I sort of asked this question before, and if there was an answer, I didn't understand it:
Why wouldn't the Warriors offer JK a second guaranteed year?
- Upside of a second guaranteed year: this maintains his Bird rights, which should in theory increase his trade value (?) as it expands the list of teams who can hope to re-sign him with Bird rights after the second year; it's also a benefit to JK, for the same reason - he doesn't have to hunt for teams that can sign him using just cap space. I don't see how it decreases his trade value for a team that is ready to give a FRP and a decent player for him, the second year at <23M should be fine with them, no?
- Downside: if the Warriors can't trade him, they might be on the hook for the second year ... but I don't see how that's a huge problem unless JK really stinks it up next season and regresses or gets hurt; minor downside for JK is that he has to wait another year until he can hope to cash in the much bigger paychecks he seems to think he deserves, but at least he can *sign* the bigger extension after next season if he is traded and impresses the new team.
What am I missing? Why not guarantee the second year and make the whole hoopla about the NTC and Bird rights moot? Does he really want veto rights over any trade so badly that he's willing to give up the Bird rights?
How does that work ? Isn’t the max the same at the top tiers? What accounts for the small differences that result in curry leading for 9 straight years?
I assume it’s time served — he’s the only one in the top tier who’s been with the same team anywhere near as long as he has (now going into season 17!)
Sounds like that will lead to a Kevin Love buyout. I know he's old. But EPM had him at +1.7 last year. I would totally sign him and add him to the Horford/Post/TJD rotation.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints says Love wants one of the L.A. teams but both of them are hard-capped at the first apron (and the Lakers are out of rosters spots), and they're both very close to the apron. Either would have to make a move before they could sign Love. Don't know what his third choice would be.
However, we aren't signing anyone until the JK deal is settled, it seems. And if we add Horford, we'll have four "geriatric" players. Love is almost 37. It seems unlikely the Dubs would sign him.
Free agent forward Chris Boucher has agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million contract with the Boston Celtics, agent Sam Permut of Roc Nation tells ESPN. Boucher lands a guaranteed deal with the Celtics and is expected to have a significant role in the frontcourt. @ShamsCharania
OT: While I was extremely happy to migrate from GSOM to here, I stuck it out at McCovey Chronicles because there was no alternative. Now, their new CMS is here and it seems like a total cluster-f. Maybe it will improve, but damn would it be nice if there were a sfgiantshq. I imagine the same cr@pola is happening at NinersNation.
Can't log in (anywhere there's a login button, it just goes nowhere). Still loads crazy slow. And every time I've checked today, none of the SBN football sites are working at all. Edit- looks like the NFL sites are up again.
But I already before the move had something messed up because it wouldn’t let me log in as a reader without logging in as a top security clearance author which relied on authenticating to a long gone phone. So I wasn’t sure if it was just me. Trading one fragile system for another…
Both, and I was supposed to not care about football years ago. The whole league is a crime. But I can't help getting interested whenever the Niners make a Superbowl run- they were the team of my childhood.
QP and poz should be fixtures in the WW discussion all the time. They both ooze moxy and confidence and do the little things that get you the ball back at critical times.
QP even more so. This is a dude that was on a 2-way and fought for his contract and could be a Loon replacement, granted different games/styles but damn, to get a rotational player that you paid for deep in the draft then having him put in the work and come off a 2-way is insane.
To be honest I think it still remains to be seen if Post is going to stick in the NBA. He's going to need to shoot the ball at a high level because I don't know if the rest of what he does is NBA caliber (his passing probably is to be fair). Not a great jumper/finisher, didn't do much in the way of blocking shots, not very switchable, didn't rebound that well. And he's already 25 years old, turning 26 in December so he probably doesn't have a lot of additional potential from where he is now.
I think if he can continue hitting 40% from three then he is definitely useful but like what if he falls to 36%, how useful is he then? Does he do enough otherwise? He was struggling with his shot in the playoffs and he got phased out of the rotation pretty quickly by Kerr.
He needs to be an elite 3 point shooter to really be a factor. Being honest how many of the best 5’s in the league are really switchable?
