What do you mean, one does not simply walk into Mordor? The vast majority of the indviduals who enter Mordor do so on foot, according to the Mordor Bureau of Transportation and Slaughter. Certainly, there are Nazgul or eagles who fly in. But there are hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of orcs over the years who, after a bit of raiding in Gondor, have simply walked back into Mordor and returned to their homes. Admittedly, this assumes that they have homes, and I have not double-checked Mordor Zillow on that.
I wonder if the Desmond Bane trade impacts the market for other scoring guards around the league, e.g. Simons, Poole, or Coby White. And if so, in what way: Does it increase the trade cost, because Memphis got so much? Or does it lower the cost because the suitor with the strongest motivation to trade is now off the board (and got someone better)?
Wondering in part because JK for Coby White was starting to feel like the only straightforward, plausible S&T option (if indeed it even is an option).
It's all well and good to critique one's team or player like JK, as fans do -- until you look at the other options. It's not like Simone Fontecchio or Duncan Robinson for JK will push us into the stratosphere. Arguably you get worse, not better. Some of the other names a person can quibble about, but basically anyone hoping for "Trade JK for Giannis and KD" type of stuff watches a video like this and comes severely down to earth.
I suspect they re-sign him, then keep a close eye on how the season is going -- are he and Jimmy and Steph and Draymond all fitting, or not -- and trade him at the deadline if it's not working.
Yes, this is what I expect to happen. Sign him to a reasonable contract (market level looks like it will be reasonable), and use the four months of the season until the trade deadline to see what he looks like.
>>>We reported on June 12 that the Kings, who don't currently hold a first-round selection, have "expressed confidence to various agents" that they could be drafting as high as the early 20s next week. Sacramento-based James Ham followed up that report this week by asserting that DeRozan could be on Miami's radar if Durant goes elsewhere.
The immediate future of Golden State's Jonathan Kuminga would appear to be even more clouded by Durant uncertainty than DeRozan's.
Kuminga, of course, will soon become a restricted free agent. There have been no tangible rumblings to this point that Brooklyn — which is the NBA's lone team on course to have significant salary cap space this summer — has plans to pursue Kuminga with the Nets' projected $55 million in operating room. Trying to forecast sign-and-trade scenarios that could potentially materialize for the bouncy 22-year-old swingman will thus be difficult to pinpoint until Durant's situation is settled.
Maybe Miami, for example, would make a sign-and-trade run at Kuminga in the event that the Heat don't win the trade race to acquire the league's No. 8 all-time leading scorer. Sources say Miami has registered a level of interest in Kuminga in previous transaction cycles.<<<
I still don't understand why teams carry dead cap space for retired players. Obviously guys like David West, Andrew Bogut, and Andre Igoudala are done playing in the NBA. Why not renounce their rights and get them off the books?
It's not unheard of to unretire, and MJ did it twice (albeit he was 31 the first time and 38 the second time he came back, and he could still play at a high level). But David West and Matt Barnes are 45, and they're done. Same with Bogut at 41; if he wanted to play again, he'd probably play in Australia. He's done in the NBA. Iggy's done too. And if JaMychal Green (whose rights we still have) wants to unretire, he is welcome to go elsewhere. Same with Jonas Jerebko. If the Dubs wanted to hold on to Bjelica, okay, but he's probably staying in Europe now. We still have the rights for all of those guys. I guess since it costs nothing and doesn't affect our cap, why not. Still seems kinda odd though.
However, as Eric says, rights to retired players have been traded before to make a deal work, so there's that.
It’s not technically dead cap space, as it’s not salary charged against the salary cap. It’s a cap hold. This only matters if GSW were otherwise to be under the salary cap. If that ever happens, they will renounce those rights. In the meantime, there is very very occasionally a time when the rights to a player is traded to comply with a trade rule… I’m not sure that’s relevant in the new CBA
I like the Norman Powell suggestion. It seems like it’s one of the few names that can satisfy both the coach’s desire for a role player and the front office’s desire to not lose value on their best asset. For the Clippers, I see upside they currently do not posses.
It’s opportunity cost within salary cap structure. A structure that was invented to prevent rich guys from spending too much. Nobody is giving JK $32M on the open market.
