shocked if it’s a relatively quiet deadline in Brooklyn. After previously reporting that a Cameron Johnson deal appears increasingly unlikely, Lewis says there have been no indications that anything “seismic” is imminent for the Nets.
Before making their Luka Doncic/Anthony Davis mega-deal, the Mavericks showed “strong” interest in center Jericho Sims, a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link). The Knicks are reportedly sending Sims to the Bucks as part of a larger deal.

Pacific Notes: Wiggins, Looney, Payton, Hayes, Bronny, Clippers

January 30th, 2025 at 10:56am CST by Dana Gauruder

Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II have all been mentioned as potential trade candidates. The Warriors‘ trio put on a show on Wednesday as the team upset Oklahoma City, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic notes. They combined for 60 of Golden State’s 116 points.

Afterward, Wiggins and Looney indicated they’d like to stay put.

“Sometimes it can be disappointing if you want to stay,” Wiggins said. “If you enjoy things somewhere. Your family is here. You got relationships. So it’s not easy. It’s a business.”

“Yeah, I want to stay,” Looney said. “I know what the game is. I’ve been here long enough. My locker mate’s changed a lot of times. It might be my time. Who knows? That’s the NBA. I definitely will not be sleeping that night, whenever that time is for the trade deadline. I’m gonna be up.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes will make his fourth start of the season against Washington on Thursday, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. Hayes will fill in for Anthony Davis, who’s out at least a week with an abdominal strain. Hayes will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Bronny James received some first-half minutes against Philadelphia on Tuesday and it didn’t go well, Lakers coach JJ Redick admits. The rookie missed all five of his field goal attempts, committed three turnovers and was targeted at the defensive end. “Maybe put him in a tough spot,” Redick said, per McMenamin. “Flying up yesterday, nationally televised game in Philly and all that stuff. He didn’t play well, but he’s been playing great in the stay-ready games, and he’s been playing great in the G [League].”
The Athletic’s Law Murray breaks down the Clippers’ roster into tiers as the trade deadline approaches. He lists Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac as the only untouchables — in Zubac’s case, he signed an extension in September which makes him ineligible to be dealt this season.