DeMarcus Cousins Practices With Warriors For First Time
The Warriors‘ formidable five-All-Star lineup is coming closer to fruition as injured center DeMarcus Cousins practiced with the team on Thursday ahead of the team’s Friday matchup against the Knicks, per the Associated Press. There remains no timetable for his return.
It was Cousins’ first practice since he signed with the Warriors over the summer. Cousins’ work has been limited to individual and one-on-one drills.
The 28-year-old suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon last January as a member of the Pelicans. He was ruled out for the remainder of the season and for at least part of the current campaign.
Cousins, a six-time All-Star, averaged 25.2 PPG and 12.9 RPG in 48 games for New Orleans last season before suffering the injury.
Kevin Durant Notes: Free Agency, Knicks, Kerr
With Kevin Durant and the Warriors set to play in New York tonight, there has been renewed speculation this week about the possibility of Durant ending up with the Knicks when he reaches free agency in 2019.
While we’re more than eight months away from July 1, 2019, Knicks fans are already figuring out ways to sell the star forward on New York City — as we relayed on Thursday, one fan purchased a billboard near Madison Square Garden this week asking if Durant could “make NY sports great again.” The two-time Finals MVP didn’t sound overly impressed by that recruiting tactic.
[RELATED: Knicks viewed as legit suitor for Durant in 2019]
As Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic writes, Durant is approaching his 2019 free agency planning to be a little more selfish than usual. Having faced a ton of criticism for his last major free agency decision, Durant has resolved to be as honest as possible this time around. For now that means admitting he’s keeping his options open, rather than trying to placate the Warriors – or any other team – with more PR-friendly comments.
After Wednesday’s win over Washington, Durant initially said he’s not thinking about his free agency, but later admitted that there’s one aspect he can’t help but keep in mind.
“I am thinking about the money I’m going to get,” Durant said, per Thompson. “I never got the (massive) deal. I’ve just seen a bunch of dudes around the league making so much money — and I’m happy for them. But I know I deserve that, too. That’s the only thing I’m probably thinking about, to be honest.”
Here’s more on Durant and his 2019 free agency:
- Asked in general terms this week about the Knicks, Durant raved about playing in Madison Square Garden, praised head coach David Fizdale, and downplayed the franchise’s past dysfunction, according to Mark Medina of The Bay Area News Group. “I never looked at this organization or any organization as just being a bad one,” Durant said. “I never really focused much on it. A lot is happening in every organization like that where players are uncomfortable or guys force a trade or coaches and GMs don’t get along. That’s the nature of the business. Even in the best organizations, that happens. It’s just a part of the NBA.”
- Addressing Durant’s contract situation, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that he and the All-NBA forward “never talk about it,” per Medina.
- In an article for ESPN Insider, Ian Begley, Bobby Marks, and Kevin Pelton examine whether the Knicks genuinely have a shot to sign Durant, what moves they’d have to make to offer him a maximum-salary contract, and how good the team could be with him on the roster.
- For what it’s worth, based on the NBA’s most recent salary cap projections, Durant could get up to five years and $221.27MM with the Warriors or four years and $164.05MM with any other team, as we outline here. If he decides to accept another one-plus-one deal, any team with the necessary cap room could offer him his projected max ($38.15MM) for 2019/20, matching what the Warriors could pay him for one year.
Warriors Likely To Pick Up Damian Jones' Option
- After declining Kevon Looney‘s fourth-year rookie scale option last year at this time, the Warriors seem unlikely to go that same route with Damian Jones, says Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area. According to Shiller, it’s “probably” safe to assume that Golden State will exercise Jones’ $2.3MM team option for 2019/20 by next Wednesday’s deadline.
David Stern Talks Gambling, Warriors, CP3 Trade
Since leaving his post in 2014, David Stern hasn’t often spoken publicly and candidly about the major issues and controversies he dealt with during his long tenure as the NBA’s commissioner. However, Stern opened up about a few of those topics during a conversation with Chris Ballard of SI.com.
