Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are reportedly set to welcome back one of their promising young players.

According to ESPN's Kendra Andrews, "all signs are pointing" to third-year center James Wiseman being ready to participate in training camp and play in preseason games. Wiseman sat out the entire 2021-22 season after dealing with setbacks in his recovery from knee surgery that had limited him to 39 games in his rookie year.

The last time Wiseman was healthy, he averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds before suffering a torn meniscus in April 2021. The 21-year-old made his long-awaited return to the court during the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League, starting four games and averaging 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 19.9 minutes per game.

"He played in summer league. He felt good," Andrews said of Wiseman. "He told me he put on about seven to 10 pounds of muscle. He looks huge, you guys. He looks good."

The No. 2 overall pick in 2020, Wiseman was expected to add another dimension to the Warriors as a center who could produce on both ends of the floor. He's shown flashes of brilliance, but he just hasn't been on the floor enough to prove himself as a reliable player.

Andrews noted that Golden State will utilize training camp to address any deficiencies in Wiseman's game in hopes of developing him into a member of the rotation for the 2022-23 season.

"The hope for the Warriors is, as they head into camp, they can start really figuring out what are the specific areas he needs to improve on," Andrews said. "They want him to be a good rebounder, a good rim protector [and finisher] around the rim. But they're gonna figure that out as he plays more five-on-five."

Golden State's first preseason game will be on Sept. 30 against the Washington Wizards.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has ripped Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury governor Robert Sarver, saying it's "bulls--t" that he will continue to represent the NBA after his one-year suspension.

"This report that came out last week is the total opposite of everything that the NBA stands for," Green said on his podcast The Draymond Green Show (10:55 mark). "And so to think that someone like Robert Sarver, that is acting in that manner, can continue to represent us? That's bulls--t. You can't continue to represent way more people than yourself with those views. With speaking to people the way he did, with treating African Americans and women the way he has. That's not OK."

Green also asked that there "be a vote" among NBA governors on whether to terminate Sarver's position. League rules would require at least three-quarters of the board of governors to remove him, per Baxter Holmes of ESPN.

The NBA fined Sarver $10 million and banned him for a year after an independent investigation, sparked by a November 2021 report by Holmes, found he said racial slurs, made sexist comments, ran a hostile work environment and had multiple inappropriate interactions with employees.

Reaction to the punishment was overwhelmingly negative. Green, LeBron James and Chris Paul are among several NBA players who have expressed frustration that the punishment is not befitting of the transgressions.

National Basketball Players Association Executive Director Tamika Tremaglio called on Sarver to receive a permanent ban from the league. Many have pointed to how commissioner Adam Silver set a precedent in 2014 when he banned former Los Angeles Clippers governor Donald Sterling for life.

Silver called the two situations "dramatically different," though it's apparent players do not see it the same way. A former Suns staffer who spoke out about Sarver's workplace conduct also found the one-year ban to be lacking.

"It's barely a slap on the wrist and shows us the league truly doesn't stand for diversity, equity or inclusion," the staffer told Holmes. "I'm grateful to have the validation after being told I was insane, a b---h and being dramatic. That definitely lets me breathe a little.

"But I'm angry. The league failed us when they had the opportunity to stand behind its values."

Suns jersey sponsor PayPal released a statement saying it will not renew its sponsorship if Sarver remains with the franchise beyond his suspension.

Andre Iguodala's future in the NBA is up in the air, but the Golden State Warriors reportedly believe he'll be back with them for the 2022-23 season.

According to NBA reporter Marc Stein: "The only certainty regarding Iguodala's plans for the coming season is that he intends to announce his play-or-retire decision at age 38 on his weekly podcast with Evan Turner. The Warriors, I’m told, do expect Iguodala to play for one more season but are prepared for any outcome and are also open to bringing the 18-year veteran back on his timetable."

Iguodala played a bit role on the court for the Warriors in their championship season last year, appearing in just 31 games during the regular season and averaging four points, 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game. He also appeared in seven postseason games.

