Warriors Re-Sign Ian Clark
JULY 8th, 8:25pm: The signing is official, the team announced in a press release.
JULY 7th, 8:01pm: The Warriors and free agent Ian Clark have agreed to a deal that will see the player remain with the team, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). It will be a one-year contract that is fully guaranteed, Charania notes. The scribe didn’t relay the amount of the pact, but it is more than likely a minimum salary affair.
The team had passed on tendering the shooting guard a qualifying offer worth $1,215,696, which made Clark an unrestricted free agent. There has been virtually no chatter connecting Clark to other teams, so it appears that Golden State declining to make him a restricted free agent didn’t hurt its chances to retain the player.
Clark averaged 3.6 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.0 assist in 8.8 minutes per game last season for the Warriors. He shot .441/.357/.824 from the field.
Kevin Durant Signs With Warriors
JULY 7TH: The signing is official, the team announced.
JULY 4TH: After nine years with the franchise, Kevin Durant has decided to leave the Thunder and will join the Warriors. Durant formally announced his decision on Monday morning in a post on The Players’ Tribune. Per ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter), the deal will be a two-year pact worth about $54.3MM, with a player option for that second year.
“The primary mandate I had for myself in making this decision was to have it based on the potential for my growth as a player — as that has always steered me in the right direction,” Durant wrote. “But I am also at a point in my life where it is of equal importance to find an opportunity that encourages my evolution as a man: moving out of my comfort zone to a new city and community which offers the greatest potential for my contribution and personal growth. With this in mind, I have decided that I am going to join the Golden State Warriors.
“It really pains me to know that I will disappoint so many people with this choice, but I believe I am doing what I feel is the right thing at this point in my life and my playing career,” Durant added.
Although the team wasn’t formally allowed to speak to him until this past Friday, the Warriors’ pursuit of Durant has been ongoing for months, with Golden State players remaining in contact with him, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets.
Wojnarowski adds that the Warriors sold Durant on the opportunity to win multiple titles together, and to ease Stephen Curry‘s workload. Durant will join a stacked Golden State roster that will feature not just Curry, but Klay Thompson and Draymond Green as well, creating an incredibly imposing “big four” — all four players earned spots on one of the 2016 All-NBA teams earlier this year.
[RELATED: Updated Warriors’ depth chart at RosterResource.com]
With Durant on the way, the Warriors will need to clear the cap space necessary to sign him to his new contract. The most logical roster move for Golden State looks like a trade of center Andrew Bogut, who is set to earn $12,681,081 in 2016/17. According to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter), at least three teams have expressed interest in acquiring Bogut.
Meanwhile, restricted free agent Harrison Barnes will also be headed elsewhere as a result of the Durant acquisition. The Mavericks are expected to offer Barnes a max deal when the July moratorium ends on Thursday, so Dallas could very well be his next destination. The Warriors may rescind Barnes’ cap hold, allowing him to sign with the Mavs as an unrestricted free agent — per Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link), the team is doing just that with Festus Ezeli‘s QO, which will make him a UFA.
Once the Dubs officially get Durant under contract, the team will likely just have the room exception – worth about $3MM – and the minimum-salary exception to fill out its roster. Given the free-agent prices we’ve seen so far this week, that money may not go far, but it’s also entirely possible that veterans seeking a title will want to join the Warriors’ stacked squad and will be willing to take a pay cut to do so.
As for the teams that failed to land Durant, the Thunder are obviously the most interesting case. With Russell Westbrook a year from free agency himself, Oklahoma City may have to seriously consider the possibility of exploring the trade market for Westbrook, rather than risking having him leave for nothing. However, now that they won’t be paying Durant $26MM+ in 2016/17, the Thunder have a little flexibility to try to go out and fortify the roster with another free agent addition, so GM Sam Presti will have some difficult decisions to make.
The Heat, meanwhile, now have the opportunity to mend fences with Dwyane Wade since the team won’t need a huge chunk of cap space for Durant. The Spurs will likely move on to other free agent pursuits — they’re currently considered a frontrunner for Pau Gasol. The Celtics were at least able to add a top-five free agent over the weekend by reaching an agreement with Al Horford, so they’ve improved their roster this week and still have cap room and assets to make additional moves. As for the Clippers, they were informed earlier in the process that they were out of the running for Durant, and have already begun reaching deals with their own free agents, including Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers.
