Golden State Warriors

Kevin Durant's quest to find a new home as he waits for a trade from the Brooklyn Nets could take him to a place he knows very well.

Appearing on ESPN Radio, Marc J. Spears of Andscape called the Golden State Warriors a team to "keep an eye on" for Durant. Spears later took to Twitter to give more context to his report:

Spears noted the Warriors "could" potentially offer the best package for both sides, with a deal involving Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Durant has the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat among the teams on his preferred list of trade destinations.

Even though the Warriors have the pieces necessary to potentially make a run at Durant, it's unclear if they would seriously consider doing it.

General manager Bob Myers has been very strategic about maximizing this current window with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green and keeping an eye on the future.

There was a lot of speculation prior to the 2020 NBA draft that Golden State could move the No. 2 overall pick for a win-now piece. Instead, the Warriors used it to select Wiseman.

Myers has lost some of his roster depth from the 2021-22 title team because of the team's massive payroll and luxury tax bill. Gary Payton II and Juan Toscano-Anderson found new homes early in free agency.

Poole has one more guaranteed season on his rookie contract. The 23-year-old is eligible for an extension this summer, with Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle reporting last month an offer would likely have to start at four years, $100 million.

Perhaps a more significant question than what the Warriors would have to give up is, would Durant want to go back to Golden State?

After Durant made his trade request, Wojnarowski said on Friday's episode of Get Up that Golden State's title win this season played a role in his decision to want out of Brooklyn (starts at 3:10 mark).

"I think it exasperated Kevin Durant’s frustration," Wojnarowski said. "I think it’s the narrative that surrounded him that he dealt with in the aftermath of him leaving Golden State and then going on to win a title without him, contrasted with what has gone on in Brooklyn in these last three years."

In a September 2019 interview with J.R. Moehringer of the Wall Street Journal, Durant said he "definitely felt accepted" by the Warriors when he was there.

"But I’ll never be one of those guys," he added. "I didn’t get drafted there… Steph Curry, obviously drafted there. Andre Iguodala, won the first Finals, first championship. Klay Thompson, drafted there. Draymond Green, drafted there. And the rest of the guys kind of rehabilitated their careers there."

The Nets made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons with Durant, but they only had one series victory (2021 first round). They were swept in the first round this season by the Boston Celtics.

Durant's four-year, $194.2 million contract extension he signed in Aug. 2021 goes into effect for the 2022-23 season.

Given how much time is still left on Durant's deal, he might not have as much ability to dictate where he ends up as superstars like Paul George and Anthony Davis did in recent years.

There's certainly no harm in the Warriors kicking the tires on bringing back a player who was named NBA Finals MVP in his first two seasons with the organization. It would be bad business if Myers wasn't calling the Nets to engage their interest.

Durant is still one of the biggest difference-makers in the NBA when he plays. The 12-time All-Star averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game in 55 starts for the Nets in 2021-22.

The Sacramento Kings impressed in their California Classic opener, defeating the Golden State Warriors 86-68 at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday night.

Kings rookie Keegan Murray, in particular, was dominant, finishing with 26 points and eight rebounds in just over 28 minutes. He made 10 of 14 shots from the floor and four of five shots from deep.

The 21-year-old received plenty of praise on social media for his performance, and many can't wait to see what else he can do this summer.

The Kings selected Murray with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft out of Iowa, and he was considered one of the best forwards in this year's class. Based on his summer league debut, it's clear Sacramento has found a franchise player to build around for the future.

Sacramento's 2021 second-round pick, Neemias Queta, also had a solid showing, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.

Warriors forward Gui Santos was also impressive in his summer league debut, finishing with 23 points, six rebounds, one assist, three steals and one block in a little more than 25 minutes. He made seven of 13 shots from the floor and one of four shots from deep.

Santos was praised for going toe-to-toe with Murray.

The Warriors selected Santos with the 55th overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Brazil.

It's unclear if the Dubs will add Santos to their NBA roster for the 2022-23 campaign, but he has certainly made his presence felt early. Even if he doesn't make the big club this year, he could at some point in the future.

Payton Willis, who went undrafted out of Minnesota, also had a solid game for the Warriors, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Donte DiVincenzo is on the move after agreeing to a contract with the Golden State Warriors in free agency.

Per The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania, the Warriors will pay DiVincenzo $9.3 million over two years. The second year of the deal is a player option.

