Things move fast in free agency nowadays (a lot of these conversations have already happened) and Kuminga waiting around for an offer is risky. If there are indeed any teams interested in a sign and trade, then Kuminga might need to act fast to facilitate that move before those teams decide to look elsewhere and his market dries up.
If Kuminga waits around for an offer that never comes (in a summer with limited cap space league-wide and an ominous new CBA hard cap disincentivizing the types of overpays that usually need to happen to poach a player in restricted free agency) and gets stuck negotiating with the Warriors with no alternative he's in a bad spot. People talk about the possibility of Kuminga taking the QO but the moment he does that he loses his leverage as a potential asset for the Warriors and gives Kerr the freedom to bury him deep on the bench next season.
And to be clear, the Warriors are in a bad spot if this drags out and/or Kuminga takes the QO as well, but that's why I assume both parties are going to work hard on trying to figure out a sign and trade early on in free agency before it comes to that.
Iβm very confident the FO already has everything lined up for that day and is prepared for any outcome. I canβt imagine them taking their time negotiating with JK this week
I'm beginning to worry that JK's FA may screw up the Warriors whole free agency period. JK is still asking for the moon ($30+ M according to Siegel). Maybe he can find something close to it, but only once teams are getting desperate. No team's plan A seems to be JK, save maybe Miami. From a pure money perspective, JK's leverage and hence salary probably drags late into FA.
And JK is the fulcrum that drives the whole Warriors off-season. Can they use the NTPMLE, the TPMLE, or neither? It all depends on JK's salary or the salary the Dubs get back in a trade. Can they use the TPE? Depends on JK's salary. Can they make a trade? Well, to get to a certain salary they probably need JK's salary included.
So they're left with vet mins at the start of FA. And that won't compete for Portis or Lopez or Brogdon or Capela or anything but table scraps. By the time JK's situation resolves, even the scraps might be disappearing and the Dubs off-season won't have even started.
Why would that be the case? I won't say it's wrong because this new cap has so many clauses, but the Nets definitely have the cap room for a lot more than that.
And the Nets apparently aren't interested. So JK doesn't have much leverage if any.
His cap hit for the coming season is $22.9M, so I believe that's the figure the Warriors use to calculate their cap/apron situation until a deal gets done.
The leverage is the time before agreeing to terms. JK is not going to settle for 22 million early in the FA period. And then if the Dubs sign an MLE player, there could be a hard cap involved and Kuminga could leave for nothing if he can find a suitor at a level the Dubs can't match (probably using the Nets as a launching pad).
MDJ said in his recent interview that he thought they'd have something resolved in a week to 10 days but that could be wishful thinking. On the other hand, teams are making deals now and getting ready to start signing FAs pretty quickly so it might not be the case that JK can just wait around and better offers will come. It might be that he needs to make his deal soon before teams commit their budgets to other players. Maybe. Perhaps. Might be. Possibly. You can tell I'm very confident in this opinion. π
> Keeping Kuminga would come at a significant cost for Golden State, as he wants a deal that pays him over $30 million per year, sources said.
That's the quote from Siegel, that could just be his price for the Warriors to keep him, not his price to go elsewhere to a situation he thinks is better for him. He might be fine with 22 million in a different situation, who knows.
Your actions have spoken louder than words in recent seasons but that isn't enough for the officials. They want you neutered 100%. And that is the biggest fuck up of all.
"But it taught me so much because it taught me, you're right, he may not be like you. He ain't from where you from. The things you went through, the way you had to come up, he may not have came up like that."
"So, for that five seconds, I forgot where I was at. Because I immediately went to what I know. But what you know don't really work here. And everybody say, oh man, but you was ten years in, you should know better."
"Still learning, nine years in. But, it's them lessons like that ultimately make me who I am to this day because, man, I f**ed that up."
"[Charania] The Oklahoma City Thunder are trading guard Dillon Jones and a second-round pick to the Washington Wizards, sources tell ESPN."
oh
(actually kinda of weird: "Jones was selected with the 26th overall pick by the Washington Wizards in the 2024 NBA draft. His draft rights were traded later that day along with the 51st pick in the 2024 draft to the New York Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Kyshawn George. The Knicks immediately traded Jones's draft rights to the Oklahoma City Thunder for five future second-round draft picks.")