Stern, who insists he stepped down as NBA commissioner rather than retiring, continues to stay peripherally involved in the sport of basketball, investing in gambling, wearables, and streaming apps.
Speaking to Ballard, he explained why he’s now enthusiastic about sports gambling after being opposed to it during his time as commissioner, and shared his opinion on a few NBA stories, past and present. The piece is worth checking out in full, but here are a few highlights from Stern:
On why he’s no longer opposed to legalized gambling on the NBA:
“I always said the reason we don’t want to have gambling is because we don’t want Junior going to the game and coming away disappointed because the home team won but they didn’t cover. But as soon as they allowed daily fantasy, I said that’s it, there’s no sense in having daily fantasy and not being in favor of betting — especially when you add in the fact that so much of it is already done offshore illegally and lining the coffers of some people you don’t know.”
On the Warriors’ current dynasty, and whether it’s bad for basketball:
“It’s great. They’ve got a great team. Interesting players, a dynamic coach, owners that demonstrate that they care, they’re about to open up a billion-dollar-plus building…. I think it’s only good. And I don’t believe in the debate about super-teams, because when I started there were two super-teams: the Celtics and Lakers…. Look at the attendance and the ratings and the product sales. We’re the most metricized business there is, and all signs are positive.”
On his decision not to approve the Chris Paul-to-the-Lakers trade when he was serving as New Orleans’ de facto owner in 2011:
“I did it because I was protecting the then Hornets…. To this day everyone always asks me, ‘Well, why did you keep Chris Paul from going to the Lakers?’ I didn’t keep him. I didn’t approve the trade. No team sells or trades a future Hall-of-Famer without the owner signing off, and I was the owner’s rep. But I wasn’t going to hand up [New Orleans GM] Dell Demps.”
More on the failed Paul trade with the Lakers, and the Clippers deal he eventually approved:
“I didn’t do a great job of explaining it at the time. There was a trade that Dell Demps wanted us to approve and I said heck no, but he had told [Rockets GM] Daryl Morey and [then-Lakers GM] Mitch Kupchak he had authority to do it and he didn’t. I said no. We just settled a lockout and you want me to approve a basketball trade?
“[Demps] had agreed to [trade Paul to the Lakers for] Kevin Martin and Luis Scola or something, and I said we can do better than that…. And the next trade was [to the Clippers for] Eric Gordon and Al-Farouq Aminu and what we thought was a really great draft pick, the 10th pick, which turned out to be Austin Rivers. At least those three and someone else [center Chris Kaman]. But Dell Demps is a lousy general manager and none of those players are currently with the team anymore, and he may lose Anthony Davis.”
2019/20 Rookie Option Decisions Due In One Week
Unlike player and team options on veteran contracts, which generally have to be exercised or declined by the end of June, rookie scale contracts include third- and fourth-year options that teams must decide on a year early. The deadline for those decisions is October 31, which means that clubs have one more week to pick up or turn down those rookie scale options for the 2019/20 season.
While several teams have already announced their rookie scale option decisions for 2019/20, there are 14 clubs that will need to decide one way or the other on those options within the next week.
Below, we’ve listed the outstanding rookie scale option decisions for 2019/20, sorting them by their likelihood of being exercised. The first list features options that are certain to be exercised, such as Ben Simmons‘ or Jayson Tatum‘s. The second list features the rest of the options, which may still be picked up, but aren’t necessarily locks.