DiVincenzo became an unrestricted free agent when the Sacramento Kings declined to extend him a qualifying offer. The decision brought an end to his brief tenure with the Kings that didn't seem to end on a positive note.

Per Kings reporter James Ham (h/t Kurt Helin of NBC Sports), DiVincenzo and his camp were "very unhappy" with how the Kings managed his minutes and didn't start him down the stretch in an attempt to lower his value for free agency.

The Kings acquired DiVincenzo on Feb. 10 from the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a four-team trade that also involved the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers.

Sacramento previously coveted DiVincenzo during the offseason prior to the 2020-21 season. He was set to be included in the sign-and-trade deal between the Bucks and Kings for Bogdan Bogdanovic, but it fell apart due to tampering violations that eventually resulted in Milwaukee forfeiting a 2022 second-round draft pick.

During his 25-game stint with the Kings, DiVincenzo averaged more minutes per game (26.6) than he did at the start of the season when he was with Milwaukee (20.1). He did play fewer than 20 minutes in back-to-back games on March 9 and 12 but averaged 29.5 minutes per contest in the final 13 games of the regular season.

At his best, DiVincenzo has proved to be a solid role player in the NBA. The 25-year-old averaged 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 132 appearances for the Bucks from the 2019-20 season to the 2020-21 campaign. He made 37.9 percent of his three-point attempts during the 2020-21 season.

Last season was rough for DiVincenzo even before the situation with the Kings happened. He missed the first two months of the regular season due to an ankle injury suffered early in Milwaukee's postseason run the previous year.

After appearing in three games, DiVincenzo reinjured the ankle when he rolled it during warm-ups on Jan. 1 before a game against the New Orleans Pelicans. He missed five games before making his return.

The Warriors are banking on getting the healthy version of DiVincenzo going forward. He's still young enough that no one should draw any major conclusions from last season, especially considering he played in a situation with the Kings that he didn't seem to enjoy.

While Gary Payton II would prefer to remain with the Golden State Warriors, it appears the two sides could be headed for a divorce in free agency.

The odds of Payton leaving the Dubs in free agency are "rising rapidly," according to The Athletic's Anthony Slater and Sam Amick, and there's internal belief that the franchise is likely to lose him this summer:

"Facing a record tax bill multiplying each additional dollar spent by nearly seven, the Warriors entered free agency intent on avoiding any overpay that the market doesn’t demand. They want to bring both [Kevon] Looney and Payton back. Both players prefer a reunion with the defending champions, if the price is right. That’s where the current separation exists."

The news comes after Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported that the Portland Trail Blazers have expressed interest in Payton and are willing to offer him $8 million.

Payton is coming off a one-year deal with Golden State that was worth nearly $2 million.

Payton's father, Hall of Famer Gary Payton, spoke with Heavy.com's Sean Deveney in April about the possibility of his son returning to the Warriors in 2022-23:

“I would never tell my son not to explore something that would be better or would be best for him. But I think he understands that Golden State is the best situation for him if there is playing time and they get it right. But if it doesn’t work out, he knows that this is a business and he has to move on. I think he wants to stay with the Golden State Warriors and I think the Warriors want to stay with him. But as you understand, this is a business. They’re capped up. They gotta pay Draymond (Green), they gotta pay (Stephen) Curry, they gotta pay Klay (Thompson), now they’re going to give (Jordan) Poole a lot of money. So I don’t know how that’s going to work out.

"Our agent is going to give him the best advice and do what he has got to do. But I don’t think my son is a dummy. Because he’s my son.”

After bouncing around the NBA for the first four years of his career, having played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards, Payton has appeared to have finally found a home with Golden State.

The 29-year-old had a solid season off the bench for the Dubs, averaging 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals while shooting 61.6 percent from the floor and 35.8 percent from deep in 71 games.

Payton was just as impressive in the playoffs, averaging 6.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 65.9 percent from the floor and 53.3 percent from deep in 12 games to help the Warriors capture the 2022 NBA title.

The Oregon State product's ability to guard multiple positions and drive to the basket on offense make him a valuable asset to any team. That said, it's no surprise he's generating quite a bit of interest on the open market.

Golden State is already going to have to pay the luxury tax next season, so it's hard to imagine the franchise paying Payton, especially when its top priority is bringing back Looney for 2022-23 and beyond.