Most cap guys agree with you. I see it very differently. 22 year old in a bad situation is all upside. 30 mil is cheap in a rising cap situation. Even Lacob said that last summer on the tk podcast.
I am personally in the camp that thinks we should run it back with basically the same roster as last year, with just some changes around the edges. Maybe find some shooting in the draft or on cheap free agents and most importantly hope for better injury luck in the playoffs. Having Jimmy for the whole season and Buddy better integrated from the start could do some good for our playoff seeding, too. It's a gamble but possible that the development of the young'uns (esp. Post) outpaces the decline of the old guys to keep us in contention.
God, having written that, it hurts more to have lost Coach Deki and what he could have done for Quinten.
It’s part of multi-writer piece called “8 Giannis Trades That Would Shake Up the League” and Kram does at least attempt to justify it, with the caveat that it’s “wild.”
> The Warriors are almost always in the mix for stars, and after trading for Jimmy Butler III in February, they could take an even bigger swing this summer to maximize the remainder of Stephen Curry's extended prime. If Antetokounmpo requests a trade to Golden State, the Warriors could simply reroute Butler, whose salary is a perfect match. But the Warriors could also build a matching package around Green and a host of young players, so let's get truly wild with a blockbuster four-team proposal.
Easy yes (on the trade: not sure about the cap legality, but it seems ok as long as JK signs for a reasonable amount, if not add Moody?), I wish GIannis wasn't staying
Oh damn, missed that, thanks! Try and keep that pick, then. If Podz and Dray leave, we badly need a legit PG (not a GP2, though I’d happily take him back on vet min).
After five decades of control by the Buss family, the Los Angeles Lakers will be sold to Mark Walter, the lead owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, at a valuation of at least $10 billion, league sources told The Athletic.
The question of Melton keeps coming up and as a fan I'd love to see him come back, so I did a rather quick search. There's not a lot around that is recent but I did find this article, with the only real information (unsourced) being:
"As Melton enters free agency, the narrative surrounding him is not just about his past achievements but also about his future potential. Despite the setback of his injury, the interest in Melton across the league remains high. His ability to impact a game on both ends of the floor makes him a valuable asset for any team looking to bolster their roster. The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as a potential destination, seeing Melton as an opportunity to add depth and experience for a minimal investment. This interest speaks volumes about Melton’s perceived value in the league, highlighting his resilience and ability to overcome adversity."
We can offer him a starting spot at the 2 or a very decent role for him to rebuild his value. I think that's got to be more beneficial for him than standing in the corner for 22 seconds while Luka and Lebron takes turn dribbling before catching a hot potato pass and getting blamed for their failures when they lose because their stars can't guard a cone
Counter argument: With Luka and a roster actually structured around him (i.e. sign a real center), the Lakers will be contenders, even if LeBron starts declining a bit. Combined with the Lakers cachet, it's still a good opportunity. And if LeBron is opting into the final year of his deal, it kinda signals a clean balance sheet for the Lakers heading into 2026 offseason, which may mean a good re-sign/extension opportunity.
One editing note: FYI - the highlights have sound at the 19:43 mark of the video until 20:52. It makes it quite hard to hear Perks and your great commentary.
As for my takeaways, I would love the Norman Powell for JK proposed deal which implies it's lopsided in the Dubs' favor. Otherwise, the options are ugly. Coby White or bust? Hope on the Kings dysfunction for Malik Monk? Deal with Danny Ainge (and/or son) for Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton?
And not trading JK means holding on to him until at least January and not having a BAE, NTMLE, and not using the TPE yet having a bunch of holes. The only avenues left are Buddy and Moody, a 5M TPMLE, and vet mins.
Warriors head video coordinator Lainn Wilson has been named the new head coach of the Santa Cruz Warriors. Wilson has been instrumental in scouting and analytics
Nicholas Kerr will return to Golden State’s staff after serving as head coach in Santa Cruz for two seasons
Haha, I’ll expect a recommendation letter from you. “EA can splice in clips from The Shining at record speeds.”
Honestly, video coordinator is a hard hard job for not that much pay. A *lot* of video clipping, a lot of metadata and classifying, all under high time pressure and often while traveling with the team. GSV coach Nakase had an interview talking about being a video coordinator and learning to work on clips at 4x speed. Which is great for training the eye and mind but horrible for life enjoyment.