With Durant eligible for an increased maximum salary a year from now, and Curry’s contract also set to expire next summer, the Warriors are on track to finalize a pair of massive contracts in 2017, assuming Durant does indeed sign a long-term deal with the team at that point.
Because Golden State will only have Durant’s Non-Bird rights in 2017, the club will have to make sure it has enough cap room to fit the former MVP’s new max salary (approximately $35MM) next summer, unless he’s willing to take a much more modest raise. For now, keeping that cap room available doesn’t look like it should be a problem for the Warriors, who only have two guaranteed salaries – Thompson’s and Green’s – on the books for 2017/18
With Durant’s decision now official, the rumor mill for the free agent market figures to come back to life — there had been little free-agent news this morning, as the league waited for the star forward to announce his destination.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Free Agent Notes: Timberwolves, Wizards, Randolph
- The Wizards have interest in re-signing shooting guard Alan Anderson and will meet with him this weekend, league sources told J. Michael of CSNmidlatlantic.com (Twitter links). The meeting is expected to take place in Las Vegas, Michael adds. Anderson, who made $4MM last season, appeared in just 13 games with the Wizards after undergoing a second surgery on his left ankle. The previous season, he played in 74 games with the Nets and averaged 7.4 points in 23.6 minutes.
- Shooting guard Brandon Paul is drawing major interest around the league after some strong performances for the Hornets’ summer-league team, Sportando tweets. He’s averaging 15.3 points and 7.3 rebounds through four games in the Orlando Summer League. The 6’4” Paul went undrafted in 2013 out of the University of Illinois and has been playing for a Spanish league team, FIATC Joventut.
- Forward Anthony Randolph will remain in Europe and sign a one-year deal with Spain’s Real Madrid, a source told Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Randolph received interest from the Mavericks this summer, Spears adds. The contract will be the $1.5MM-$2MM range, international journalist David Pick tweets. The 6’11” Randolph hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2013/14 season, when he appeared in 43 games with the Nuggets.
- Power forward Willie Reed has drawn interest from the Warriors, Spurs, Heat, Thunder, Timberwolves and Pacers, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. Reed, an unrestricted free agent, averaged 4.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 10.9 minutes over 39 games with the Nets last season.
- Free agent center Robert Sacre, who played the last four seasons with the Lakers, has drawn interest from the Timberwolves and Rockets, Wolfson reports in a separate tweet.
Mavericks Acquire Andrew Bogut From Warriors
THURSDAY, 9:24am: The Mavericks have formally confirmed in a press release that they’ve acquired Bogut and a future second-round pick in exchange for a conditional future second-rounder.
MONDAY, 6:11pm: The Mavs will receive a conditional 2019 second-round draft choice along with Bogut, a league source told Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
3:37pm: The Mavs are sending a future second-round pick to Golden State as part of the deal, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.
1:35pm: The Warriors and Mavs are now in agreement on a trade involving Bogut, Stein reports (via Twitter).
1:29pm: The Warriors and Mavericks are in the “final stages” of negotiations on a trade that will send Andrew Bogut to Dallas, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links). There are still some details to be sorted out, but it looks like a deal will get done, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Stein had reported earlier today that the Mavs had emerged as a strong potential suitor for Bogut, in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s agreement with Golden State.
Because the Warriors need to clear cap room, the Mavs won’t be sending back any salary in the proposed deal, and will absorb Bogut into their own cap space. The other parts of the deal aren’t known yet.
Dallas will have to send something to Golden State in the deal, but it could just be a heavily-protected future draft pick or the NBA rights to a previously-drafted player. If draft picks are involved in the swap, I’d expect the Mavs to land the better pick, since they’re essentially doing the Warriors a favor, allowing Golden State to clear the room necessary for Durant.
A former No. 1 overall pick, Bogut remains a solid presence in the middle when he’s healthy. His 5.4 PPG for the Warriors this past season represented a career-low, but he contributed 5.3 RPG and 1.6 BPG to go along with a .627 FG%. Golden State obviously didn’t lean on Bogut for offense, but the team seemed to miss his rim protection and rebounding in the NBA Finals after he went down with a knee injury.