They were over the roster limit because they brought in too many draft picks, they likely tried to trade one of them but couldn't find a decent deal so Jones is the collateral.
So a year ago Dillon Jones was worth five 2nd rounders, and now OKC needs to package a 2nd round pick to dump him for Colby Jones (no relation, apparently), who is getting waived. There's a come-down for you.
- "[Fischer] The Spurs, league sources say, are looming as a prominent landing spot for big men on the free agent market. Another center target, sources say, that rival executives expect San Antonio to pursue: Boston's Luke Kornet."
- "[Fischer] There is a growing belief around the league that Brook Lopez will be leaving Milwaukee this offseason, with the Los Angeles Lakers expected to target him"
- βSan Antonio is being projected by rivals as a team to watch (but presumably not the only one) to lure Guerschon Yabusele away from Philadelphia when free agency begins Monday, league sources tell @TheSteinLine.β
- "[Fischer] Two potential free agents generating a considerable amount of curiosity leaguewide as Monday night draws near, I'm told, are Milwaukee's Bobby Portis Jr. and the Lakers' Dorian Finney-Smith."
ο»ΏLast season, the Warriors had 17 players on their Summer League roster including on signed up for just the California Classic on one for just the Vegas games.
ο»ΏSo assuming that the 11 above players have been reported correctly, the Warriors have 5 to 7 slots left.
ο»ΏLast season's Golden State and Santa Cruz Warriors who I expect to participate are Quinten Post and Taran Armstrong. This brings the roster up to 13. Last season's Golden State and Santa Cruz Warriors who I would like to see participate include TJD, Braxton Key, Pat Spencer, Kevin Knox, Blake Hinson, and maybe even Gui Santos.
ο»ΏInviting all of the above players would clearly overfill the roster. And other last Santa Cruz Warriors who could conceivably participate include Yuri Collins, Javon Johnson, Donta Scott, Seth Maxwell, Cheikh Mbacke Diong, Cameron Parker and/or Alex Gil-Fernandez. Thus, the Warriors may not extend any further invites to players not already in their system. But note that Post, TJD, Maxwell, Hawkins, and Diong are the only potential centers, so if TJD doesn't play and Post skips the Vegas games, the roster will sorely lack frontcourt size.
I'm glad Hawkins got an invite. He's 6-10 and long and apparently had a down year last year (I don't actually watch college basketball, just something I read). But his skillset seems intriguing. The complaint is that he is inconsistent, so that may do him in, but he's got some tools to work with. I am hoping the Ws will get a look at some big guys and that a few might pan out.
I just scouted another intriguing Aussie named Roman Siulepa.
ο»ΏHe's basically a 19-year-old Samoan Gui Santos.
ο»ΏUnfortunately for basketball fans, he is a star rugby player, and it seems as if rugby is his passion. If he had been born in the USA, he would have been a star linebacker or tight end. He plays basketball as you would imagine a star rugby player would.
ο»ΏSupposedly, he will play for Jeff Capel's Pitt team next season, but that is still up in the air because he is so good at rugby. Siulepa won MVP of the NBAβs Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp and MVP of the Australian U20 National Championship.
ο»ΏHe just scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against the stars of Team USA in the FIBA Under 19 World Cup. He was the most physically imposing player on the court.
"[Fischer] There is growing belief that Julius Randle will be next to sign a long-term agreement with the Timberwolves. The returns of Reid and Randle have painted Alexander-Walker as the odd free agent out in Minnesota. The Clippers, Hawks and Magic continue to be mentioned as possible destinations."
NAW's status not new, Clippers and Magic interest new
@montepoole.bsky.socialβ¬: [[ Gary Payton II's chances of returning to the Golden State Warriors next season are dim, per two NBA sources. A fixture in the rotation when healthy, Payton, 32, becomes a UFA on Monday. If he's not re-signed, the Warriors are expected to pursue a strong point-of-attack defender. ]]
apart from his obvious beloved fan favorite status, he's such a good fit with Steph (underrated offensive player on the Dubs imo, he's one of those players who really get Kerrball, and makes quick, good decisions)
Love to have GPII back as an assistant coach or helping with player development. It would be great to have him around, but his body betrays him too often and given his style of play, he'll never be reliable.