Let's sign JK to a mid-dish contract, and most critically, sign Taran 'Maravich' Armstrong to a two-way (that last part might be /s).
I'm probably going to get pounded for this, but as good as Butler was (he was excellent), I'm still dubious that he makes it through any deep postseason run healthy.
And summer 2026 is when the Butler contract shenanigans will probably begin (looking for an extension).
If we needed his salary to get a frontline player (say a really good center, or elite shooter), I'd be OK with it. Sign JK and hope he pops as a wing (I'm more hopeful than most about this, TBH).
There will be too much pressure on Steph anyway, if JB is hurt for a series.
The point I'm trying to make is that JB in the regular season is a nice-to-have, but if he's not there for the playoffs, I'm not sure that's the best use of $54 million of salary.
Someone else might be able to take the load off of Steph more consistently.
But how much of a market is there for Butler? Other teams presumably would have the same concerns you cite. We got him in part because Miami had a hard time finding a deal they liked with a team JB would accept.
Butler's contract is the salary filler. You are quite correct that picks or other players would need to be the incentive.
Right now, finding salary matches limits the range of contracts we can take on.
But, to be clear, I'm not suggesting we shop him. You're right that just keeping him is probably the best option. But, if he needs the salary ballast to get Giannis, I'm all for it.
Well then we can't sign anyone because they might get hurt. JB's injury was something that would have hurt anyone, it wasn't anything specific to him. So I don't really understand the point of that argument. He was very durable in the run with us otherwise.
JB was more a need-to-have in the regular season though, we wouldn’t have made the playoffs without him. I don’t know if I would want to risk giving him up especially since next season is likely to be Steph’s last realistic push for another ring. We definitely won’t have to worry about injuries in the playoffs if we don’t even make it that far.
Idk, I personally lean heavily towards keeping him. I want to see what the coaches can cook up with him during preseason. Especially if we have JK too. I feel like there is potential there that they never got to experiment with in the rush to make playoffs.
But also, what do I know? I’m fine with whatever the MDJ decides, if that is trading Butler or keeping him.
EDIT: I think what I’m getting at, more than anything else, is that I don’t envy MDJ at all. Limited options, existing high salaries, and the pressure of an entire fanbase/organization to not ruin one of Steph’s last years. Any mistake will result in generational slander and bitterness - have fun, MDJ!!
I am with you on Jimmy. He was impressively good for us in the regular season and early parts of the playoff run, but toward the end, Minnesota, he was unimpressive. Not having Steph obviously hurts everyone. But I was expecting Jimmy to shift to shooting more, not less, to taking greater control, not being more passive. I think he was tired, which is in part due to the team riding him hard -- but younger players don't fade in quite that way.
And this is crucial because we didn't acquire Jimmy in order to be a really good regular season team. We pay him a lot so that we contend for a championship. I guess the front office promised him we'd keep him but I'd be open to a useful trade for younger players.
I think Jimmy was pretty clearly playing through injuries and pain toward the end. He didn't even attempt some of the inside moves he had been making. So if your argument is, okay but he DOES get injured a lot, then I agree. I don't think he was just tired or not giving it all he had.
The guy is an intense competitor so he had to be hurting.
It is asking a lot for Steph and JB to play at an elite level and stay healthy but that is what the Warriors have chosen to contend.
They desperately need another no b.s. consistent scorer. Ironically JK is someone who theoretically could be that person after he improves his shooting and overall game this off season. Is it possible? Yes.
Likely? No.
I wish I knew who JK is working with to get better. Hopefully someone who can actually help him.
With all the endless talk about how JK doesn’t fit the Kerr system, maybe a few adjustments on both sides could produce that miracle the Warriors need.
I mean let’s be honest. JB and his style of play is not anything Kerr would ever want. Dribble, dribble, dominate the ball, but he made it work. His style is not Kerr ball by any means.
The system was different with Steph AND Klay. No Klay, it changes dramatically.
It is also different without a bonafide 5 with size.
Maybe it is time to really make some big changes.
