Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Lakers
The Golden State Warriors decision on veteran point guard Chris Paul is set to play an integral part in their plans over the coming months, with the 39-year-old holding a $30 million non-guaranteed contract for next season.
Given the franchise’s exorbitant payroll and desire to duck under the NBA’s second-tax apron, the Warriors are expected to either waive Paul or guarantee part (or all) of his contract to utilize in a trade. If the 12x All-Star is cut by Golden State, or another team post-trade, he would become a free agent for the first time in his illustrious career.
The chance of Chris Paul departing the Golden State Warriors for the Los Angeles Lakers has been described as a “real possibility”
Following a successful year with the Warriors as a backup point guard for the first time in his career, Paul is expected to have a number of suitors should he become a free agent ahead of his 20th season in the league.
One of those could be Golden State’s pacific rival in the Los Angeles Lakers, with Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus telling the Athletic’s Jovan Buha that a Paul move to the Lakers is a real possibility
“There is a reasonable chance he gets traded or just cut by the Warriors. He and LeBron obviously have a close relationship. There is a universe where the Lakers sign Chris Paul. It makes a lot of sense to me. Is Chris coming for the minimum? I don’t know. I don’t want to say he comes cheap to the Lakers, but in the absence of a better offer, I could see that.”
– Eric Pincus
Given the Warriors hold Paul’s future in their own hands, few rival fans will be sympathetic if they themselves choose to move on. However, the franchise could hold hopes of bringing Paul back on a lesser deal, though that does leave themselves vulnerable to him opting for a different destination.
A deflection specifically to the Lakers would be a kick in the guts to the Warriors, particularly if it’s on anything close to a minimum contract. Paul had been headed to the Lakers in a blockbuster trade in 2011, only for the league to famously veto the deal.
A close relationship with LeBron James could lure Paul to the Lakers on a cheap deal, with Golden State themselves having tried to pair the two when they made a stunning play for James at the mid-season trade deadline.
Paul averaged 9.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 58 games for the Warriors after being acquired in a trade centered around Jordan Poole last offseason.
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Golden State Warriors receive mixed fortune on NBA All-Rookie Teams
By Peter O’Keefe | May 20, 2024
Dallas Mavericks v Golden State Warriors
Dallas Mavericks v Golden State Warriors / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages
Golden State Warriors’ guard Brandin Podziemski has been rewarded for his impressive first season, having been named to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team on Monday.
The 21-year-old was seen as being on the edge of the First or Second Team, but ultimately received the fifth-most points to be named alongside Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Brandin Miller and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Brandin Podziemski was picked to the First Team, but fellow Golden State Warriors’ rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis missed out on selection
Podziemski received 64 First-Team votes and 33 Second-Team votes, having ranked in the top 10 among rookies in a number of statistical categories. The 19th overall pick had the second best net rating of any rookie to play at least 15 games this season, ranked third in total rebounds, fourth in assists and eighth in scoring, while his 38.5% from three-point range was second among rookies with at least 150 attempts from beyond the arc.
While the voting gap between Podziemski and the sixth-ranked Dereck Lively II was 42 points, the same margin couldn’t be said for fellow Warrior rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis who narrowly missed the Second-Team by just one one point.
Jackson-Davis received 42 Second-Team votes, nine more than Memphis Grizzlies’ forward GG Jackson. However, the latter also received five First-Team votes to catapult him into the final spot on the Second-Team alongside Lively, Amen Thompson, Keyonte George and Cason Wallace.
The 24-year-old exploded into a more consistent role in the second half of the season, but perhaps left his run a fraction late to solidify a Second-Team spot. Jackson-Davis averaged 6.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.8 blocks in his first 40 games, yet those numbers grew to 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 blocks in his final 28 games from February 22 onwards.
Both Golden State rookies earned an opportunity in the starting lineup over the second half of the season. Podziemski briefly supplanted franchise legend Klay Thompson for 14 games in an 18-game span, while the team went 9-2 in 11 games with Jackson-Davis as the starting center to close the regular season.
Podziemski has become the first Warrior to be named to the All-Rookie First Team since Eric Paschall in 2020, while current teammates Thompson (2012) and Stephen Curry (2010) were also also named to the All-Rookie First Team more than a decade ago.
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Golden State Warriors get pleasant shock in NBA All-Defensive voting
By Peter O’Keefe | May 21, 2024
Los Angeles Lakers v Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Lakers v Golden State Warriors / Lachlan Cunningham/GettyImages
Golden State Warriors’ rookie Brandin Podziemski was a worthy recipient of NBA All-Rookie First Team honors on Monday, but the 21-year-old’s latest recognition certainly comes as a major suprise.
While no Warrior made the NBA’s All-Defensive Teams as expected, the bottom of the final voting results on Tuesday saw Podziemski as one of eight players to receive a single vote for the Second Team.
Rookie guard Brandin Podziemski was the only Golden State Warriors player to receive a vote for an All-Defensive team this season
Podziemski was clearly recognized by one voter for his ability to draw charges, with the 19th overall pick having led the entire league in that category ahead of Jalen Brunson, Mo Wagner and teammate Draymond Green.
Despite that fact, Podziemski’s vote has to come as a shock given he ranked fifth on the Warriors in defensive rating (of any regular rotation player). He ranked fourth on the Warriors in steals per game, third in defensive win shares and sixth in defensive box plus-minus.
The young guard was one of only three rookies to receive votes. Number one overall pick Victor Wembanyama becomes the first rookie in NBA history to make the All-Defensive First Team, while Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren received 21 Second Team votes.
Draymond Green’s defensive impact was on show late to help Golden State end the regular season strongly, but the veteran forward was ineligible for All-Defense honors given the 65-game requirement. The former Defensive Player of the Year only has himself to blame after missing 21 games through two seperate suspensions early in the season.
After claiming a fourth Defensive Player of the Year award, Green’s long-time rival Rudy Gobert unsurprisingly led voting with 99 First Team votes. The Frenchman is part of a First Team almost exclusively made of big men, with Pelicans wing’ Herb Jones joining centers Gobert, Wembanyama, Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo.
In contrast, the Second Team was made up mostly of guards with Alex Caruso, Jalen Suggs, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday joining Timberwolves’ forward Jaden McDaniels in the lineup.
