Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Wednesday, August 8th.
After falling short in their pursuit of Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen, the Golden State Warriors find themselves with limited options for significant roster upgrades. While many NBA superstars leverage their influence to dictate front-office moves, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are taking a different approach.
In a recent report by ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, it was revealed that neither Curry nor Green seeks to be the “final decision-makers” when it comes to shaping the Warriors’ roster.
Sources told ESPN that neither Curry nor Green want to be “final decision-makers” in regard to roster moves or transactions. But they do want to be consulted.
“Steph has said, ‘Look, I do not want to be making those decisions. It puts me in a different spot than all of my teammates. I do not want that,’” a source told ESPN.
While this stance highlights the respect Curry and Green have for the collective effort it takes to build a championship team, it also underscores their trust in general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the rest of Golden State’s front office. How long that trust will last remains to be seen, but for now, the duo is reportedly “excited” by the moves made in the offseason thus far.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Thursday, August 8th:
However, both stars say they are excited about the moves Golden State has made so far this summer, sources said.
Green’s near future seems set as the 34-year-old has two years remaining on the four-year, $100 million extension he signed in 2022.
Curry, 36, has a contract that would end after the 2025-26 season but is eligible to extend for an extra year for up to $62.2 million this summer. During summer league, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said that “will get figured out” and expressed confidence Curry “will be a Warrior for life.”
Sources added Curry and Green are exhibiting trust that what has happened this offseason can help the team — as long as the team remains competitive.
“I didn’t feel like just one of (the athletes) at first, because people were coming up to me saying, ‘Can I have a picture with you?’” said Curry, who, at 36, is competing in his first Olympics. “It was that type of vibe. I had to actually stop and tell them, like, ‘No, I want to know who you are, what you do and level the playing field, because you’re here for a reason too.’”
Hours later, Curry had taken more than 200 pictures with other athletes on his phone while learning all about the timeless tradition of Olympic pin-trading. This would become Curry’s favorite off-court moment of them all.
“I got to be a fan,” he said. “It was special.”
“They didn’t try that hard though,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon told Brian Windhorst during Thursday’s Hoop Collective podcast (16:10 mark). “They had discussions, but [Brandin] Podziemski was completely off the table.”
Windhorst added, however, that the Warriors had “legitimate conversations” about acquiring both Paul George and Markkanen in trades this offseason and “they offered stuff for them. Obviously it wasn’t enough to get it done.”
Team USA’s managing director recently admitted to his initial hesitancy to have Curry, James and Durant on this year’s Olympic team in an interview with The Athletic’s Joe Vardon.
“I respect how hard it is to be excellent at that age,” Hill told Vardon on Wednesday, the day before Team USA’s upcoming semifinal game against Serbia.
“I also know, like, it can be exhausting, and the summer is an important part of your preparation for the upcoming NBA season. So I didn’t know what they had. Like I didn’t know fully what level they would play at. You can hope that they play at a certain level. So there was some uncertainty, I’ll be honest.”
"To be taken out of the lineup on any other team in the Olympics as an NBA player, not named Team USA is kind of crazy"
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) August 7, 2024
—@Money23Green reacts to Rudy Gobert getting benched for France pic.twitter.com/YqhOwmuwBd
“We can’t get lulled to sleep because we beat them twice,” said USA coach Steve Kerr, sending a warning. “Does Jokic play 40 minutes? What else do they have up their sleeve? We have to be prepared for anything.”
Mostly, the greatest team in the world must be prepared for debatably the world’s greatest player. And that goes for Jokic, too. While he owns substantial victories over Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo and Joel Embiid, those past results were against them individually.
But collectively?
“We know we have the advantage in numbers,” Kerr said.
Instead: static. The stakes aren’t as high for the Jazz, but he fits there, too. Utah has little incentive to win right now. With a 2025 top-10-protected pick owed to the Thunder, its eyes should be on the 2025 and 2026 drafts. On the surface, signing superb veterans to long-term contracts makes little sense. But, barring anything comparable to the massive haul the Jazz received for Rudy Gobert or Donovan Mitchell (which included Markkanen himself), keeping Markkanen is a fine course.
"I'm told the trade market for Brandon Ingram is limited..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 6, 2024
New Orleans wants him to stay and he wants to stay as well..
The sense around New Orleans is he's going to be there and they're fully expecting him to be part of this Pelicans team" ~ @ShamsCharania#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/SGHwYiebLk
For the second year in a row, the Warriors targeted an older center with their second-round pick in the draft, opting for both size and experience. This time it was Quinten Post, a 24-year old seven-footer with a buttery jump shot.
If Post proves as NBA-ready as Jackson-Davis was in his rookie year, it could help transform the offense thanks to his pick-and-pop capabilities. And if Green can also knock them down reliably? Well suddenly the Warriors can play a five-out offense while still having traditional size on defense.
That’s what a coach’s dreams are made of.
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