My Brain: Oh, Loon left for $16m for two years? Good for him. He deserves it, but that would have been an overpay for the Dubs. This was the right choice for both him and the team.
It’s probably the sadness and frustration talking, but at this moment, if I were the W’s I think I would at least contemplate letting Kuminga walk for nothing, splitting the full MLE between Horford and Melton, and then shopping a protected first with our $8.8M TPE to see what I could turn up. (Or, I guess ideally they would already have a sense of what that package could net. Maybe the Pacers want to duck the tax for this year with Haliburton out, and we could take a flyer on Jarace Walker? Or make it a second-rounder and try a Niang- or Fontecchio-type...)
Posted this amid the flurry of Day 1 signings, but in honor of Loon: Ken Nordine’s “Maroon” is the absolute **magnum opus** of words that rhyme with Loon (and a hilarious and great tune to boot…)
So most notable FA left by the highest ranking BORD$ from Hollinger going into day 2:
PG:
Chris Paul 17M
Russell Westbrook 10M
SG:
Cam Thomas 23M
Quentin Grimes 18M
SF:
Giddey 35M
JK 24M
PF:
Lyles 9M
Yabusele 6M
C:
Turner 31M
Horford 19M
Pretty much all that's left are guys who are restricted or guys who are old. By one measure, JK is the 3rd best FA left on the table. And assuming Turner returns to Indiana, the best non-Horford big left is Trey Lyles. Slim pickings.
So far only 6 teams have not made any FA signings or trades at the start of FA:
OKC
Indiana
Portland
Washington
Toronto
AND Golden State
Again as ive said in an earlier post, NOT playing into making moves just to make moves has played an integral part in the success of our organization BUT for once (post KD) man i wish theyd make a splashy trade or signing early in FA from the very selfish perspective of having something to talk about.
The Lakers' top-5 highest paid players pull a cumulative salary of 145.9M, while the top-5 on the Warriors make 160.2M.
The salary cap is at 154.6M.
The difference is really in the top-3 highest paid:
Lakers (LeBron, Luka, Hachimura): 116.7M
Warriors (Steph, Jimmy, Dray): 139.5M
Once JK re-signs for anything but QO, the top-4 on the Warriors alone will far exceed total cap space.
The Warriors are the most top-heavy team, so it's no wonder they are not players in FA, and their roster doesn't have a place for any even semi-big names except marginal guys in terms of age or health. Our top-3 arguably deserve every penny due to them, but if they are unhappy about not being able to field a competitive team, they need to look in the mirror first and at the FO's relatively mid draft record second.
It seems like most other contending teams in the West got better, and the Warriors so far got worse. They are also most exposed to Father Time, with their top-3 all over 35 years old. At best, the expected improvements from Podz, Post, Moses, and JK will even out the expected age-related decline from Steph, Jimmy, Buddy, and Dray. At best ...
In summary, they may be contenders to make the play-offs, but I don't see a team that makes it out of the first round.
I agree with your general sentiment. Injuries play a major part of being ‘old’ so when you have ur three stars all over the age of 35 then you have to factor injuries heading into the postseason
Saying all that what else can be done? We are hamstrung by CJ Mccollums salary cap. In theory we can trade some valuable post Steph first round picks to try and extend said window BUT boy at this point id rather just take a punchers shot with these 3 and some distressed assets than to mortgage the future to again give us a sliver more of an advantage BUT still run the risk that if Steph and or Jimmy get hurt we are still toast
Seems about right to me (for now) - Wolves down without NAW, Denver up, Warriors down for now, but still above LA. A good next few days, and the Warriors could be top 4 again.
1-3 are playoff locks barring catastrophic injury.
4 through 9 are total toss-ups at the moment. Any of those teams could slip into the lottery with just a bit of bad injury luck. Actually, at least one of them is guaranteed to miss the playoffs.
In addition, any team in 10 though 14 could rise into the upper half of the play-in.
Kings and Jazz are pre-cooked, though, absent a miracle.
Damn MDJ - that sucked big time as the first few hours of FA as far as I, as a Dubs fan, am concerned - losing Kevon “ windex” looney makes absolutely no sense - we got smaller, worse on defense, and it did not really save is that much ??? Me Very Very sad, but thats the way it goes!
Not a bad off season if we could sign Horford, Melton, and retain jk for around 20m a year then gauge his fit/value at the deadline. If there's a trade to be made maybe Moody and a pick for an upgrade
I’ve been wanting us to trade Moody for a while. I like him, but I’m not very big on his game and I think he’s closer to hitting his ceiling than I’d like.