In addition to the Trail Blazers, the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks have been linked to Payton this offseason. If the Warriors lose the veteran this summer, it'll be interesting to see how they replace him.

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green apologized for calling ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins a "c--n" during an episode of his podcast.

Green said Wednesday at the 6:24 mark of his newest episode it was down to a misunderstanding, and he "could've very well replaced the word with clown" in terms of what he was trying to convey.

"Growing up the way I grew up—not even the way I grew up but where I grew up—you may say to one of your boys, 'Stop acting like a c--n,'" he said. "For me, it's like, stop acting corny, you're on some weird-type stuff. ... So for me, in using the word, that's what I was implying. However, in understanding that everyone didn't grow up in Saginaw, Michigan, everyone didn't grow up with my friends, this is such a huge moment for growth and learning for me as I said in being a rookie in this business and understanding that that word does not mean the same thing to everyone. ... As someone who stands against racism, who has stood against it for years and is not afraid to get out in front of it, I can admit right here that I was wrong."

Green originally took exception to Perkins telling the Old Man and the Three podcast that he prayed LeBron James would get injured ahead of Game 7 in the 2008 Eastern Conference semifinals between James' Cleveland Cavaliers and Perkins' Boston Celtics.

As part of his response, Green said the former center went "from being enforcer to c--n."

That prompted a stern response from Perkins in a since-deleted video.

"Forget the old media. Forget the new media. I'ma stand by the old law," he said (h/t Awful Announcing's Brandon Contes). "The old law says all that disrespect and all that whole s--t of calling someone a c--n, man you got me f--ked up. Ain't nothing a c--n about me. I ain't no c--n."

Perkins also described Green as "all bark and no bite."

Ferris State University, which houses the Jim Crow Museum, explained that "the c--n caricature is one of the most insulting of all anti-Black caricatures" and dates back to the days of slavery.

Andscape's Brando Simeo Starkey wrote the word has evolved to become "an intraracial slur to castigate a certain type of Black person who betrays the race."

Stephen Curry will remain in the spotlight as the host for the 2022 ESPY awards on July 20:

"I've had the pleasure of attending The ESPYS but never imagined I'd have the privilege of hosting this special event," Curry said in a statement, via ESPN's Kendra Andrews. "As someone who loves the intersection of sports and entertainment, I look forward to delivering an exciting show for the fans while we celebrate the athletes who created the top moments of the year."

The Golden State Warriors star was already going to have a busy night as a nominee in several categories.

Not only is Curry a contender for Best NBA Player, he is a finalist for Best Male Athlete alongside Aaron Rodgers, Shohei Ohtani and Connor McDavid. He was also nominated for Best Record-Breaking Performance for passing Ray Allen for the most made three-pointers in NBA history.

It continues an exciting stretch for Curry, who led the Warriors to their fourth NBA title in eight years earlier this month. The eight-time All-Star was named Finals MVP for the first time in his career.

The 34-year-old will now get to show his personality off the court, following in the footsteps of other athletes who hosted the ESPYs, including Peyton Manning, LeBron James, Danica Patrick and the 2020 trio of Russell Wilson, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe.

Golden State Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson will become an unrestricted free agent after he didn't receive a qualifying offer, according to The Athletic's Anthony Slater.

The 29-year-old was in the final year of a two-year deal after his two-way contract with Golden State was converted to a full-time contract in May 2021.

Toscano-Anderson was a steady rotation player for the Warriors, providing energy off the bench in limited minutes. This past season, he averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 13.6 minutes while appearing in a career-high 73 games. He didn't see much action during Golden State's postseason run that culminated with a win in the 2022 NBA Finals for the team's fourth championship in eight years.

After going undrafted out of Marquette in 2015, he spent three years playing for multiple professional basketball leagues in South America. He also played for the Mexico national team during the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Toscano-Anderson eventually landed with the Warriors' G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, California, joining the team for the 2019-20 season. Golden State first called him up in February 2020. He appeared in 13 games that year before playing 53 times in 2020-21 with a career-high 16 starts.

By letting Toscano-Anderson hit the open market, the Warriors are risking the chance of losing a consistent player who knows the team's system, though a change of scenery will allow him a chance to see more regular playing time.

Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman is ramping up his injury rehab and is eyeing a return at the NBA's Las Vegas Summer League, according to The Athletic's Anthony Slater.