In addition to finalizing a deal for Bogut, the Mavericks are attempting to secure an agreement with Harrison Barnes, and will look to re-sign Dirk Nowitzki, per Wojnarowski.
Meanwhile, with a probable landing spot lined up for Bogut’s $12.68MM salary, the Warriors intend to fully guarantee Shaun Livingston‘s $5.78MM salary for the coming season, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Warriors Hire Mike Brown As Assistant
7:10pm: The Warriors have named Brown an assistant coach, according to a team press release. “We’re fortunate to add someone with the pedigree and track record of Mike Brown to our coaching staff,” said Kerr. “I had the good opportunity to play under him and Coach Popovich in San Antonio at the end of my career. The wealth of knowledge and experience that he brings will be invaluable to our staff and our players. He’s a terrific fit and we’re thrilled to have him.”
July 3rd, 1:21pm: Mike Brown has completed a deal with the Warriors to be the team’s top assistant coach, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. Brown had been offered the job last week.
The former Cavaliers and Lakers head coach would replace Luke Walton, who was named the Lakers’ head coach, however details of the deal have not yet been reported. Brown has remained close to his NBA mentor, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, and spent a considerable amount of time around their organization last season, which looked good in the eyes of Warriors coach Steve Kerr, Wojnarowski had previously wrote. Brown’s head coaching experience also likely helped. Brown has a 347-216 record as head coach of the Cavaliers and Lakers.
Former Suns coach Ty Corbin was a finalist for the job before becoming one of Earl Watson‘s assistants with the Suns, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported. The Warriors also met with the Hornets’ Stephen Silas and the Trail Blazers’ Nate Tibbetts, according to Stein.
Northwest Notes: Diaw, Rush, Hill, Mudiay
Jazz center Rudy Gobert believes “something good is going to happen” in Utah after the trade for Boris Diaw, relays Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News. The Spurs were looking to deal the versatile veteran to create cap room to sign Pau Gasol, and Utah jumped at the opportunity. “He understands the game very well,” Gobert said of his fellow Frenchman. “He’s like a point guard in a big man’s body. It’s like having another coach on the floor. It’s great. I’m very excited.” Diaw, 34, will make $6.5MM next season and a non-guaranteed $7MM for 2017/18.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Several other teams were interested in Warriors swingman Brandon Rush, who agreed to sign with the Timberwolves today, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. The Hornets, Knicks and Wizards all wanted to add the 31-year-old free agent, and the Warriors tried to keep him in Golden State.
- The Wolves have “kicked the tires” on Pacers big man Jordan Hill, tweets John Krawczynski of The Associated Press. They haven’t reached the serious negotiation phase yet, but that could change now that Rush has been signed.
- Nuggets point guard Emmanuel Mudiay plans to join the effort to get Dwyane Wade to come to Denver, tweets Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. The Nuggets held a meeting with Wade earlier today.
Warriors Sign Patrick McCaw
JULY 6: The Warriors have issued a press release announcing that they’ve officially signed McCaw to his first NBA contract.
JUNE 24: Former UNLV shooting guard Patrick McCaw has become the first player from this year’s draft class to reach a contract agreement with his new team. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link), McCaw has agreed to terms with the Warriors on a guaranteed, two-year, minimum-salary deal.
McCaw, who left UNLV after his sophomore season, came off the board 38th overall on Thursday night, after the Warriors sent $2.4MM to the Bucks to acquire the pick. After the draft, Golden State general manager Bob Myers indicated that the team had a first-round grade on McCaw (Twitter link via Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle).
Because McCaw will only be signing a two-year contract, the Warriors figure to use the minimum salary exception to complete the deal, which will allow the club to sign the rookie without using any cap room or a larger exception. He’ll be in line for a salary of $543,471 in 2016/17, with a second-year salary of $905,249.
The arrivals of McCaw and first-round pick Damian Jones figure to make it easier for the Warriors to let go of veteran free agents at their positions. Anderson Varejao, Brandon Rush, and Leandro Barbosa are among the Warriors bench players whose contracts are expiring.