He needs to get stronger which is very probable. I have no doubt he can figure out how to set a good screen. He can pass. Everything else aside, he needs to be a real, true elite shooter. He can become a decent enough defender and rebounder, but he is never going to be a rim protector
or great rebounder.
It would be nice to have a 7 footer who was an elite shooter, switchable on D, rim protector and great rebounder.
That would be a 60 plus million a year player.
That of course is not QP, but I like his chances of being a significant factor.
If he becomes a 36% shooter he has no place in the league. Shooting to him is as important as shooting is to Steph.
> Being honest how many of the best 5’s in the league are really switchable?
I agree but a lot of those non-switchable 5s can protect the rim.
> If he becomes a 36% shooter he has no place in the league. Shooting to him is as important as shooting is to Steph.
I agree again. That's why I think he needs to establish himself more as a shooter before I'd feel confident he's sticking around the league, let alone supplanting Draymond's second round steal status.
That is very true. It is not great if you are not switchable or a rim protector. Three point shooting is so unpredictable so hoping he is the real deal.
For him to be mentioned in the same breath as Draymond the odds are maybe 1000 to 1 against, but he should turn out to be a second round steal and not a half season splash.
I think his floor is a bigger version of Bjelica. If he puts on 15 pounds of muscle, he’ll be as big as Marc Gasol. There’ll always be a market for that.
Kelly Olynyk seemed like a reasonable comparison to Post. [ numbers are per 36, last season ]
Rebounds: KO: 8.4, QP: 7.8
Asts: KO 5.1, QP: 2.9
Blocks: KO: 0.8, QP: 0.9
3 point shooting: KO: .389, QP: .408
I don't have an opinion on Olynyk's defense, other than he seems like a willing defender, but QP is also a defender who gives effort.
KO is an 11 year vet in the league, and made $13 mil last year. QP is already roughly in his wheelhouse offensively.
Seems like there is some reason for optimism. You're right that the shooting needs to be his calling card, but I'd say that half the players in the league do one thing well, and if they don't, they probably are out of the league.
Olynyc, to my eye, moves much better. He's not as big, but moves better, and is thus harder to play off the floor. We'll see if Post can make some improvements there, but all Beli's points stand... he's older, not athletic, etc. It's hope that makes you believe Post can meaningfully improve there, more than a trusted reason for optimism, imo.
I do think QP can maintain a high 3P% because the shot looks like the real deal, he historically has been a very good shooter, and that can go a long way in the NBA. He reportedly is working on FTs, and that's gotta help a big, especially if he is also working on his inside game.
I think QP has the potential to improve as a rebounder because a lot of rebounding is a combination of "want to" and BBIQ, anticipating where the ball is going and getting there first. And he seems to have good instincts. Loon can't jump but he's an excellent rebounder.
I think QP can improve further as a screen-setter for similar reasons, especially if he builds strength, which apparently he is trying to do. Again, that doesn't require great athleticism. Again Loon is a good example. And as you say, his passing is pretty good, and that can improve further with reps, especially playing with passers like Draymond and Jimmy.
None of the above requires more athleticism than he has. Most of it can improve with experience, even at age 26.
I think his challenges will be greater on defense, and building strength will be crucial there, as he'll probably be mostly a drop defender. He lacks lateral quickness, and as you say, is not very switchable. If he's playing with free safety Draymond and/or with JB, they can cover for him to some extent. And because he stretches the floor on offense, he could play with those guys. Finally, as I noted elsewhere, even if he doesn't block many shots, he might learn to change opponents' shots enough to be an effective low-post defender. He might improve his shot blocking too. After all, he's a 7-footer; he doesn't have to be a leaper if his timing gets good enough.
Sure but as a 2-way who only played a half season and yes he had work to do but again to get a player like him when we did is hopefully a a good singe to come. He's young, yoga or martial arts may come but is it really necessary?
Yeah of course I agree with that, but it's a long way from there to "Could turn out a bigger steal then Dray."