I am not saying JK is going to average 22 a game and play good D next year. I am saying it is possible if he really does come back improved and adjustments are made.
I think it is time for Draymond to become Andre Iguodala.
Whatever happens they only contend if they get some unexpected big positives from who they have and add some new blood that outperforms expectations.
Thank you! I feel like I need this every offseason since there's always something new I didn't know about. I bet next year we won't be able to trade someone on a contract unless the owner gets 7% of a bag of Cheetos and a martini
What do you mean, one does not simply walk into Mordor? The vast majority of the indviduals who enter Mordor do so on foot, according to the Mordor Bureau of Transportation and Slaughter. Certainly, there are Nazgul or eagles who fly in. But there are hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of orcs over the years who, after a bit of raiding in Gondor, have simply walked back into Mordor and returned to their homes. Admittedly, this assumes that they have homes, and I have not double-checked Mordor Zillow on that.
The rest of the NBA from 2013-2018: One does not simply walk into Oracle Arena.
I wonder if the Desmond Bane trade impacts the market for other scoring guards around the league, e.g. Simons, Poole, or Coby White. And if so, in what way: Does it increase the trade cost, because Memphis got so much? Or does it lower the cost because the suitor with the strongest motivation to trade is now off the board (and got someone better)?
Wondering in part because JK for Coby White was starting to feel like the only straightforward, plausible S&T option (if indeed it even is an option).
It's all well and good to critique one's team or player like JK, as fans do -- until you look at the other options. It's not like Simone Fontecchio or Duncan Robinson for JK will push us into the stratosphere. Arguably you get worse, not better. Some of the other names a person can quibble about, but basically anyone hoping for "Trade JK for Giannis and KD" type of stuff watches a video like this and comes severely down to earth.
I suspect they re-sign him, then keep a close eye on how the season is going -- are he and Jimmy and Steph and Draymond all fitting, or not -- and trade him at the deadline if it's not working.
Yes, this is what I expect to happen. Sign him to a reasonable contract (market level looks like it will be reasonable), and use the four months of the season until the trade deadline to see what he looks like.
>>>We reported on June 12 that the Kings, who don't currently hold a first-round selection, have "expressed confidence to various agents" that they could be drafting as high as the early 20s next week. Sacramento-based James Ham followed up that report this week by asserting that DeRozan could be on Miami's radar if Durant goes elsewhere.
The immediate future of Golden State's Jonathan Kuminga would appear to be even more clouded by Durant uncertainty than DeRozan's.
Kuminga, of course, will soon become a restricted free agent. There have been no tangible rumblings to this point that Brooklyn — which is the NBA's lone team on course to have significant salary cap space this summer — has plans to pursue Kuminga with the Nets' projected $55 million in operating room. Trying to forecast sign-and-trade scenarios that could potentially materialize for the bouncy 22-year-old swingman will thus be difficult to pinpoint until Durant's situation is settled.
Maybe Miami, for example, would make a sign-and-trade run at Kuminga in the event that the Heat don't win the trade race to acquire the league's No. 8 all-time leading scorer. Sources say Miami has registered a level of interest in Kuminga in previous transaction cycles.<<<
https://old.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1lez8nz/stein_the_kings_demar_derozan_is_another_former/
I still don't understand why teams carry dead cap space for retired players. Obviously guys like David West, Andrew Bogut, and Andre Igoudala are done playing in the NBA. Why not renounce their rights and get them off the books?
I mean, it's not unheard-of for players to *unretire* too. If there's no harm in keeping it, they might well wait just in case.
It's not unheard of to unretire, and MJ did it twice (albeit he was 31 the first time and 38 the second time he came back, and he could still play at a high level). But David West and Matt Barnes are 45, and they're done. Same with Bogut at 41; if he wanted to play again, he'd probably play in Australia. He's done in the NBA. Iggy's done too. And if JaMychal Green (whose rights we still have) wants to unretire, he is welcome to go elsewhere. Same with Jonas Jerebko. If the Dubs wanted to hold on to Bjelica, okay, but he's probably staying in Europe now. We still have the rights for all of those guys. I guess since it costs nothing and doesn't affect our cap, why not. Still seems kinda odd though.
However, as Eric says, rights to retired players have been traded before to make a deal work, so there's that.