Of course, Moody is cheap... I'd package him for the right deal (him plus Jimmy and picks for Giannis? I'm not a capologist...), but he brings value. JK at $25m does not (currently). We don't have a lot to move, but Moody isn't dragging us down at his current price.
I haven't been following draft and trades today, instead, perhaps feeling nostalgic or a ripple in the force as Loon departs, I was watching dubs videos, including a re-watch of the 2022 90 min mini-movie.
I'll do advance voting on Loon: yes of course warrior for life.
I'm late to the Loon wake (I'm in Madrid) and have not read all the comments yet, but I'm pretty OK with it.
I'd have loved to have had him back on a vet min or partial MLE, but he got $16 mil from the Pelicans, and that's great for him, which outweighs the bummer of him leaving. Way to go, Willie Green!
I'm pretty darn sure he's a guy who joins the Dubs FO or coaching staff at the end of his career, and that's a perfect way to wrap the story up.
But, god, please no Vucevich (if I got paid 10c for every time I've said it, I'd be able to buy a nice sandwich by now).
I don't really know, but paying $20 mil for a center means we send at least one player (JK) out, and possibly two players.
Basically, one or two of JK, Moody, Buddy. No one else really has a contract big enough to make much of a difference. To me, Vuc for that price is not even close to a win.
It's not that I think Vuc is terrible ... just not great. His contract is the real problem.
I would be OK with 'best available rim protecting center' in the G-league on a min deal, with the understanding he's probably craptastic on the offensive side, and keeping all our guys. I haven't looked at the guy Sleepy mentioned yet, but perhaps.
Or, hell, find a guy in the NBL who's probably a stiff, but a big enough body to throw at the half dozen big centers in the league, and give him an min or the TPMLE.
With Horford we would have to cross our fingers because he's 39. If he hasn't fallen off a cliff and can stay healthy, he could be a starter, which I wouldn't say about the other two. If.
Mamukelashvili made $2.1M last season. If you look at per 36 he doesn't look bad, but he hasn't played a lot, and whether his performance will scale is an open question.
I don't what Mo Wagner would cost. He was supposed to make $11M this coming season but he just got bought out. If healthy, he could help us though.
Um… so the Bucks are going to waive Dame to sign Myles Turner. What a turnaround for Milwaukee and heartbreak for Indiana.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6465715/2025/07/01/damian-lillard-waived-bucks-myles-turner-nba-free-agency/
If Giannis stays holy smokes. It’s going to be epic when Doc screws that one up
Maybe Doc will be the surprise coach of the NYK...
Wow, I sure didn't see either of those moves coming. I figured Turner re-signing with Indy would be a no-brainer.
My Brain: Oh, Loon left for $16m for two years? Good for him. He deserves it, but that would have been an overpay for the Dubs. This was the right choice for both him and the team.
My Heart: OW OW OW OW OW OW
Ugh, what a scene to wake up to. Looney 💔😭
It’s probably the sadness and frustration talking, but at this moment, if I were the W’s I think I would at least contemplate letting Kuminga walk for nothing, splitting the full MLE between Horford and Melton, and then shopping a protected first with our $8.8M TPE to see what I could turn up. (Or, I guess ideally they would already have a sense of what that package could net. Maybe the Pacers want to duck the tax for this year with Haliburton out, and we could take a flyer on Jarace Walker? Or make it a second-rounder and try a Niang- or Fontecchio-type...)
Wanna cry, wanna croon
Wanna laugh like a loon
We just lost Kevon Loon-
-ey the Wise
Posted this amid the flurry of Day 1 signings, but in honor of Loon: Ken Nordine’s “Maroon” is the absolute **magnum opus** of words that rhyme with Loon (and a hilarious and great tune to boot…)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQhVVGW9q4&pp=ygUSbWFyb29uIGtlbiBub3JkaW5l
Nyoooo Loon... So sad to see him go to another team.
I have a funny feeling we're going to get out-rebounded by New Orleans this season.
So most notable FA left by the highest ranking BORD$ from Hollinger going into day 2:
PG:
Chris Paul 17M
Russell Westbrook 10M
SG:
Cam Thomas 23M
Quentin Grimes 18M
SF:
Giddey 35M
JK 24M
PF:
Lyles 9M
Yabusele 6M
C:
Turner 31M
Horford 19M
Pretty much all that's left are guys who are restricted or guys who are old. By one measure, JK is the 3rd best FA left on the table. And assuming Turner returns to Indiana, the best non-Horford big left is Trey Lyles. Slim pickings.