Let’s dive in…
Locks to be exercised:
- Markelle Fultz, 76ers (third year, $9,745,200)
- Ben Simmons, 76ers (fourth year, $8,113,930)
- Dario Saric, 76ers (fourth year, $3,481,986)
- Kris Dunn, Bulls (fourth year, $5,348,007)
- Lauri Markkanen, Bulls (third year, $5,300,400)
- Denzel Valentine, Bulls (fourth year, $3,377,569)
- Ante Zizic, Cavaliers (third year, $2,281,800)
- Jayson Tatum, Celtics (third year, $7,830,000)
- Jaylen Brown, Celtics (fourth year, $6,534,829)
- Malik Monk, Hornets (third year, $4,028,400)
- De’Aaron Fox, Kings (third year, $6,392,760)
- Buddy Hield, Kings (fourth year, $4,861,208)
- Justin Jackson, Kings (third year, $3,280,920)
- Harry Giles, Kings (third year, $2,578,800)
- Jamal Murray, Nuggets (fourth year, $4,444,746)
- Juan Hernangomez, Nuggets (fourth year, $3,321,030)
- Luke Kennard, Pistons (third year, $3,827,160)
- Pascal Siakam, Raptors (fourth year, $2,351,839)
- OG Anunoby, Raptors (third year, $2,281,800)
Not necessarily locks to be exercised:
- Furkan Korkmaz, 76ers (third year, $2,033,160)
- Thon Maker, Bucks (fourth year, $3,569,643)
- D.J. Wilson, Bucks (third year, $2,961,120)
- Guerschon Yabusele, Celtics (third year, $3,117,240)
- Skal Labissiere, Kings (fourth year, $2,338,847)
- Malik Beasley, Nuggets (fourth year, $2,731,714)
- Tyler Lydon, Nuggets (third year, $2,190,720)
- Henry Ellenson, Pistons (fourth year, $2,856,804)
- Malachi Richardson, Raptors (fourth year, $2,581,597)
- Marquese Chriss, Rockets (fourth year, $4,078,236)
- Dragan Bender, Suns (fourth year, $5,896,519)
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Thunder (fourth year, $2,529,684)
- Terrance Ferguson, Thunder (third year, $2,475,840)
- Justin Patton, Timberwolves (third year, $3,117,240)
- Damian Jones, Warriors (fourth year, $2,305,057)
Because rookie scale salaries are typically so affordable, many of the options that we don’t view as locks to be picked up will still be exercised. For instance, even if Labissiere barely has a role in the Kings’ crowded frontcourt at the moment, Sacramento doesn’t have much guaranteed money on its books for 2019/20 and may view a $2,338,847 cap hit for the big man as a worthwhile investment.
Still, many of the players in that second list don’t currently have sizable rotation roles, so teams will have to decide whether it’s worth it to continue trying to develop those players in 2019/20, or if it makes more sense to simply replace them with minimum-salary veterans. That could be an especially tricky question for teams that project to be over the luxury tax line next season — in those cases, every saved dollar matters.
For a full list of the rookie scale options for 2019/20, including the ones that have already been picked up, check out our tracker.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NBA Execs Looking Ahead To 2019 Free Agency
Front office executives around the NBA, even on probable playoff teams, are already looking ahead to 2019’s free agent period, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, who notes that next summer’s group of star free-agents-to-be is generating plenty of early interest.
As Windhorst details, executives believe that many of the top players in 2019 free agency are viable candidates to change teams. In 2018, LeBron James signed with a new team, but most of the league’s other elite free agents, such as Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and Paul George, re-signed with their current clubs. In 2019, Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, and DeMarcus Cousins are all viewed as at least decent bets to change teams, particularly since there will be so much cap room available around the NBA.
Teams are also keeping a close eye on Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, per Windhorst. Davis can’t reach free agency until 2020, but will be eligible for a super-max extension in 2019. If the Pelicans struggle at all this season or if Davis doesn’t immediately sign that extension with New Orleans, potential trade suitors for the star big man will be calling the Pelicans.
As for Irving, he has verbally committed to re-signing with Boston, but nothing is set in stone yet — plus, the Celtics would likely be reluctant to put a five-year max offer on the table if the star point guard battles injuries again, which could change the equation.
Circling back to Durant and the Warriors, Windhorst also observes that many people around the league think 2018/19 will be the last season that the team’s current core remains together. Durant is considered more likely to leave than Klay Thompson, but execs also wonder about Draymond Green‘s future, Windhorst notes.
Green will be extension-eligible again next offseason in advance of his 2020 free agency, and could even qualify for a super-max extension if he earns All-NBA honors. The versatile big man has talked about having taken a discount on his last deal and suggested that he doesn’t intend to do so again this time around.