It’s not technically dead cap space, as it’s not salary charged against the salary cap. It’s a cap hold. This only matters if GSW were otherwise to be under the salary cap. If that ever happens, they will renounce those rights. In the meantime, there is very very occasionally a time when the rights to a player is traded to comply with a trade rule… I’m not sure that’s relevant in the new CBA
Thank you. I've been puzzled by those entries on Spotrac for years .. and I didn't quite get the explanation in the vid.
Bogut, West, and Iggy could probably still give us at least a few quality playoff minutes lol.
Can you imagine what, say, West's reaction would be if he learned that we just traded him at age 45? It might give him a good laugh.
He was hoping to be a Warrior for life...
I like the Norman Powell suggestion. It seems like it’s one of the few names that can satisfy both the coach’s desire for a role player and the front office’s desire to not lose value on their best asset. For the Clippers, I see upside they currently do not posses.
He makes $20M next year. Clippers would have to take JK for $32M. I don’t think that’s reasonable…
Caps going up. 30 mill cheap for rich owner. One thing these guys don’t mention.
It’s opportunity cost within salary cap structure. A structure that was invented to prevent rich guys from spending too much. Nobody is giving JK $32M on the open market.
Most cap guys agree with you. I see it very differently. 22 year old in a bad situation is all upside. 30 mil is cheap in a rising cap situation. Even Lacob said that last summer on the tk podcast.
Nicholas Kerr is the newest member of the Warriors coaching staff.
I am personally in the camp that thinks we should run it back with basically the same roster as last year, with just some changes around the edges. Maybe find some shooting in the draft or on cheap free agents and most importantly hope for better injury luck in the playoffs. Having Jimmy for the whole season and Buddy better integrated from the start could do some good for our playoff seeding, too. It's a gamble but possible that the development of the young'uns (esp. Post) outpaces the decline of the old guys to keep us in contention.
God, having written that, it hurts more to have lost Coach Deki and what he could have done for Quinten.
ESPN’s Zach Kram throws out this one…
====
Golden State Warriors get:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
====
Los Angeles Lakers get:
Draymond Green
Daniel Gafford
====
Dallas Mavericks get:
Gabe Vincent
2031 first-round pick (via L.A. Lakers)
2025 second-round pick (No. 41)
====
Milwaukee Bucks get:
Austin Reaves
Brandin Podziemski
Jonathan Kuminga (via sign-and-trade)
Trayce Jackson-Davis
Maxi Kleber
2029 first-round pick (via Warriors)
====
Now I have to watch the rest of this Perks lesson to make sure it’s legal…
We gonna be be championship
I mean never say never post Doncic trade, but I was unaware unrealistic wild fantasies could be posted as articles on ESPN.
It’s part of multi-writer piece called “8 Giannis Trades That Would Shake Up the League” and Kram does at least attempt to justify it, with the caveat that it’s “wild.”
> The Warriors are almost always in the mix for stars, and after trading for Jimmy Butler III in February, they could take an even bigger swing this summer to maximize the remainder of Stephen Curry's extended prime. If Antetokounmpo requests a trade to Golden State, the Warriors could simply reroute Butler, whose salary is a perfect match. But the Warriors could also build a matching package around Green and a host of young players, so let's get truly wild with a blockbuster four-team proposal.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45526828/nba-offseason-2025-8-giannis-bucks-trades-shake-league
That reads like the writer understands they're describing the sillier proposal of two options
That’s hilarious. the Mavericks end up with the Lakers first they should have had anyways.
Salary wise sounds realistic but will probably require a couple of more unprotected first rounders from us
Easy yes (on the trade: not sure about the cap legality, but it seems ok as long as JK signs for a reasonable amount, if not add Moody?), I wish GIannis wasn't staying
Steph
Buddy
Jimmy
Giannis
Post
====
Nembhard (#41 pick)
Melton (vet min)
Moody
Santos
Knox
BroLo (TPMLE)
Looney (vet min)
Spencer
Or something? I’m in…
I mean no Nembhard since that pick goes to Dallas, but slot GP2 (vet min) there instead… i’m not upset
Oh damn, missed that, thanks! Try and keep that pick, then. If Podz and Dray leave, we badly need a legit PG (not a GP2, though I’d happily take him back on vet min).