A number of injuries, including back and knee issues, hampered him throughout the 2021-22 season.

"It's really the body reacting in ways it never has," Iguodala told Anthony Slater of The Athletic in March. "Chain reaction."

“Small things," he added. "Nerve damage here. Bulging disc there. The pieces never really quite come together. One area will feel really good and then another area (hurts) the next day and you're starting over with your rehab. It's frustrating."

Such is life at 38 for NBA players whose careers last that long. But his experience and leadership are valuable for the Warriors—as is his camaraderie with Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson and mentorship for young players like James Wiseman, Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga, among others—even if his on-court impact is starting to wane.

"I don't know what he's going to do, I hope he plays for us," general manager Bob Myers told The Athletic's Tim Kawakami during The TK Show on Sept. 15. "I know you've heard Steve [Kerr] comment on that. I really think he's important to our season."

"Andre is one of those guys... he's got a great respect level about him, he has got a great presence," he added. "He is one of the few people in the world that can look Curry or Draymond or Klay in the eye and meet them at their level, but also grab a Jordan Poole or Kuminga or Wiseman and speak to them, encourage them. There's no one else in the league who can do that for our team."

The Warriors have kept a roster spot open for Iguodala in the hope he returns for one more potential title run. With training camp opening on Sept. 27 and Golden State's first exhibition game on Sept. 30, expect an announcement soon.

The Golden State Warriors don't want to envision a scenario in which Draymond Green suits up for another team.

Green can opt out of the final year of his deal and hit free agency in 2023. Speaking with The Athletic's Tim Kawakami, Warriors general manager Bob Myers said the four-time All-Star is "not a guy we look at and say he’s not going to be around."

"Now, at some point, decisions are going to have to be made," Myers said. "But as far as his importance to this organization and what he’s done, we’re going to do everything we can to keep him in the fold."

The GM added: "Draymond, certainly it’s obvious to anybody what he’s done for us. I could never sit here and say, 'Well, he’s not going to be around.' I can’t even get the words out of my mouth."

As the 2022-23 season unfolds, Green's future is bound to become a bigger and bigger topic of discussion.

Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II reported on July 27 "the Warriors have no plans to offer Green a maximum extension, and there isn’t any current traction on any type of extension."

It's an understandable position for Golden State to take.

Myers alluded to how the front office is likely to have some tough decisions coming down the pike.

The Warriors are projected to have a $233.6 million payroll when Green is eligible for free agency in 2023, which includes cap holds for Andrew Wiggins ($43.8 million) and Jordan Poole ($11.7 million). Between player contracts and luxury tax penalties, the franchise might be on the hook for $400-plus million.

As much as Chase Center has given Golden State a license to print money, sooner or later ownership will hit its limit.

Green is a franchise legend who will have his jersey retired someday. He's also a 32-year-old forward whose trajectory moving forward is difficult to gauge.

Pinning down Green's value has always been tough because he's the proverbial jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. He impacts the game on both ends of the floor but doesn't usually dominate proceedings.

It's not like with Stephen Curry, for whom tabling a four-year, $215.4 million extension was a no-brainer. You can continue building the team around Curry as he gets deeper into his 30s. The same may not be true of Green.

Re-signing the seven-time All-Defensive standout should be a priority when the time comes, but Myers might be wise to set a limit on how much the Warriors are willing to offer. If he can get a max contract elsewhere, then it could be time to part ways.

Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry and Under Armour have reportedly "nearly locked" down details for a lifetime endorsement contract that could be worth over $1 billion.

Matt Sullivan of Rolling Stone reported Monday the extension talks with Curry, whose current deal runs through 2024, come despite some friction between the two-time NBA MVP and Under Armour founder Kevin Plank since he joined the brand in 2013.

"There wasn't quite an understanding of what it took to run a business like that properly," Curry said about the company's commitment to his signature shoe in the early stages. "So, yeah, I got mad."