We’re still more than eight months away from the 2019 free agent period getting underway, but with so much cap room available and so many big-name free agents potentially in play, it figures to be the subject of a ton of speculation throughout the 2018/19 season.
Injury Updates: Cousins, Howard, Knight, Murray
Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins is making good progress from his torn left Achilles tendon and will be “integrated into controlled aspects of team practices” in the near future, according to a team release. He is not ready to participate in scrimmages at this point but he will continue off-court strength and conditioning, the release adds. While the news is encouraging, it’s apparent that Cousins won’t see the court any time soon. Golden State will take it slow with its surprise free agent prize to make sure he’s healthy for the postseason. Golden State hasn’t set a timetable for his return. Cousins signed a one-year, $5.3MM pact with the aim of winning a ring before returning to the free agent market.
We have more injury-related news from around the league:
- Dwight Howard didn’t travel with the Wizards for the start of their five-game road trip, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post tweets. Howard returned to practice last week after suffering a buttocks injury during training camp but has yet to make his Washington debut. It’s possible Howard could rejoin the team during the trip but the fact that he didn’t travel to Portland for the game on Monday night suggests his return is not imminent.
- Rockets point guard Brandon Knight isn’t close to returning, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. Acquired from the Suns in late August, Knight sat out last season after surgery on his left ACL. He then developed an infection after another minor procedure during the offseason that dramatically set back his rehab, according to Feigen. There’s no timetable for Knight’s return. “I feel it’s going well,” Knight said. “Every day I’m working hard to feel like my normal self, to get back to playing, game mode. It’s tough to put a timetable on things. Just going day-by-day and attack each day as best I can and win the day. That’s kind of how I look at it.”
- Spurs guard Dejounte Murray underwent knee surgery on Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Murray suffered a torn right ACL during a preseason game and is expected to miss the season.
Green Criticizes Suspensions; Nuggets Coach Defends Cousins
- Warriors forward Draymond Green was critical of the short suspensions, telling Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News the league has a “double standard” in handing down punishments. Green suggested he would have been out longer if he had been involved and referred to his suspension in the 2016 NBA Finals. “I’m never in favor of guys losing money,” he said. “But I got suspended in the NBA Finals for attempting to punch somebody. Guys punching each other are getting two games or three games. I attempted to punch somebody, and not in the face, either.”
- Nuggets coach Mike Malone, who had plenty of experience with DeMarcus Cousins when they were together in Sacramento, thinks he will benefit from joining an established winner like the Warriors, Medina writes in a separate story. Malone calls Cousins “misunderstood” and says he was always professional in his approach to the game. “If the jump ball went up, I never had to worry about if he was going to be ready to play,” Malone said. “My challenge to him was to get him to be the best version of himself.”
2018 Offseason In Review: Golden State Warriors
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2018 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2018/19 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Golden State Warriors.
Signings:
Standard contracts:
- Kevin Durant: Two years, $61.5MM. Second-year player option. Re-signed using Non-Bird rights.
- DeMarcus Cousins: One year, $5.34MM. Signed using taxpayer mid-level exception.
- Jonas Jerebko: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Kevon Looney: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception.
- Two-way contracts:
- Marcus Derrickson (converted from Exhibit 10 contract)
- Damion Lee
- Marcus Derrickson (converted from Exhibit 10 contract)
- Non-guaranteed camp contracts:
- Alfonzo McKinnie: Two years, minimum salary. Initially signed a one-year contract, which was converted into a two-way contract before he negotiated a new deal.
- Will Cherry: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Deyonta Davis: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Danuel House: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Kendrick Nunn: One year, minimum salary (waived).
- Tyler Ulis: One year, minimum salary (waived).
Trades:
- None
Draft picks:
- 1-28: Jacob Evans — Signed to rookie contract.
Departing players:
- Chris Boucher (two-way; waived)
- Patrick McCaw
- Note: McCaw remains a restricted free agent and could still be re-signed.