Whoa.
Buss family to sell majority ownership of Lakers
After five decades of control by the Buss family, the Los Angeles Lakers will be sold to Mark Walter, the lead owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, at a valuation of at least $10 billion, league sources told The Athletic.
https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/a943897ff910f
The question of Melton keeps coming up and as a fan I'd love to see him come back, so I did a rather quick search. There's not a lot around that is recent but I did find this article, with the only real information (unsourced) being:
"As Melton enters free agency, the narrative surrounding him is not just about his past achievements but also about his future potential. Despite the setback of his injury, the interest in Melton across the league remains high. His ability to impact a game on both ends of the floor makes him a valuable asset for any team looking to bolster their roster. The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as a potential destination, seeing Melton as an opportunity to add depth and experience for a minimal investment. This interest speaks volumes about Melton’s perceived value in the league, highlighting his resilience and ability to overcome adversity."
Link: https://motorcyclesports.net/deanthony-melton-battles-through-adversity-and-eyes-redemption-in-free-agency-after-injury-woes/
Guess he’s not a vet min candidate… oh well. I still hope.
We can offer him a starting spot at the 2 or a very decent role for him to rebuild his value. I think that's got to be more beneficial for him than standing in the corner for 22 seconds while Luka and Lebron takes turn dribbling before catching a hot potato pass and getting blamed for their failures when they lose because their stars can't guard a cone
Counter argument: With Luka and a roster actually structured around him (i.e. sign a real center), the Lakers will be contenders, even if LeBron starts declining a bit. Combined with the Lakers cachet, it's still a good opportunity. And if LeBron is opting into the final year of his deal, it kinda signals a clean balance sheet for the Lakers heading into 2026 offseason, which may mean a good re-sign/extension opportunity.
So I guess it comes down to Good vs. Evil
#F**KLA
One editing note: FYI - the highlights have sound at the 19:43 mark of the video until 20:52. It makes it quite hard to hear Perks and your great commentary.
As for my takeaways, I would love the Norman Powell for JK proposed deal which implies it's lopsided in the Dubs' favor. Otherwise, the options are ugly. Coby White or bust? Hope on the Kings dysfunction for Malik Monk? Deal with Danny Ainge (and/or son) for Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton?
And not trading JK means holding on to him until at least January and not having a BAE, NTMLE, and not using the TPE yet having a bunch of holes. The only avenues left are Buddy and Moody, a 5M TPMLE, and vet mins.
Good luck, MDJ.
Thanks for the heads-up. I messed up the editing on that; henceforth I’ll be muting the videos in pre-processing to simplify the process…
I find audio to be the trickiest part of the editing process.
FYI @daltonjohnson.bsky.social:
[[
Warriors head video coordinator Lainn Wilson has been named the new head coach of the Santa Cruz Warriors. Wilson has been instrumental in scouting and analytics
Nicholas Kerr will return to Golden State’s staff after serving as head coach in Santa Cruz for two seasons
]]
EA...looks like there's an opening for a video coordinator...
Haha, I’ll expect a recommendation letter from you. “EA can splice in clips from The Shining at record speeds.”
Honestly, video coordinator is a hard hard job for not that much pay. A *lot* of video clipping, a lot of metadata and classifying, all under high time pressure and often while traveling with the team. GSV coach Nakase had an interview talking about being a video coordinator and learning to work on clips at 4x speed. Which is great for training the eye and mind but horrible for life enjoyment.
You would have hundreds of recommendations from this lot.
Every film session starts with “Hellllooo everybody!” and features clip after clip of Looney and JTA.
And ends with suggestions on celebration executions.
JK always seems to have very intense off season workout routines.
He does. But is he working on the right stuff?
Debatable.
Without his shirt.
Very nice breakdown.
Let's sign JK to a mid-dish contract, and most critically, sign Taran 'Maravich' Armstrong to a two-way (that last part might be /s).
I'm probably going to get pounded for this, but as good as Butler was (he was excellent), I'm still dubious that he makes it through any deep postseason run healthy.
And summer 2026 is when the Butler contract shenanigans will probably begin (looking for an extension).