Curry and Plank have also been at odds at times over the founder's public support of former President Donald Trump. While Plank told Sullivan there's "zero beef," the longtime Warriors cornerstone doesn't necessarily agree with that assessment.

"When you represent a company that big, you can't just fly by the seat of your pants," Curry said.

The eight-time All-Star added there were discussions about potentially leaving the company in 2018 before Under Armour agreed to separate the Curry Brand in a style similar to Nike's Jordan Brand.

"I don't have to raise my voice to get mad," Curry says. "That's the best part about it."

The fact he's discussed a lifetime deal with the company suggests the relationship has at least improved over the past four years since the individual brand was established.

Meanwhile, Curry helped lead the Warriors to their fourth championship since 2015 in June, and he captured his first Finals MVP Award in the process.

It came after another terrific regular season where he averaged 25.5 points, 6.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 threes and 1.3 steals across 64 appearances.

A lucrative Under Armour extension would add to on-court earnings that have already topped $254.7 million as he gets ready to start a new four-year, $215.4 million contract with Golden State, per Spotrac.

Curry and the Warriors tip off the 2022-23 season Oct. 18 when they face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Ronnie 2K has responded to Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson's concerns about his three-point shooting rating in NBA 2K23.

Ronnie 2K made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Joey Linn of Inside the Warriors:

"I think it's a badge of honor for those guys. Something they definitely talk about in the locker room. Even though Klay said that he hadn't played NBA2K since the Dreamcast, the fact that he cares about his rating so much, I know that that's not true. I can see his gamer tag, he plays it just plenty. But I also think him in specific, he was really upset about an 88 three-point rating.

"But you know what the funny thing is? That was still tied for the second-highest rating. I think that's part of the issue of having a teammate that's leaps and bounds ahead of everybody, like how do you deal with that? Steph since 2015 has made way more than 10% more three-pointers than anyone else in the league. So at some point, shouldn't the rating be 10% higher than everybody else in the league? How do we deal with that? I think he's just kinda broke that scale."

Thompson's three-point rate dipped to 38.5 percent in 2021-22 for the regular season and playoffs. He caught fire at times during the playoffs en route to an NBA title, though, making seven or more three-pointers on three different occasions. He is a 41.7 percent lifetime shooter from beyond the arc.

The five-time All-Star wasn't the only player who expressed his concerns with a 2K rating, as Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant believed he should be a 99 instead of a 96.

Only Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has a higher rating (97).

This year's version of NBA 2K was released Friday. Players will have a chance to improve their ratings shortly with the regular season starting Oct. 18.

Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry told Matt Sullivan of Rolling Stone that he wishes he would have refused to play 2014's Game 5 first-round playoff game against the Los Angeles Clippers after former Clippers governor Donald Sterling was heard on recordings released by TMZ Sports making racist remarks.

Curry said he chose to defer to the decision of Chris Paul and the other Clippers players, who wore warmup shirts with the logo inside out in protest and deposited them at center court before playing the game.

"One of my biggest regrets is not boycotting the game," Curry said. “That was a moment to leverage beyond anything we probably could have said."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver ultimately decided on a lifetime ban for Sterling.

Curry wasn't alone in wanting to boycott the game.

"I was all-in. Like shut down the whole season," Warriors forward Andre Iguodala told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne in 2019. "Maybe that was too far, but as far as that game that day, you can reschedule it, you gotta sort this thing out, because there's some deep-rooted stuff with him that had to be addressed."

The Sterling recordings and the wait for a response became a national story, with all eyes on how the players would handle the shocking news.

"We all have family, friends, people that we hadn't talked to in a while that were like, 'You guys cannot play!'" Jamal Crawford told Shelburne in 2019. "I remember Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest hit me and was like, 'You guys cannot play. This is bigger than you. It's so much bigger than you. You guys can really send a message.' I was like, 'Man, I hear where you're coming from.' But at that time, I didn't know what we were going to do."

A team refusing to play at that time would have been unprecedented. It had never happened before in the league, though it had come close in the past for a number of reasons.