(The yoga thing was a respectful joke/nod to Loons skills and qualities in the NBA not a literal claim that everyone should do the exact things he did)
"if anything changes we'll be here to talk about it, if not we'll just discuss Jonathan Kuminga again, cause that's what we do on Warriors +/-. This is Jonathan Kuminga +/- now." lol
“from what I've been told, Melton, Horford, GP II are all waiting on this Kuminga situation to resolve in order for them to sign their deals. Because it could shake out in a way where they'll get more money. But they're prepared to sign.”
GPII on a $10 mil contract is a little puckery, given our cap situation. GPII on a vet min is a slam-dunk addition ... at that price, his injury history is not really that much of a factor.
Yeah, him taking the QO and being disgruntled in ways that reduce his role will be utterly terrible for his opportunity to get a good contract next year. It would suck, in a way, for the Warriors to be stuck with a guy on a QO with a NTC, but JK taking a QO and then leveraging the NTC would be a really, really bad option for him.
BREAKING: San Antonio Spurs star De'Aaron Fox has agreed to a four-year, $229 million maximum contract extension with the franchise, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN. The max deal secures Fox's future in San Antonio through the 2029-30 season. @ShamsCharania
Happy for Fox. He seems like a really good guy. Almost certainly an overpay, but, as Shawyer says, it may be about having a tradeable big contract, as the Spurs tweak the fit around Wemby.
Shams reports Fox and Wemby have become close friends, and their skills potentially could be very complementary, so it might not be about a tradeable contract. That roster is starting to look good, with Wemby, several talented guards (Fox, Castle, Vassell, and potentially Harper — maybe too many, and as fzwinter says, they're not shooters except Vassell), and steady veterans like H Barnes and Olynyk.
Not surprising, but Spurs are gonna have to make some decisions. They now have Fox, Castle, and #2 pick Harper in the backcourt and none of them are great shooters
Honestly, I was surprised they gave Fox a max, as well. But, thinking about it, this is one of the smarter front offices in the league. They do not throw money around like an Ishbia. So they see Fox as really important to the organization - I’m guessing as a component in the Wemby development structure. I’d think everything revolves around that. And maybe Fox can show us more there (w/a healthy Vic) than was possible in Sac. We’ll see…
I mean, presumably with the random placement of the pieces working on openings is not that useful since the piece placement is not consistent. probably more valuable to work on mid game and end game play, although I am not how the masters involvement works and that might affect what is most useful to focus on...
I'm glad he's working on being in better shape, but maybe he'd want to add something to his game (like finishing with his right close to the basket or a midrange shot)? I'm glad he's doing free throws too, but that's not a new part of the game either...
I feel like improving free throws, especially for those that actually already get to the line, is such low hanging fruit -- If he could improve to 75% on free throws (which seems at least possible) he'd immediately go from 15.2 points on 58.7% true shooting, to 15.85 on 61.6% true shooting.
I don't know if working on any other part of his game would show such immediate returns. Also you could argue that working on free throws would contribute to his ability to hit open middies.
Lest we've forgotten, his stats last regular season:
42 games played, 16 minutes a game.
.408 on 3s, TS .595
per 36:
17.8 pts/7.8 rbs/2.9 asts
He needs to improve the last two substantially to get into Loon's range as a rebounder and an assist guy (doubtful on the rebounds, more than doable on the assists).
He also could improve on a few things that don't usually show up in stats but that help. For instance, he might not be a shot blocker but if he can improve at changing people's shots, that's a plus. And then of course improved screening, which was a Loon specialty.
For sure. He needs to get a lot better on defense, or the other stuff he does will be minimized. I thought his screens were OK, so that's interesting.
I said this a few stories ago, but I'd love to see him develop into a Sabonis-style pivot guy, and don't see any reason he can't, but the screening would have to be good.
Yeah but his ELO isn't that great. I looked it up. He's at something like 1369. And he won the NBA chess tournament? I bet DNHQ has ten people who could win that thing. Andy Lee can be TD
He was up a queen and accidentally stalemated Grant Williams in the only game he drew, so he's definitely heads and shoulders above everyone else who played in the event.
On a side note, Daryl Morey appears to be a cheapo artist, and beat Derrick Rose in five moves in the last round.
