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 $8.8M TPE to see what I could turn up. (Or, I guess ideally they would already have a sense of what that package could net. Maybe the Pacers want to duck the tax for this year with Haliburton out, and we could take a flyer on Jarace Walker? Or make it a second-rounder and try a Niang- or Fontecchio-type...)
So most notable FA left by the highest ranking BORD$ 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 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.
>>>An emerging option for the Pistons, sources say, is Detroit trading for Kings guard Malik Monk. Sounds like there’s a chance this deal, if agreed to, could turn into a sign-and-trade that brings Dennis Schroder to Sacramento.
The Pistons have also been linked to Duncan Robinson, so targeting Monk makes sense in dollar bracket, secondary shooting. Capologists around the league have been penciling Schroder at two years, $28 million on Sacramento’s books for 2025-26.<<<
JK for Monk and scraps was of my hopes of the off-season. So if I understand this correctly, the Kings are basically just giving away Monk? Maybe for a pick?
With Malik Beasley being under investigation for alleged gambling, it's a great move for the Pistons to get Monk. On the other hand, I don't know what the Kings front office is doing. They've lost LaRavia already, and now they might lose their best bench scorer in the free agency.
Just desperate for a point guard, I think. Monk did what he could, but Sac is so over a barrel right now. And they've got Lavine to be a frontline scorer.
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 $8.8M TPE to see what I could turn up. (Or, I guess ideally they would already have a sense of what that package could net. Maybe the Pacers want to duck the tax for this year with Haliburton out, and we could take a flyer on Jarace Walker? Or make it a second-rounder and try a Niang- or Fontecchio-type...)
Wanna cry, wanna croon
Wanna laugh like a loon
We just lost Kevon Loon-
-ey the Wise
Nyoooo Loon... So sad to see him go to another team.
I have a funny feeling we're going to get out-rebounded by New Orleans this season.
So most notable FA left by the highest ranking BORD$ 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
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 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
Alex Toohey and Will Richard’s First Press Conference with Warriors: https://youtu.be/2d7vQF46Zgk?si=vjZl779tYidcrmtV
Maybe it’s cos I’m in the throes of missing Loon, but Will Richard’s general vibe and demeanor kinda reminds me of Loon.
I felt the same…
>>>An emerging option for the Pistons, sources say, is Detroit trading for Kings guard Malik Monk. Sounds like there’s a chance this deal, if agreed to, could turn into a sign-and-trade that brings Dennis Schroder to Sacramento.
The Pistons have also been linked to Duncan Robinson, so targeting Monk makes sense in dollar bracket, secondary shooting. Capologists around the league have been penciling Schroder at two years, $28 million on Sacramento’s books for 2025-26.<<<
https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-absolute-latest-nba-free-agency
man, if you told me Malik Monk was 26, 6'3", and a below average 3 point shooter, I don't know which one of those things would be most surprising
JK for Monk and scraps was of my hopes of the off-season. So if I understand this correctly, the Kings are basically just giving away Monk? Maybe for a pick?
DS for Monk would be a crazy good move for Detroit
With Malik Beasley being under investigation for alleged gambling, it's a great move for the Pistons to get Monk. On the other hand, I don't know what the Kings front office is doing. They've lost LaRavia already, and now they might lose their best bench scorer in the free agency.
Seems like Detroit just wants to have a "Malik" on their team.
Maybe Sac is tanking?
Just desperate for a point guard, I think. Monk did what he could, but Sac is so over a barrel right now. And they've got Lavine to be a frontline scorer.