Since that night in 2014, however, a team has refused to play. The Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court for Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic in 2020 in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The NBA, in response and solidarity, postponed the night's other two scheduled playoff games.

A lot took place between 2014 and 2020, including Colin Kaepernick's decision to kneel for the playing of the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial discrimination. Many athletes have used their platforms and power to fight for social change, especially in the wake of numerous police killings of Black men and women.

"All the ways that they want to nitpick what Colin's done, from the time he kneeled to now, you can't tell me that there hasn’t been progress and change and a renewed sense of accountability amongst a lot of athletes," Curry told Sullivan," like, 'Which side of the fence are you on? Are you doing something or not?'"

When the Brooklyn Nets were exploring potential trades for star forward Kevin Durant, many had wondered if the Golden State Warriors would be interested in a reunion with him.

Golden State star point guard Stephen Curry told Matt Sullivan of Rolling Stone that the team would have welcomed Durant back, answering, "Hell, yeah!" when asked if it was ever under consideration this summer.

The Nets and Durant eventually reconciled and decided to forge ahead together. Curry said he would've had no issues if Golden State tried to convince Brooklyn to trade the 12-time All-Star.

"There was a conversation internally amongst us about 'If he was available, would you?' Every team has those conversations, and obviously in our situation, they’re gonna call me and ask me, 'How do you feel about it?' I was never hesitant," Curry explained. "The idea of playing with KD and knowing who he is as a person, from our history in those three years, I think KD’s a really good dude."

Durant starred for the Warriors from 2017 to 2019 and helped lead the team to two NBA championships and three straight NBA Finals appearances. He chose to sign with Brooklyn as a free agent, but his tenure with the team hasn't gone as he had hoped.

The Nets struggled through off-the-court turmoil last season and were swept out of the playoffs in the first round. The Warriors, on the other hand, went on to win their fourth NBA title in the last eight years, and Curry was named Finals MVP for the first time in his legendary career.

While Durant's trade request this offseason may have hurt his standing in the eyes of some people, Curry still supports his former teammate.

"I think he is misunderstood," Curry said. "I think he has had certain things happen in his life that hurt his ability to trust people around him, in a sense of making him feel safe at all times. So all of those things, I understand, having played with him and gotten to know him. I love that dude."

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Thursday that the team hopes forward Andre Iguodala, who is mulling retirement, returns for the 2022-23 season.

Kerr spoke on 95.7 The Game's Damon & Ratto show and said both he and Warriors general manager Bob Myers would welcome Iguodala back into the mix.

"We'll touch base in the next couple days," Kerr said. "Bob and I are giving him the space to make whatever decision he wants. We'll support him either way, but we hope he comes back."

Iguodala, 38, has played 18 NBA seasons, including seven with the Warriors. He is a four-time NBA champion and two-time All-Defensive team member.

Last year, Iguodala averaged 4.0 points, 3.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 19.5 minutes during an injury-shortened 31-game season.

Although his best playing days are behind him, Iguodala's mentorship and guidance to younger players can't be understated.

“Andre, in particular, was just incredible this year and continues to be so with his counseling and advice,” Kerr said before the NBA Finals, per Dieter Kurtenbach of the Mercury News. “And he does it in a way only Andre can. With humor and sarcasm and cryptic messaging.”

After the Warriors won the Finals, Kerr said: "Andre was just a really big part of this with his guidance and leadership and wisdom."

Iguodala could be a de-facto player/coach of sorts for the Warriors as they look for their second straight title and fifth since 2015.

"The Warriors need someone in a hybrid role on that bench—someone who can instruct, mentor, and guide but also give the Dubs 10 minutes and a couple of buckets on occasion," Kurtenbach wrote.

Of course, Iguodala can also choose to ride into retirement on a high note after a tremendously successful career spanning nearly two decades. For now, his status remains uncertain with training camp and preseason games starting later this month. The regular season gets going Oct. 18 when the Dubs host the Los Angeles Lakers.