I heard Wemby is into chess, played as a kid -- OK, he's still a kid -- hosted a friendly tournament, rated maybe 1100.
Look, the main point is that I finally found something I can be better at than these NBA guys -- the only thing. Let me have my grand moment here at 1800, #AlmostAGM
PS: Oh, yeah, you're right. He's playing very rational chess. I'd forgotten it was 960. His moves are solid and accurate. Took Ingram down without blinking
My not-entirely-irrational hope is that he gets enough better on defense that he is solidly the starter at center by the end of the year (Horford or no), and only needs to come off the floor in really bad matchups.
I agree , hoping the same thing. I expect his defense will be targeted both to create an advantage and to get him off the floor as teams learn from what worked in playoffs but he also saw he was removed so he knows getting better defensively is a survival thing- and also although less so going to the basket when his shot is challenged. With him and’s seth curry in the floor a lot of space for kuminga to operate
I love that he chose a literacy program for his charity. Not that there’s any shortage of worthy causes out there, but I’m always charmed when athletes take an interest in education. Reminds me of those posters that used to hang in school libraries when I was a kid. Bo Jackson reading Hemingway... 😍
Granted I had a prior personal affinity for stroopwafel, but I have some rational optimism about this young man.
I'd love to be able to drop a dunking Dutchman or Flying Dutchman reference in here but even I understand that the only thing about Post that flies is his 3 ball.
I sort of asked this question before, and if there was an answer, I didn't understand it:
Why wouldn't the Warriors offer JK a second guaranteed year?
- Upside of a second guaranteed year: this maintains his Bird rights, which should in theory increase his trade value (?) as it expands the list of teams who can hope to re-sign him with Bird rights after the second year; it's also a benefit to JK, for the same reason - he doesn't have to hunt for teams that can sign him using just cap space. I don't see how it decreases his trade value for a team that is ready to give a FRP and a decent player for him, the second year at <23M should be fine with them, no?
- Downside: if the Warriors can't trade him, they might be on the hook for the second year ... but I don't see how that's a huge problem unless JK really stinks it up next season and regresses or gets hurt; minor downside for JK is that he has to wait another year until he can hope to cash in the much bigger paychecks he seems to think he deserves, but at least he can *sign* the bigger extension after next season if he is traded and impresses the new team.
What am I missing? Why not guarantee the second year and make the whole hoopla about the NTC and Bird rights moot? Does he really want veto rights over any trade so badly that he's willing to give up the Bird rights?
SC30 will be the highest paid player in the NBA for the 9th or 10th (don't make me do math) year in a row.
https://www.hoopshype.com/salaries/players/
How does that work ? Isn’t the max the same at the top tiers? What accounts for the small differences that result in curry leading for 9 straight years?
I assume it’s time served — he’s the only one in the top tier who’s been with the same team anywhere near as long as he has (now going into season 17!)
He was 81st in 2016/17...
Then 1st from 2017/18 to 2025/26
One of your attempts was correct :)
Still mind blowing information to this day 😁
Shams Charania
The Boston Celtics are trading Georges Niang and two future second-round picks to the Utah Jazz for rookie RJ Luis Jr., sources tell ESPN.
I wouldn’t have minded acquiring Niang, actually. He’s low key one of the best 3pt shooters in the world: Career 40% on 8.5 attempts/36...
Sounds like that will lead to a Kevin Love buyout. I know he's old. But EPM had him at +1.7 last year. I would totally sign him and add him to the Horford/Post/TJD rotation.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints says Love wants one of the L.A. teams but both of them are hard-capped at the first apron (and the Lakers are out of rosters spots), and they're both very close to the apron. Either would have to make a move before they could sign Love. Don't know what his third choice would be.
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-rumors-kevin-love-lakers-clipper
However, we aren't signing anyone until the JK deal is settled, it seems. And if we add Horford, we'll have four "geriatric" players. Love is almost 37. It seems unlikely the Dubs would sign him.