I very much appreciate GPβs contributions all these years but his frequent injuries have made him unreliable. If possible, I would like to have a younger player instead.
On reading Pooleβs full article, this does not seem different from the presumption (as Perks and I discussed) that GP2 might be offered a contract but only if thereβs space after free agency dust settles.
:( maybe it's for the best (#inMDJWeTrust), but it would be sad to see him go. Why not a 1+1? (although I assume GPII wants a last payday with more money and more years)
>>>Free agent guard Sam Merrill intends to sign a four-year, $38 million contract to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs negotiated the new deal with Kieran Piller and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports, a success story for the 60th pick in 2020 draft.<<<
Itβs too bad JK canβt realize heβs also worth around 2/$24M. Heβs four years younger than Davion, too, so if he signed a deal like that and played well he could set himself up for a huge payday at age 24-25, when Steph, Dray and Jimmy come off the books.
Warriors would sign jk today for 20m a yr if they could, a midsized contract like that would be better in trades as well, we really don't have much salary to send out in trades
In retrospect looking forward to draft was fun and it was disappointing but thatβs my fault for expecting too much. Now I wait for summer league but we will know more about Kuminga and perhaps some others by then?
Someone rewatched the 1975 NBA Finals (WAS vs GSW) and broke down what Bball was like 50 years ago.
Thought it would be interesting for the annals of DubNation...
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1lmn69c/i_watched_the_1975_nba_finals_heres_what_i_learned/
Butch Beard, my god what a name
I just know there's zero chance MDJ let's this JK situation drag through early FA so at least we'll get some news by Monday
We gave him the 7.9 offer sheet yesterday but he said he want's to be the 3rd highest paid dubs. Wonder what kind of other offers he's going to get.
JK will wait for other offers. I can't imagine the Dubs are going to give him some godfather offer where he just signs on the dotted line on day 1.
So, while I'm sure you're right that the Dubs already know what they will offer, I think it will take some time to get to a signing/match other offer.
Things move fast in free agency nowadays (a lot of these conversations have already happened) and Kuminga waiting around for an offer is risky. If there are indeed any teams interested in a sign and trade, then Kuminga might need to act fast to facilitate that move before those teams decide to look elsewhere and his market dries up.
If Kuminga waits around for an offer that never comes (in a summer with limited cap space league-wide and an ominous new CBA hard cap disincentivizing the types of overpays that usually need to happen to poach a player in restricted free agency) and gets stuck negotiating with the Warriors with no alternative he's in a bad spot. People talk about the possibility of Kuminga taking the QO but the moment he does that he loses his leverage as a potential asset for the Warriors and gives Kerr the freedom to bury him deep on the bench next season.
And to be clear, the Warriors are in a bad spot if this drags out and/or Kuminga takes the QO as well, but that's why I assume both parties are going to work hard on trying to figure out a sign and trade early on in free agency before it comes to that.
That's a good point ... if his goal is to get to another team, that deal is probably already done.
FO might know exactly what the market for Kuminga is, and so arenβt worried βcause theyβre in the catbird seat.
Iβm very confident the FO already has everything lined up for that day and is prepared for any outcome. I canβt imagine them taking their time negotiating with JK this week
Agree
Not sure what he is supposed to do about JK when the ball is not in his court.
Cmon Warriors do Something
*pokes Warriors with a stick*
I'm beginning to worry that JK's FA may screw up the Warriors whole free agency period. JK is still asking for the moon ($30+ M according to Siegel). Maybe he can find something close to it, but only once teams are getting desperate. No team's plan A seems to be JK, save maybe Miami. From a pure money perspective, JK's leverage and hence salary probably drags late into FA.
And JK is the fulcrum that drives the whole Warriors off-season. Can they use the NTPMLE, the TPMLE, or neither? It all depends on JK's salary or the salary the Dubs get back in a trade. Can they use the TPE? Depends on JK's salary. Can they make a trade? Well, to get to a certain salary they probably need JK's salary included.