If we needed his salary to get a frontline player (say a really good center, or elite shooter), I'd be OK with it. Sign JK and hope he pops as a wing (I'm more hopeful than most about this, TBH).
I feel like trading Jimmy would land the Warriors right back where they were last season (pre trade) - too much pressure on Steph.
There will be too much pressure on Steph anyway, if JB is hurt for a series.
The point I'm trying to make is that JB in the regular season is a nice-to-have, but if he's not there for the playoffs, I'm not sure that's the best use of $54 million of salary.
Someone else might be able to take the load off of Steph more consistently.
But how much of a market is there for Butler? Other teams presumably would have the same concerns you cite. We got him in part because Miami had a hard time finding a deal they liked with a team JB would accept.
Butler's contract is the salary filler. You are quite correct that picks or other players would need to be the incentive.
Right now, finding salary matches limits the range of contracts we can take on.
But, to be clear, I'm not suggesting we shop him. You're right that just keeping him is probably the best option. But, if he needs the salary ballast to get Giannis, I'm all for it.
Well then we can't sign anyone because they might get hurt. JB's injury was something that would have hurt anyone, it wasn't anything specific to him. So I don't really understand the point of that argument. He was very durable in the run with us otherwise.
JB was more a need-to-have in the regular season though, we wouldn’t have made the playoffs without him. I don’t know if I would want to risk giving him up especially since next season is likely to be Steph’s last realistic push for another ring. We definitely won’t have to worry about injuries in the playoffs if we don’t even make it that far.
Idk, I personally lean heavily towards keeping him. I want to see what the coaches can cook up with him during preseason. Especially if we have JK too. I feel like there is potential there that they never got to experiment with in the rush to make playoffs.
But also, what do I know? I’m fine with whatever the MDJ decides, if that is trading Butler or keeping him.
EDIT: I think what I’m getting at, more than anything else, is that I don’t envy MDJ at all. Limited options, existing high salaries, and the pressure of an entire fanbase/organization to not ruin one of Steph’s last years. Any mistake will result in generational slander and bitterness - have fun, MDJ!!
I am with you on Jimmy. He was impressively good for us in the regular season and early parts of the playoff run, but toward the end, Minnesota, he was unimpressive. Not having Steph obviously hurts everyone. But I was expecting Jimmy to shift to shooting more, not less, to taking greater control, not being more passive. I think he was tired, which is in part due to the team riding him hard -- but younger players don't fade in quite that way.
And this is crucial because we didn't acquire Jimmy in order to be a really good regular season team. We pay him a lot so that we contend for a championship. I guess the front office promised him we'd keep him but I'd be open to a useful trade for younger players.
I think Jimmy was pretty clearly playing through injuries and pain toward the end. He didn't even attempt some of the inside moves he had been making. So if your argument is, okay but he DOES get injured a lot, then I agree. I don't think he was just tired or not giving it all he had.
The guy is an intense competitor so he had to be hurting.
It is asking a lot for Steph and JB to play at an elite level and stay healthy but that is what the Warriors have chosen to contend.
They desperately need another no b.s. consistent scorer. Ironically JK is someone who theoretically could be that person after he improves his shooting and overall game this off season. Is it possible? Yes.
Likely? No.
I wish I knew who JK is working with to get better. Hopefully someone who can actually help him.
With all the endless talk about how JK doesn’t fit the Kerr system, maybe a few adjustments on both sides could produce that miracle the Warriors need.
I mean let’s be honest. JB and his style of play is not anything Kerr would ever want. Dribble, dribble, dominate the ball, but he made it work. His style is not Kerr ball by any means.
The system was different with Steph AND Klay. No Klay, it changes dramatically.
It is also different without a bonafide 5 with size.
Maybe it is time to really make some big changes.
I am not saying JK is going to average 22 a game and play good D next year. I am saying it is possible if he really does come back improved and adjustments are made.
I think it is time for Draymond to become Andre Iguodala.
Whatever happens they only contend if they get some unexpected big positives from who they have and add some new blood that outperforms expectations.
Thank you! I feel like I need this every offseason since there's always something new I didn't know about. I bet next year we won't be able to trade someone on a contract unless the owner gets 7% of a bag of Cheetos and a martini