Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Thursday, July 25th.
Stephen Curry recently spoke with Andscape’s Marc J. Spears ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, touching on several topics, including his future with the Golden State Warriors. While Curry remains committed to being a Warrior for life, he made it clear that playing for a non-competitive, bottom-feeder team would be something very difficult for him to endure.
I want to win. Let’s put it this way, it’s a longwinded way of saying that if it is a situation where you’re a bottom feeder and it’s just because you want to stay there, I’d have a hard time with that.
This stance is consistent with Curry’s comments throughout the offseason. While he emphasizes that he doesn’t foresee such a scenario unfolding, his remarks serve as a stark reminder to the Warriors’ management not to take Curry’s loyalty to the franchise for granted.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Thursday, July 25th:
You saw the type of lackluster teams that Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki had at the end of their careers while staying for one team. Should we not assume that you’ll be fine playing with just anyone during the rest of your career playing solely for the Warriors?
It’s tough, right? I’ve always said I want to be a Warrior for life. At this stage in my career, I feel like that’s possible. And you can still be a competitive, it doesn’t mean you guaranteed the championship. It doesn’t mean winning. Winning is always a priority, but obviously you’re realistic. It doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen if you stay the course. You need to shake things up and keep reimagining what it looks like to evolve with what league is at right now, with where some of these talented teams are now.
I’m taking it one step at a time to be honest. I think that’s the only way that will protect my happiness. Also, it allows me to enjoy being myself when I’m out there playing. And I’ll continue to make the decisions that are best for me and for my career at the end of the day when it comes to just the imagination. I want to win. Let’s put it this way, it’s a longwinded way of saying that it if it is a situation where you’re a bottom feeder and it’s just because you want to stay there, I’d have a hard time with that. But I don’t think that’s going to be the reality.
Curry and James, combatants in the NBA Finals four consecutive seasons, are the twin touchstones of their generation. That grants them automatic rivalry status any time they face each other.
“I really think it’s almost Bron against them, just because they played against each other for so long,” Reaves said. “In the Finals. When you know you got Bron on the team, and you got Steph on [their] team, you’re always going to get high-level basketball – especially against one another. They always want to play you know their best against one another.”
Steph Curry reveals that he, KD, and LeBron recreated the same Olympic picture that MJ, Magic, and Bird took, per @MarcJSpears
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 24, 2024
Can’t wait to see it pic.twitter.com/ZUUVPpvI8h
DeAnthony Melton, Golden State Warriors
A back injury limited Melton to just 38 games last season in Philadelphia, but the 26-year-old combo guard averaged a career-best 11.1 points per game before signing with Golden State.
Melton’s combination of strong on-ball defense (3.0+ deflections and 1.6 steals per game the last two seasons) and outside shooting (38.3% from 3-point range over the past four seasons combined) should help him fit with Golden State’s new-look backcourt, joining Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield alongside Stephen Curry.
It's almost here Here's your first look at #MrThrowback, coming to @peacock on August 8! #ad pic.twitter.com/Ni9uq8AWLr
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) July 24, 2024
“Warner Bros. Discovery’s most recent proposal did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer and, therefore, we have entered into a long-term arrangement with Amazon,” the NBA said in a statement.
“Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans,” the statement continued. “Our new arrangement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements. All three partners have also committed substantial resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience.”
As it stands now, the Celtics are currently projected to be close to $25 million over the second apron. Starting this season, teams who finish the season over the second apron will begin to have their future draft picks frozen (thus unable to be traded) as part of the penalties to prevent heavy spending over long periods of time.
But if the Celtics were to subtract just one of the big salaries from their books moving forward, and replace it either with draft picks or players on inexpensive, rookie-scale contracts, it would quickly become very plausible for Boston to get below the second apron, giving the Celtics flexibility to continue adding to the roster.
ESPN Sources: New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has agreed on a three-year contract extension that’ll take him through the 2027-2028 season. A two-time NBA coach of the year, Thibodeau has led the Knicks to consecutive conference semifinal berths. pic.twitter.com/6sFGkzaT8c
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 24, 2024
Jackson-Davis had fairly gaudy numbers last year, albeit in a minimal role: per 36 minutes, the rookie averaged 17.2 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks, while shooting 70.2% from the field. Those are borderline All-Star numbers if he were actually playing 32+ minutes a night, especially if he keeps building on the defensive improvements he showed last year.
Still, it will take more than that. Jackson-Davis will need to either take a huge leap on defense, or have the offense revolve around him a little more. He has the look of a player who could one day average 20 and 10 with strong defense, and that could get him into a future All-Star Game ... just probably not this future All-Star Game.
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