So they're left with vet mins at the start of FA. And that won't compete for Portis or Lopez or Brogdon or Capela or anything but table scraps. By the time JK's situation resolves, even the scraps might be disappearing and the Dubs off-season won't have even started.
βPotential for sale! Potential for sale! Come get your fresh, tantalizing athletic potential!β
How much is inconsistent potential worth to NBA teams?
Would be a fitting conclusion for the two timelines era, but I have faith that Vivek is gonna swoop in and save the day.
I read the most a team can offer him is 20 million and that's from the Brooklyn Nets.
Why would that be the case? I won't say it's wrong because this new cap has so many clauses, but the Nets definitely have the cap room for a lot more than that.
And the Nets apparently aren't interested. So JK doesn't have much leverage if any.
His cap hit for the coming season is $22.9M, so I believe that's the figure the Warriors use to calculate their cap/apron situation until a deal gets done.
The leverage is the time before agreeing to terms. JK is not going to settle for 22 million early in the FA period. And then if the Dubs sign an MLE player, there could be a hard cap involved and Kuminga could leave for nothing if he can find a suitor at a level the Dubs can't match (probably using the Nets as a launching pad).
MDJ said in his recent interview that he thought they'd have something resolved in a week to 10 days but that could be wishful thinking. On the other hand, teams are making deals now and getting ready to start signing FAs pretty quickly so it might not be the case that JK can just wait around and better offers will come. It might be that he needs to make his deal soon before teams commit their budgets to other players. Maybe. Perhaps. Might be. Possibly. You can tell I'm very confident in this opinion. π
> Keeping Kuminga would come at a significant cost for Golden State, as he wants a deal that pays him over $30 million per year, sources said.
That's the quote from Siegel, that could just be his price for the Warriors to keep him, not his price to go elsewhere to a situation he thinks is better for him. He might be fine with 22 million in a different situation, who knows.
We can match any offer though even if he rather play elsewhere for 22m
Yeah you did, Draymond.
Your actions have spoken louder than words in recent seasons but that isn't enough for the officials. They want you neutered 100%. And that is the biggest fuck up of all.
"But it taught me so much because it taught me, you're right, he may not be like you. He ain't from where you from. The things you went through, the way you had to come up, he may not have came up like that."
"So, for that five seconds, I forgot where I was at. Because I immediately went to what I know. But what you know don't really work here. And everybody say, oh man, but you was ten years in, you should know better."
"Still learning, nine years in. But, it's them lessons like that ultimately make me who I am to this day because, man, I f**ed that up."
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/draymond-green-finally-speaks-punching-173044550.html
A trade!
"[Charania] The Oklahoma City Thunder are trading guard Dillon Jones and a second-round pick to the Washington Wizards, sources tell ESPN."
oh
(actually kinda of weird: "Jones was selected with the 26th overall pick by the Washington Wizards in the 2024 NBA draft. His draft rights were traded later that day along with the 51st pick in the 2024 draft to the New York Knicks in exchange for the draft rights to Kyshawn George. The Knicks immediately traded Jones's draft rights to the Oklahoma City Thunder for five future second-round draft picks.")
I guess they really needed that roster spot?
They were over the roster limit because they brought in too many draft picks, they likely tried to trade one of them but couldn't find a decent deal so Jones is the collateral.
So a year ago Dillon Jones was worth five 2nd rounders, and now OKC needs to package a 2nd round pick to dump him for Colby Jones (no relation, apparently), who is getting waived. There's a come-down for you.
JK with the "Who knows the future?" IG story.
- "[Fischer] The Spurs, league sources say, are looming as a prominent landing spot for big men on the free agent market. Another center target, sources say, that rival executives expect San Antonio to pursue: Boston's Luke Kornet."
- "[Fischer] There is a growing belief around the league that Brook Lopez will be leaving Milwaukee this offseason, with the Los Angeles Lakers expected to target him"
- βSan Antonio is being projected by rivals as a team to watch (but presumably not the only one) to lure Guerschon Yabusele away from Philadelphia when free agency begins Monday, league sources tell @TheSteinLine.β
- "[Fischer] Two potential free agents generating a considerable amount of curiosity leaguewide as Monday night draws near, I'm told, are Milwaukee's Bobby Portis Jr. and the Lakers' Dorian Finney-Smith."