Let’s go Yabusele. We’re doing great with French players at Balhalla, let’s get the whole family over here!
So far only 6 teams have not made any FA signings or trades at the start of FA:
OKC
Indiana
Portland
Washington
Toronto
AND Golden State
Again as ive said in an earlier post, NOT playing into making moves just to make moves has played an integral part in the success of our organization BUT for once (post KD) man i wish theyd make a splashy trade or signing early in FA from the very selfish perspective of having something to talk about.
The Lakers' top-5 highest paid players pull a cumulative salary of 145.9M, while the top-5 on the Warriors make 160.2M.
The salary cap is at 154.6M.
The difference is really in the top-3 highest paid:
Lakers (LeBron, Luka, Hachimura): 116.7M
Warriors (Steph, Jimmy, Dray): 139.5M
Once JK re-signs for anything but QO, the top-4 on the Warriors alone will far exceed total cap space.
The Warriors are the most top-heavy team, so it's no wonder they are not players in FA, and their roster doesn't have a place for any even semi-big names except marginal guys in terms of age or health. Our top-3 arguably deserve every penny due to them, but if they are unhappy about not being able to field a competitive team, they need to look in the mirror first and at the FO's relatively mid draft record second.
> Our top-3 arguably deserve every penny due to them, but if they are unhappy about not being able to field a competitive team
They made the second round last season and who knows how it would have went if Curry didn't get hurt. Is that not a competitive team?
It seems like most other contending teams in the West got better, and the Warriors so far got worse. They are also most exposed to Father Time, with their top-3 all over 35 years old. At best, the expected improvements from Podz, Post, Moses, and JK will even out the expected age-related decline from Steph, Jimmy, Buddy, and Dray. At best ...
In summary, they may be contenders to make the play-offs, but I don't see a team that makes it out of the first round.
I agree with your general sentiment. Injuries play a major part of being ‘old’ so when you have ur three stars all over the age of 35 then you have to factor injuries heading into the postseason
Saying all that what else can be done? We are hamstrung by CJ Mccollums salary cap. In theory we can trade some valuable post Steph first round picks to try and extend said window BUT boy at this point id rather just take a punchers shot with these 3 and some distressed assets than to mortgage the future to again give us a sliver more of an advantage BUT still run the risk that if Steph and or Jimmy get hurt we are still toast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/warriors-plus-minus-a-show-about-the-golden-state-warriors/id1147910296?i=1000715235959
"https://old.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1losr47/sam_vecenies_western_conference_power_rankings/"
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
Houston Rockets
Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Los Angeles Clippers
6. Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Lakers
San Antonio Spurs
Memphis Grizzlies
10. Dallas Mavericks
Portland Trailblazers
Phoenix Suns
New Orleans Pelicans
Sacramento Kings
Utah Jazz
Seems about right to me (for now) - Wolves down without NAW, Denver up, Warriors down for now, but still above LA. A good next few days, and the Warriors could be top 4 again.
Imo drop the Wolves down to 6, and the blazers below the suns. Otherwise I think it’s about right
I see 4 tiers:
1-3 are playoff locks barring catastrophic injury.
4 through 9 are total toss-ups at the moment. Any of those teams could slip into the lottery with just a bit of bad injury luck. Actually, at least one of them is guaranteed to miss the playoffs.
In addition, any team in 10 though 14 could rise into the upper half of the play-in.
Kings and Jazz are pre-cooked, though, absent a miracle.
Damn MDJ - that sucked big time as the first few hours of FA as far as I, as a Dubs fan, am concerned - losing Kevon “ windex” looney makes absolutely no sense - we got smaller, worse on defense, and it did not really save is that much ??? Me Very Very sad, but thats the way it goes!
Um, $16M for 2 years is not that much? It is way more than Mike can afford right now given the Dubs payroll.
Yep - it is NOT that much in the grand scheme- our depth is poor and now we have become worse
In the grand scheme of looking at numbers on a page maybe. In terms of this offseason, that’s a huge amount.
Recap for today:
-Nets keep Ziaire Williams and Day'ron Sharpe.
-76ers sign Trendon Watford.
-Celtics sign Luke Garza.