Warriors summer-league coach Seth Cooper also told reporters that the team wants Wiseman to participate in as many practices as possible instead of suiting up for this weekend's California Classic so he'll be ready for games in Las Vegas.

Action tips off in Vegas next Thursday. The Warriors are also expecting Jonathan Kuminga and Patrick Baldwin Jr. to play in summer-league games.

The news comes after Slater and Shams Charania reported that Wiseman received a plasma-rich injection to promote healing in his injured right knee in April and there was optimism within the Warriors organization that he could return during summer-league action.

Wiseman missed the entire 2021-22 campaign because of the knee ailment, and it was a tough blow to the Dubs after he put together a solid rookie season in 2020-21.

The 2020 second overall pick averaged 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 39 games while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor. He started 27 of those 39 games and was expected to take on a larger role in 2021-22 before suffering the knee injury.

With Wiseman sidelined, the Warriors rotated Kevon Looney and Nemanja Bjelica at center. Draymond Green also saw time at the position, though he's mostly been used as a forward throughout his career.

Even without Wiseman, the Warriors won the 2022 NBA title with Klay Thompson back from a pair of devastating injuries and a healthy Stephen Curry. It was an impressive victory for Golden State, which was one of the worst teams in the league just a few short years ago due to injuries.

That said, the Warriors should be just as good in 2022-23, especially with the expected return of Wiseman. Golden State, along with the Los Angeles Clippers, owns the best odds to win the 2023 title at +550, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson would not be four-time NBA champions as members of the Golden State Warriors if it weren't for Kevin Durant, at least according to Green.

During a live show Tuesday that promoted both his and JJ Redick's podcasts, Green said the Dubs "would not have beat the Cavs coming back around without Kevin [Durant]" in 2017 and 2018.

Green explained further (h/t Jack Maloney of CBS Sports):

"I personally don't think at that point Steph Curry had figured out 'I'm going to get a bucket whenever I want to.' I don't think he was capable of that yet, I think he was still growing into that. Because of that, once teams started to figure our offense out, we were starting to struggle more and more. I'm not sure if you remember that series with OKC where we were down 3-1 and had to come back. That's because teams had started to figure it out.

"What then in turn ended up happing was, Steph still creates all the havoc he creates. Like I tweeted, Steph faced so many double teams and Kevin didn't. That's a fact. You can go look at the numbers or just watch the game. If you watch the game then you see that Steph's getting double-teamed, and then [then-Cleveland Cavaliers head coach] Ty Lue goes publicly and says 'I'm double-teaming Steph Curry every chance I get.' Kevin wasn't getting double-teamed.

"The reality is, we got to a point where we needed to be able to give someone the ball that can just go get a bucket. Kevin was already there. I don't think Steph was there yet. So, it gets us through those two years. We get those two championships. While we're doing that, Steph is continuing to work and evolve, and most importantly, becoming the strongest dude on our team. To this day he's the strongest guy on the team. That allowed him to score whenever he wanted because you can no longer bump him off his path."

Green does have a point in his comments about the 2017 NBA Finals.

While Curry averaged 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 9.4 assists and 2.2 steals, he was often double-teamed and not really able to open up his game. For comparison, he averaged 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals in the 2022 Finals against the Boston Celtics.

That said, Curry has gotten much stronger and has become an even better player since the 2017 Finals.

Still, Cleveland's decision to double-team Curry gave Durant many open looks against a Cavs team that included Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Kevin Love. Durant averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.6 blocks in that series.

In the 2018 Finals, the Warriors were dominant, sweeping the Cavaliers, and it's quite possible the Dubs would have defeated Cleveland without Durant because the Cavs traded Irving to the Boston Celtics and weren't the same dominant team they once were.

While Green spent time reflecting on the past, he also discussed the possibility of James and Irving teaming up again for the Lakers in 2022-23 in an interview with Lucas Shaw of Bloomberg:

"With LeBron James, if you give them someone like Kyrie… they'll have a chance because of the way Kyrie can score the basketball. LeBron will only put him in a position to do that. Kyrie has not proven to be a great leader. LeBron will put an umbrella over that. If you can do what you're good at, you have LeBron leading.

"They could contend, but they won’t beat us."

The rumors of Irving potentially joining the Lakers were squashed when the veteran point guard opted into his player option for the 2022-23 season.

Still, Green obviously isn't worried about potentially matching up against James and Irving again in the postseason, even without Durant.