- JaVale McGee
- Zaza Pachulia
- David West (retired)
- Nick Young
Other offseason news:
Salary cap situation:
- Remained over the cap.
- Carrying approximately $145MM in salary.
- Projected tax bill of $50.33MM.
- No cap exceptions left besides minimum salary exception.
Check out the Golden State Warriors’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
For the defending champions, the summer was quite eventful, as several key role players were replaced and one big name was added. Of course, that big name is DeMarcus Cousins, the six-time All-Star. Cousins joins the Warriors as he continues to rehab from the torn Achilles that he suffered in January, which will likely keep him out of action for at least the first couple of months of the season.
When he returns, Cousins adds an interesting dynamic to a team that has cruised to back-to-back championships. Throughout this current run, the Warriors have never had a dominant forecourt presence like Cousins can be when healthy. Unlike more traditional back-to-the-basket bigs, Cousins fits with the Warriors’ style of play as someone who can handle the ball and hit 3-pointers. Before going down with the injury last season, Cousins was averaging 5.4 assists and was knocking down 2.2 threes per game.
While Cousins’ skill set fits with how the Warriors are looking to play, there are underlying concerns regarding his ability to accept a small role on a team that knows it can be successful without him. How will Cousins deal with not closing games if the Warriors go small? How does he manage a smaller workload when on the floor with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and the team’s other All-Stars? The questions surrounding Cousins’ fit with the Warriors add another storyline to the season for the champions.
Underneath the flashy addition of Cousins, the Warriors replaced several role players from last season’s squad, with Jonas Jerebko absorbing frontcourt minutes and Jacob Evans potentially carving out a role in the backcourt. Gone are veterans such as David West, Nick Young and Zaza Pachulia as the Warriors re-tooled around their core.
However, there are still concerns regarding the team’s depth. Behind Curry and Klay Thompson are relatively unproven Quinn Cook, aging Shaun Livingston and the aforementioned Evans. On the wing there really is no depth behind Durant and Andre Iguodala, who will turn 35 years old in January. Up front there are several options to fill the gap until Cousins is ready, but inconsistency has continued to plague the young bigs on the roster.
Regardless, all eyes will be on Golden State when Cousins returns to action. By then, the Warriors may be on cruise control and have a firm grasp on the Western Conference. On the other hand, perhaps the lack of depth and motivation will have them closer to the pack as they approach the best ways to work Cousins into the mix. Regardless, it will surely make the regular season more interesting than it has been in previous years for the Warriors.
Pacific Notes: McCaw, Jackson, Clippers, Jones
The Warriors are still interested in signing Patrick McCaw despite the clear rift between the two sides, with the 22-year-old still away from the team one week into the season.
“We have his rights no matter whether he accepts the contract that we’ve offered or not,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, according to E.Jay Zarett of Omnisport. “We’ve been in touch with him occasionally, and he’s going through his own thought process.
“He knows where we stand. We’d love to get him here. There’s still a place for him here. He has to just make up his mind which direction he wants to go.”
McCaw appeared in 57 games last season and 71 games the season before with Golden State. He provides reliable depth in the backcourt, and reportedly denied two options to return to the bay: A qualifying offer worth $1.7 million, and a two-year deal worth $5 million.
Here are some other notes from the Pacific Division:
- Suns forward Josh Jackson has improved his three-point shooting, altering his overall offensive attack as a result, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic notes. “It feels really good to see the shot go in,” Jackson said. “A lot of times, the defense, they don’t really know if you’ve improved until you prove yourself.”
- The Clippers are rotating scouts through the Raptors’ games to watch Kawhi Leonard, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Leonard is set to reach free agency next July and has already been connected to the Clippers.
- The Mercury News’ Mark Medina detailed in a new post how Damian Jones‘ calm demeanor has helped him stick with the Warriors. “Being calm on the court doesn’t leave me too rattled,” Jones said. “A lot of things are being thrown at me. But by being calm, I don’t let it too much into my head. I’m just chilling.”