BroLo for the TPMLE
Kuminga for Coby White
Pick up options on QP and Gui
Minimums for Loon, Knox, Spencer
Sign Toohey and Richard
Get βer Dun and call it a day!
Melton on a vet min
Also Cryer on a 2-way. Maybe Armstrong too.
Lakers would be insane to let DFS go.
He has a player option for $15.38M so he's holding the high cards.
According to HoopsHype, the Warriors have already signed up 10 players to their Summer League roster: https://hoopshype.com/lists/2025-nba-summer-league-rosters/
ο»ΏReturning 2-way Jackson Rowe
ο»ΏSecond round pick 6'8" Alex Toohey (Australia)
ο»ΏSecond round pick Will Richard (Florida)
ο»ΏExhibit 10 LJ Cryer (Houston)
ο»ΏExhibit 10 Chance McMillian (Texas Tech)
ο»ΏSL invite Coleman Hawkins (Kansas State)
ο»ΏSL invite Chris Manon (Vanderbilt)
ο»ΏSL invite Bez Mbeng (Yale)
ο»ΏSL invite Gabe Madsen (Utah)
ο»ΏSL invite Leopold Delaunay (France, Le Mans): https://www.proballers.com/basketball/player/75600/leopold-delaunay
ο»ΏThe tracker thingy adds Alex Higgins-Titsha (Australia) to the list: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96U6GEtkSWY
ο»ΏLast season, the Warriors had 17 players on their Summer League roster including on signed up for just the California Classic on one for just the Vegas games.
ο»ΏSo assuming that the 11 above players have been reported correctly, the Warriors have 5 to 7 slots left.
ο»ΏLast season's Golden State and Santa Cruz Warriors who I expect to participate are Quinten Post and Taran Armstrong. This brings the roster up to 13. Last season's Golden State and Santa Cruz Warriors who I would like to see participate include TJD, Braxton Key, Pat Spencer, Kevin Knox, Blake Hinson, and maybe even Gui Santos.
ο»ΏInviting all of the above players would clearly overfill the roster. And other last Santa Cruz Warriors who could conceivably participate include Yuri Collins, Javon Johnson, Donta Scott, Seth Maxwell, Cheikh Mbacke Diong, Cameron Parker and/or Alex Gil-Fernandez. Thus, the Warriors may not extend any further invites to players not already in their system. But note that Post, TJD, Maxwell, Hawkins, and Diong are the only potential centers, so if TJD doesn't play and Post skips the Vegas games, the roster will sorely lack frontcourt size.
Here's what I have for the Warriors' SL schedule:
California Classic
Sat 7/5 3:30 PM vs. Lakers
Sun 7/6 3:30 PM vs. Spurs
Tue 7/8 4 PM vs. Heat
Vegas
Fri 7/11 8 PM
Sun 7/13 7 PM
Tue 7/15 7:30 PM
Thu 7/17 7 PM
Fri 7/18 to Sun 7/20 TBD
I'm glad Hawkins got an invite. He's 6-10 and long and apparently had a down year last year (I don't actually watch college basketball, just something I read). But his skillset seems intriguing. The complaint is that he is inconsistent, so that may do him in, but he's got some tools to work with. I am hoping the Ws will get a look at some big guys and that a few might pan out.
https://www.babcockhoops.com/post/2025-nba-draft-coleman-hawkins-scouting-report
An embarrassment of (semi-precious) riches!
I just scouted another intriguing Aussie named Roman Siulepa.
ο»ΏHe's basically a 19-year-old Samoan Gui Santos.
ο»ΏUnfortunately for basketball fans, he is a star rugby player, and it seems as if rugby is his passion. If he had been born in the USA, he would have been a star linebacker or tight end. He plays basketball as you would imagine a star rugby player would.
ο»ΏSupposedly, he will play for Jeff Capel's Pitt team next season, but that is still up in the air because he is so good at rugby. Siulepa won MVP of the NBAβs Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp and MVP of the Australian U20 National Championship.
ο»ΏHe just scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against the stars of Team USA in the FIBA Under 19 World Cup. He was the most physically imposing player on the court.