Free agent forward Chris Boucher has agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million contract with the Boston Celtics, agent Sam Permut of Roc Nation tells ESPN. Boucher lands a guaranteed deal with the Celtics and is expected to have a significant role in the frontcourt. @ShamsCharania
Well damn. I think he was the best remaining F on the market.
Well, after Kuminga. 😊
Me popping in to GSOM and reading this beauty by DH:
https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2025/8/4/24480991/nba-2025-news-golden-state-warriors-jonathan-kuminga-joe-lacob-trade-restricted
OT: While I was extremely happy to migrate from GSOM to here, I stuck it out at McCovey Chronicles because there was no alternative. Now, their new CMS is here and it seems like a total cluster-f. Maybe it will improve, but damn would it be nice if there were a sfgiantshq. I imagine the same cr@pola is happening at NinersNation.
What’s CMS?
Content Management system?
I heard the CMS move was coming, but I assumed it would be smooth since they’re using a souped up Wordpress I believe. What’s wrong with it?
Can't log in (anywhere there's a login button, it just goes nowhere). Still loads crazy slow. And every time I've checked today, none of the SBN football sites are working at all. Edit- looks like the NFL sites are up again.
Haha yes I see that I can’t login either.
But I already before the move had something messed up because it wouldn’t let me log in as a reader without logging in as a top security clearance author which relied on authenticating to a long gone phone. So I wasn’t sure if it was just me. Trading one fragile system for another…
That's the universe telling you to pay less attention to football... imho
Or the universe telling you to hang out less on SBN?
As G&B points out, it's a classic "yes, and..." situation
Both, and I was supposed to not care about football years ago. The whole league is a crime. But I can't help getting interested whenever the Niners make a Superbowl run- they were the team of my childhood.
QP and poz should be fixtures in the WW discussion all the time. They both ooze moxy and confidence and do the little things that get you the ball back at critical times.
QP even more so. This is a dude that was on a 2-way and fought for his contract and could be a Loon replacement, granted different games/styles but damn, to get a rotational player that you paid for deep in the draft then having him put in the work and come off a 2-way is insane.
Could turn out a bigger steal then Dray.
To be honest I think it still remains to be seen if Post is going to stick in the NBA. He's going to need to shoot the ball at a high level because I don't know if the rest of what he does is NBA caliber (his passing probably is to be fair). Not a great jumper/finisher, didn't do much in the way of blocking shots, not very switchable, didn't rebound that well. And he's already 25 years old, turning 26 in December so he probably doesn't have a lot of additional potential from where he is now.
I think if he can continue hitting 40% from three then he is definitely useful but like what if he falls to 36%, how useful is he then? Does he do enough otherwise? He was struggling with his shot in the playoffs and he got phased out of the rotation pretty quickly by Kerr.
He needs to be an elite 3 point shooter to really be a factor. Being honest how many of the best 5’s in the league are really switchable?
He needs to get stronger which is very probable. I have no doubt he can figure out how to set a good screen. He can pass. Everything else aside, he needs to be a real, true elite shooter. He can become a decent enough defender and rebounder, but he is never going to be a rim protector
or great rebounder.
It would be nice to have a 7 footer who was an elite shooter, switchable on D, rim protector and great rebounder.
That would be a 60 plus million a year player.
That of course is not QP, but I like his chances of being a significant factor.
If he becomes a 36% shooter he has no place in the league. Shooting to him is as important as shooting is to Steph.
> Being honest how many of the best 5’s in the league are really switchable?
I agree but a lot of those non-switchable 5s can protect the rim.
> If he becomes a 36% shooter he has no place in the league. Shooting to him is as important as shooting is to Steph.
I agree again. That's why I think he needs to establish himself more as a shooter before I'd feel confident he's sticking around the league, let alone supplanting Draymond's second round steal status.
That is very true. It is not great if you are not switchable or a rim protector. Three point shooting is so unpredictable so hoping he is the real deal.
For him to be mentioned in the same breath as Draymond the odds are maybe 1000 to 1 against, but he should turn out to be a second round steal and not a half season splash.
I think his floor is a bigger version of Bjelica. If he puts on 15 pounds of muscle, he’ll be as big as Marc Gasol. There’ll always be a market for that.