-Pistons keep Paul Reed. They sign Caris LeVert.
-Bucks keep Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter Jr., Taurean Prince, and Gary Trent Jr..
-Bulls keep Tre Jones.
-Hawks sign Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard.
-Magic sign Tyus Jones.
-Hornets sign Mason Plumlee.
-Suns keep Collin Gillespie.
-Lakers sign Jake LaRavia.
-Clippers keep James Harden. They sign Brook Lopez.
-Wolves keep Joe Ingles.
-Nuggets traded Michael Porter Jr. and a first round pick to the Nets for Cam Johnson. Nuggets also signed Bruce Brown.
-Grizzlies keep Jaren Jackson Jr., Santi Aldama, and Cam Spencer. They sign Ty Jerome.
-Rockets keep Jabari Smith Jr., Jeff Green, Aaron Holiday, and Jae'Sean Tate. They sign Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela.
-Mavericks sign D'Angelo Russell.
-Spurs sign Luke Kornet.
-Pelicans sign Kevon Looney.
Dennis Schroder and Jordan Clarkson signings have not been finalized yet, so they do not count towards the list.
Suns have an additional signing...Nigel Hayes-Davis
Not a bad off season if we could sign Horford, Melton, and retain jk for around 20m a year then gauge his fit/value at the deadline. If there's a trade to be made maybe Moody and a pick for an upgrade
I’ve been wanting us to trade Moody for a while. I like him, but I’m not very big on his game and I think he’s closer to hitting his ceiling than I’d like.
Of course, Moody is cheap... I'd package him for the right deal (him plus Jimmy and picks for Giannis? I'm not a capologist...), but he brings value. JK at $25m does not (currently). We don't have a lot to move, but Moody isn't dragging us down at his current price.
I haven't been following draft and trades today, instead, perhaps feeling nostalgic or a ripple in the force as Loon departs, I was watching dubs videos, including a re-watch of the 2022 90 min mini-movie.
I'll do advance voting on Loon: yes of course warrior for life.
still no Giannis?
Wait 2 more hours
Maybe tomorrow at the latest
holding my breath
I'm late to the Loon wake (I'm in Madrid) and have not read all the comments yet, but I'm pretty OK with it.
I'd have loved to have had him back on a vet min or partial MLE, but he got $16 mil from the Pelicans, and that's great for him, which outweighs the bummer of him leaving. Way to go, Willie Green!
I'm pretty darn sure he's a guy who joins the Dubs FO or coaching staff at the end of his career, and that's a perfect way to wrap the story up.
But, god, please no Vucevich (if I got paid 10c for every time I've said it, I'd be able to buy a nice sandwich by now).
Just awake, and read the news, as You.
I agree that is the best decision for him, but I can’t hide the sadness.
I thank Kevon Looney for all he gave to the Dubs through these years!
Right now we have Post and TJD. Okay, not Vooch… then who?
I don't really know, but paying $20 mil for a center means we send at least one player (JK) out, and possibly two players.
Basically, one or two of JK, Moody, Buddy. No one else really has a contract big enough to make much of a difference. To me, Vuc for that price is not even close to a win.
It's not that I think Vuc is terrible ... just not great. His contract is the real problem.
I would be OK with 'best available rim protecting center' in the G-league on a min deal, with the understanding he's probably craptastic on the offensive side, and keeping all our guys. I haven't looked at the guy Sleepy mentioned yet, but perhaps.
Or, hell, find a guy in the NBL who's probably a stiff, but a big enough body to throw at the half dozen big centers in the league, and give him an min or the TPMLE.
Horford, Mo Wagner, Sandro Mamukelashvili…?
With Horford we would have to cross our fingers because he's 39. If he hasn't fallen off a cliff and can stay healthy, he could be a starter, which I wouldn't say about the other two. If.
Mamukelashvili made $2.1M last season. If you look at per 36 he doesn't look bad, but he hasn't played a lot, and whether his performance will scale is an open question.
I don't what Mo Wagner would cost. He was supposed to make $11M this coming season but he just got bought out. If healthy, he could help us though.
I don’t have high hopes for us getting Horford. Like the idea of Wagner… not sure who that last guy is.
I think Mamu is may be better than Mo.
Kinda rando, but he put up this crazy game late last season in a beatdown of the Knicks…
https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/202503190SAS.html
I feel we're close to making an irrationally excited move like this. Jeremy Lin vibes...