ο»ΏHere's some highlights of a recent game he played, including his warts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beOoRIkI8N8
"[Fischer] There is growing belief that Julius Randle will be next to sign a long-term agreement with the Timberwolves. The returns of Reid and Randle have painted Alexander-Walker as the odd free agent out in Minnesota. The Clippers, Hawks and Magic continue to be mentioned as possible destinations."
NAW's status not new, Clippers and Magic interest new
Movie rec OT: F1 might be the feel good movie you need in your life. I enjoyed it.
@montepoole.bsky.socialβ¬: [[ Gary Payton II's chances of returning to the Golden State Warriors next season are dim, per two NBA sources. A fixture in the rotation when healthy, Payton, 32, becomes a UFA on Monday. If he's not re-signed, the Warriors are expected to pursue a strong point-of-attack defender. ]]
would be very sad to see him go
apart from his obvious beloved fan favorite status, he's such a good fit with Steph (underrated offensive player on the Dubs imo, he's one of those players who really get Kerrball, and makes quick, good decisions)
Love to have GPII back as an assistant coach or helping with player development. It would be great to have him around, but his body betrays him too often and given his style of play, he'll never be reliable.
I very much appreciate GPβs contributions all these years but his frequent injuries have made him unreliable. If possible, I would like to have a younger player instead.
These players have very short timelines to get good NBA money. If GPII can get a multi year contract somewhere, I fully support him.
BUT if he is somehow able to stay, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have him back on a vet minimum.
On reading Pooleβs full article, this does not seem different from the presumption (as Perks and I discussed) that GP2 might be offered a contract but only if thereβs space after free agency dust settles.
https://bsky.app/profile/nbcswarriors.bsky.social/post/3lsosqszwos26
hard to imagine the Dubs offering GP2 (or Loon) anything that would limit their other options
does the article report that he has other suitors?
I would love him back on a vet minimum.
Wonder if this is at all related to Melton
I would ugly cry out of happiness if we got Melton back
Nnnnnoooooooo!!!
Couldnβt that be Will Richard?
I wish we could plant GPβs defensive brain into Coby White or Collin Sexton III (and acquire one of them).
Don't transplant his defensive brain until we have the player! Why not transplant it into Kevin Knox or JK (and then keep him)?
He's great if he's healthy. But that's a big "if" since he's prone to injuries due to his style of play.
:( maybe it's for the best (#inMDJWeTrust), but it would be sad to see him go. Why not a 1+1? (although I assume GPII wants a last payday with more money and more years)
Iβm okay with it. I love GP2 and heβs a W4L if it was up to me but itβs time to get some fresh blood in that role
>>>Free agent guard Sam Merrill intends to sign a four-year, $38 million contract to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs negotiated the new deal with Kieran Piller and Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports, a success story for the 60th pick in 2020 draft.<<<
https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/86c49c222b880
Signings and re-signings:
- Davion Mitchell (Heat): 2/24 (Shams)
- Cavs re-signing Sam Merrill (4/38 - Shams) (combined with Lonzo trade, means Jerome is gone?) (Fischer)
Rumors:
- Pistons, Hawks want NAW (Stein)
Itβs too bad JK canβt realize heβs also worth around 2/$24M. Heβs four years younger than Davion, too, so if he signed a deal like that and played well he could set himself up for a huge payday at age 24-25, when Steph, Dray and Jimmy come off the books.
Warriors would sign jk today for 20m a yr if they could, a midsized contract like that would be better in trades as well, we really don't have much salary to send out in trades
Thatβs a pretty small contract thoughβ¦ if I were JK, I would just take the $9m / 1y qualifying offer and become a free agent in one year instead.
It's a $7.9M QO. But hey, what's an extra million here or there?
Are there more teams projected to have cap space next offseason?
Given Minnyβs financial situation, it sounds like NAW is gone.
That's a shame. Do we have room under the cap for him? Love to have him kill them for a while...
He was earning $4.3M but I don't have a clue how much he can get on the open market now.
In retrospect looking forward to draft was fun and it was disappointing but thatβs my fault for expecting too much. Now I wait for summer league but we will know more about Kuminga and perhaps some others by then?