Bjelica was MVP of EuroLeague and had a ton of skill... he is a very different player, and Post will be quite different.
Yea Bjelica was really skilled and his contribution was probably underrated.
Also we got Bjelica at age 33, at the end of his NBA career. His NBA peak was in SAC a few years earlier.
B: Phased out for defense more and sometimes not getting off shots quickly enough- a bit intimidated
I dunno about this.
Kelly Olynyk seemed like a reasonable comparison to Post. [ numbers are per 36, last season ]
Rebounds: KO: 8.4, QP: 7.8
Asts: KO 5.1, QP: 2.9
Blocks: KO: 0.8, QP: 0.9
3 point shooting: KO: .389, QP: .408
I don't have an opinion on Olynyk's defense, other than he seems like a willing defender, but QP is also a defender who gives effort.
KO is an 11 year vet in the league, and made $13 mil last year. QP is already roughly in his wheelhouse offensively.
Seems like there is some reason for optimism. You're right that the shooting needs to be his calling card, but I'd say that half the players in the league do one thing well, and if they don't, they probably are out of the league.
If we're talking Heat big men who played off of Butler, I think he compares more to Meyers Leonard than Kelly Olynyk.
Hopefully he gets a lot of joga in this summer, it'd help his game a lot if he learned how to jump.
Prime Leonard was a super helpful role player 5. If that's Post's ceiling, I'd be very happy.
Olynyc, to my eye, moves much better. He's not as big, but moves better, and is thus harder to play off the floor. We'll see if Post can make some improvements there, but all Beli's points stand... he's older, not athletic, etc. It's hope that makes you believe Post can meaningfully improve there, more than a trusted reason for optimism, imo.
You're not wrong but I want to believe. 😊
I do think QP can maintain a high 3P% because the shot looks like the real deal, he historically has been a very good shooter, and that can go a long way in the NBA. He reportedly is working on FTs, and that's gotta help a big, especially if he is also working on his inside game.
I think QP has the potential to improve as a rebounder because a lot of rebounding is a combination of "want to" and BBIQ, anticipating where the ball is going and getting there first. And he seems to have good instincts. Loon can't jump but he's an excellent rebounder.
I think QP can improve further as a screen-setter for similar reasons, especially if he builds strength, which apparently he is trying to do. Again, that doesn't require great athleticism. Again Loon is a good example. And as you say, his passing is pretty good, and that can improve further with reps, especially playing with passers like Draymond and Jimmy.
None of the above requires more athleticism than he has. Most of it can improve with experience, even at age 26.
I think his challenges will be greater on defense, and building strength will be crucial there, as he'll probably be mostly a drop defender. He lacks lateral quickness, and as you say, is not very switchable. If he's playing with free safety Draymond and/or with JB, they can cover for him to some extent. And because he stretches the floor on offense, he could play with those guys. Finally, as I noted elsewhere, even if he doesn't block many shots, he might learn to change opponents' shots enough to be an effective low-post defender. He might improve his shot blocking too. After all, he's a 7-footer; he doesn't have to be a leaper if his timing gets good enough.
No shade on QP. I like him and would love to see him level up to help the upcoming season push, but:
a) He cannot replace Loon (I don't even thing QP does yoga let alone set bone crushing screens)
b) a bigger steal than Dray would put him just below Jokic in the all time best 2nd round picks, so "could" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.
Sure but as a 2-way who only played a half season and yes he had work to do but again to get a player like him when we did is hopefully a a good singe to come. He's young, yoga or martial arts may come but is it really necessary?
Yeah of course I agree with that, but it's a long way from there to "Could turn out a bigger steal then Dray."
(The yoga thing was a respectful joke/nod to Loons skills and qualities in the NBA not a literal claim that everyone should do the exact things he did)
Yeah that was a bit hyperbolic comparing him to a future HoFer.