Ray Allen Considering NBA Comeback
As the Warriors consider veteran free agents willing to sign on minimum salaries to help fill out their roster, Ray Allen‘s name has surfaced in recent days as a player Golden State may call. As it turns out, Allen is indeed mulling a comeback and his representatives have reached out to the Warriors, league sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
According to Broussard, Allen isn’t entirely sure that he wants to return to the NBA after not having appeared in a game since 2014, but he’s “intrigued” by the possibility of competing for another championship. Broussard reports that the longtime sharpshooter would also consider the Cavaliers, Spurs, and Clippers, in addition to the Warriors.
Per Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com, Allen’s reps have also reached out to the Cavs, and the interest between Cleveland and the 40-year-old is mutual. However, even though Allen and LeBron James are “extremely close,” the Finals MVP hasn’t been recruiting his former teammate so far, tweets Haynes.
As for the Warriors, they remain undecided on whether they want to pursue Allen, says Broussard. Based on what we’ve seen so far this week, with Zaza Pachulia and David West agreeing to join the team on below-market deals, Golden State may have its pick of veteran contributors, so the club figures to do its homework on all potential options.
Allen, who turns 41 later this month, last played for the Heat, helping the team win a championship in 2012/13 and get back to the NBA Finals in 2013/14. By the end of his final year in Miami, he was averaging well below his career mark of 18.9 PPG, but he still shot an impressive 39.8% on three-pointers during those two seasons with the Heat.
Warriors Express Interest In Chalmers, Perkins
A contributing factor that led to Kevin Durant leaving OKC to join the Warriors was his frustration with the Thunder‘s offense and guard Russell Westbrook‘s tendency to dominate the ball, a source close to the “Slim Reaper” told Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. “Ultimately, he got frustrated and felt that they had plateaued,” the source told Beck. “[Coach Billy Donovan] came in, and he still had the same issues that he had with Russ under Scotty [former coach Scott Brooks]. The offense didn’t change much. He still had to take a ton of contested shots every game; and that’s when he had the ball at all. He’s never going to have a game in Golden State where Steve Kerr has to say at halftime, ‘You guys need to get Kevin the ball,’ which happened in OKC.”
- The Warriors are seeking veterans willing to sign team friendly deals to fill out the roster and may be interested in point guard Mario Chalmers and center Kendrick Perkins, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle writes.
Unsigned Draft Picks: Pacific Division
With the 2016 NBA draft now in the books, the term draft-and-stash will be mentioned quite often in regard to international players and late second-rounders. While some of these athletes will eventually sign with an NBA team, it seems like the majority of them stay overseas and never make it to the league. Those players in the latter category aren’t without value as they become trade assets for the teams holding their rights.
While many players fail to work out the way teams expect them to, they can at least become tradeable assets for teams that don’t want to part with a future second-round pick in a deal. Each team must give up something in a trade, which is why many swaps include top-55 protected second-round picks. Older draft rights held players who clearly will never come over to the NBA are essentially the same as flipping those heavily protected second-rounders, for all intents and purposes.
Listed below are the current unsigned draftees for the teams of the Pacific Division. These listings don’t include players selected in this year’s draft:
Golden State Warriors
- Mladen Sekularac — Selected No. 55 overall in 2002.
Los Angeles Clippers
- Maarty Leunen — Selected No. 54 overall in 2008.
Los Angeles Lakers
- Chinemelu Elonu — Selected No. 59 overall in 2009.
- Ater Majok — Selected No. 58 overall in 2011.
Phoenix Suns
- Alec Brown — Selected No. 50 overall in 2014.
- Dwayne Collins — Selected No. 60 overall in 2010.
- Ron Ellis — Selected No. 49 overall in 1992.
- Milos Vujanic — Selected No. 36 overall in 2002.
Sacramento Kings
- Dejan Bodrioga — Selected No. 51 overall in 1995.
- Bogdan Bogdanovic — Selected No. 27 overall in 2014.
- Arturas Gudaitis — Selected No. 47 overall in 2015.
- Luka Mitrovic — Selected No. 60 overall in 2015.
- Alex Oriakhi — Selected No. 57 overall in 2013.