Moody says it has really helped him also
New +/-
TK actually chides Lacob. Pod gold.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/warriors-plus-minus-a-show-about-the-golden-state-warriors/id1147910296?i=1000720626963
"if anything changes we'll be here to talk about it, if not we'll just discuss Jonathan Kuminga again, cause that's what we do on Warriors +/-. This is Jonathan Kuminga +/- now." lol
“from what I've been told, Melton, Horford, GP II are all waiting on this Kuminga situation to resolve in order for them to sign their deals. Because it could shake out in a way where they'll get more money. But they're prepared to sign.”
super-happy GPII will probably be coming back.
GPII on a $10 mil contract is a little puckery, given our cap situation. GPII on a vet min is a slam-dunk addition ... at that price, his injury history is not really that much of a factor.
He should be our Udonis Haslem. Literal Warrior For Life.
Except GP2 can still contribute on the court
I want to send all 3 a thank you card. They’ve been awesome.
🤞😩🤞
I do like that MT and TK believe this resolves soon.
I'm sure JK WANTS this resolved. But is he and his handlers willing to actually sit at the table to get this resolved?
As screwed as the Dubs would be JK sitting a year without a contract would be way worse for him.
Yeah, him taking the QO and being disgruntled in ways that reduce his role will be utterly terrible for his opportunity to get a good contract next year. It would suck, in a way, for the Warriors to be stuck with a guy on a QO with a NTC, but JK taking a QO and then leveraging the NTC would be a really, really bad option for him.
I think the big variables here are just how stubborn and butthurt is Kuminga, and unfortunately I think the answer to both is: very.
Yes! I felt more relaxed after listening lol.
I didn’t mean to say his screens weren’t good, just that he can improve there too. I plead guilty to being spoiled by Loon and Draymond’s screening. 😊
Now that he's no longer a rookie, it's likely that the refs will be a little looser on illegal screen calls on QP, so that should help
BREAKING: San Antonio Spurs star De'Aaron Fox has agreed to a four-year, $229 million maximum contract extension with the franchise, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN. The max deal secures Fox's future in San Antonio through the 2029-30 season. @ShamsCharania
Happy for Fox. He seems like a really good guy. Almost certainly an overpay, but, as Shawyer says, it may be about having a tradeable big contract, as the Spurs tweak the fit around Wemby.
Shams reports Fox and Wemby have become close friends, and their skills potentially could be very complementary, so it might not be about a tradeable contract. That roster is starting to look good, with Wemby, several talented guards (Fox, Castle, Vassell, and potentially Harper — maybe too many, and as fzwinter says, they're not shooters except Vassell), and steady veterans like H Barnes and Olynyk.
wowza... they either think he's a tier one superstar, or they think the cap is going wayyy up
Not surprising, but Spurs are gonna have to make some decisions. They now have Fox, Castle, and #2 pick Harper in the backcourt and none of them are great shooters
Maybe it ain’t about the shooting but about the fit with Victor.
Luckily for the Spurs, extensions for Castle and Harper are still a few years away
Honestly, I was surprised they gave Fox a max, as well. But, thinking about it, this is one of the smarter front offices in the league. They do not throw money around like an Ishbia. So they see Fox as really important to the organization - I’m guessing as a component in the Wemby development structure. I’d think everything revolves around that. And maybe Fox can show us more there (w/a healthy Vic) than was possible in Sac. We’ll see…
If they want to run, Fox can certainly do that.
That salary slot is really important to them, if nothing else
He's not worth that.
Liking QP a lot.
I wonder what TJD is working on this off-season?
>I wonder what TJD is working on this off-season?
I mean, presumably with the random placement of the pieces working on openings is not that useful since the piece placement is not consistent. probably more valuable to work on mid game and end game play, although I am not how the masters involvement works and that might affect what is most useful to focus on...
I am planning to run one of these player interviews a week and I have Will Richard, Moses and TJD lined up (in that order).
But to spoil it, TJD says he wasn’t in good enough shape last season so he’s mentioned he’s working on that this summer plus free throws.
Gonna be the next glow up in Men’s Health.
I'm glad he's working on being in better shape, but maybe he'd want to add something to his game (like finishing with his right close to the basket or a midrange shot)? I'm glad he's doing free throws too, but that's not a new part of the game either...
I mean his career is literally hanging in the balance here. He went from promising rookie to deep deep bench in year 2.
If he doesn’t reverse his trajectory this season he could be out of the league after this contract or even before it if the dubs need the roster spot.
I feel like improving free throws, especially for those that actually already get to the line, is such low hanging fruit -- If he could improve to 75% on free throws (which seems at least possible) he'd immediately go from 15.2 points on 58.7% true shooting, to 15.85 on 61.6% true shooting.
I don't know if working on any other part of his game would show such immediate returns. Also you could argue that working on free throws would contribute to his ability to hit open middies.
Don't take my report (or his interview) as a comprehensive list of all the things he's working on. He might be working on close-in finishing too
One would hope he is working extremely diligently on the many flaws he has in his game. Maybe it is just me but his comment didn’t inspire confidence.
Excellent. We don't really deserve you, you know.
Shhhhhh
I really like this guy.
He is a competitor which is most important if you are lacking great physical gifts.
He is also self aware.
I think he will be a little better on D and scoring inside.
Now let’s see what TJD returns with.
Lest we've forgotten, his stats last regular season:
42 games played, 16 minutes a game.
.408 on 3s, TS .595
per 36:
17.8 pts/7.8 rbs/2.9 asts
He needs to improve the last two substantially to get into Loon's range as a rebounder and an assist guy (doubtful on the rebounds, more than doable on the assists).
But, he's a rook and those are damn good numbers.
He also could improve on a few things that don't usually show up in stats but that help. For instance, he might not be a shot blocker but if he can improve at changing people's shots, that's a plus. And then of course improved screening, which was a Loon specialty.
For sure. He needs to get a lot better on defense, or the other stuff he does will be minimized. I thought his screens were OK, so that's interesting.
I said this a few stories ago, but I'd love to see him develop into a Sabonis-style pivot guy, and don't see any reason he can't, but the screening would have to be good.
Yeah but his ELO isn't that great. I looked it up. He's at something like 1369. And he won the NBA chess tournament? I bet DNHQ has ten people who could win that thing. Andy Lee can be TD
He seems like he generally knows what he's doing on the chessboard - here's a link to the games if you're interested: https://www.chess.com/events/2025-freestyle-chess-grand-slam-las-vegas-nba/games
He was up a queen and accidentally stalemated Grant Williams in the only game he drew, so he's definitely heads and shoulders above everyone else who played in the event.
On a side note, Daryl Morey appears to be a cheapo artist, and beat Derrick Rose in five moves in the last round.
That's so Daryl.
I heard Wemby is into chess, played as a kid -- OK, he's still a kid -- hosted a friendly tournament, rated maybe 1100.
Look, the main point is that I finally found something I can be better at than these NBA guys -- the only thing. Let me have my grand moment here at 1800, #AlmostAGM
PS: Oh, yeah, you're right. He's playing very rational chess. I'd forgotten it was 960. His moves are solid and accurate. Took Ingram down without blinking
Now we’re talking about his ELO? Geez, Don’t Bring Me Down.
Such a great fit for the Dubs.
My not-entirely-irrational hope is that he gets enough better on defense that he is solidly the starter at center by the end of the year (Horford or no), and only needs to come off the floor in really bad matchups.
I agree , hoping the same thing. I expect his defense will be targeted both to create an advantage and to get him off the floor as teams learn from what worked in playoffs but he also saw he was removed so he knows getting better defensively is a survival thing- and also although less so going to the basket when his shot is challenged. With him and’s seth curry in the floor a lot of space for kuminga to operate
I love that he chose a literacy program for his charity. Not that there’s any shortage of worthy causes out there, but I’m always charmed when athletes take an interest in education. Reminds me of those posters that used to hang in school libraries when I was a kid. Bo Jackson reading Hemingway... 😍
Granted I had a prior personal affinity for stroopwafel, but I have some rational optimism about this young man.
I'd love to be able to drop a dunking Dutchman or Flying Dutchman reference in here but even I understand that the only thing about Post that flies is his 3 ball.
Username kinda checks out👌
Maybe we'll get a windmill dunk this year
The Dutchman lets it fly!