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Since there's a moratorium on signings and the Golden State Warriors don't have much cap space, yesterday was mostly full of rumors and rumors trying to validate rumors.
But for those that didn't have time to keep up with all the madness of yesterday, here's a quick rundown of where things stand for the Warriors.
The Warriors are ready to take a risk on Dwight Howard: Regardless of whether the Warriors actually get Dwight Howard, they are reportedly willing to take the risk of trading Andrew Bogut - who was a key contributor during their first playoff run in years - and either of young blossoming stars Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson to get a dominant (when healthy) force in the paint. However, we're going to have to let go of the idea that we can be certain about how such a deal would work out: as Monte Poole writes, "Most of sport is based on risk, though, so it's unavoidable." The question is always about how you best minimize the comparative downside of a risk.
Dwight Howard's camp was apparently impressed by Mark Jackson:
In Atlanta and Golden State presentations today, Dwight Howard camp considered both coaches, Mike Budenholzer and Mark Jackson, impressive.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 2, 2013
The Warriors have quietly explored moving David Lee for some time: As hard as it is to believe Adrian Wojnarowski's report that the Warriors tried to trade David Lee in a package deal involving Andrea Bargnani, a) Woj is a trustworthy source and b) there are enough murmurs about them having tried to move him in the past that it's hard to believe none of the rumors are true. In addition to a similar report around the All-Star break claiming that the Warriors had interest in Bargnani, Tim Kawakami reported yesterday that he had heard about the Warriors inquiring about potential Lee for Pau Gasol trades. But the telling nugget: Kawakami has also been told that not one team has called the Warriors about Lee.
What is Jarrett Jack's actual market value? Word from Marcus Thompson is that Jarrett Jack is looking for a contract starting at no lower than $7 million per year, but even the tidbit about the Warriors' interest in the much less expensive Darren Collison is telling. From the early reports, it seems that Jack is in a weird position: either teams would rather find cheaper options to fill their back up point guard spot (see Indiana signing former Warrior C.J. Watson) or they want just want to go after a higher quality target/different type of player (see rumors that Detroit is looking for a better player).
Jack has apparently drawn interest from the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets as well, but Nate Timmons of SB Nation's Denver Stiffs sort of explains why the Nuggets interest seems odd: if they already have Ty Lawson and Andre Miller at the guard spot would they really be looking to invest more money there in Jarrett Jack? Or does that mean they're considering trading Miller? Interesting questions indeed, but the bottom line is that the market for Jack - or any point who figures to be best suited as a reserve - might not be as strong as Warriors fans feared.
The Warriors have interest in Andre Iguodala: And why shouldn't they? As Jared Dubin described in depth at Grantland yesterday, Iguodala's versatility and length make him a versatile talent that could help strengthen any team's defense. Kurt Helin rightly points out that the Nuggets and Warriors would have to work out a trade to make that happen, but hey - we've already got them covered there.
James Southerland didn't actually turn down the Spurs: As cool as it might have been to boast that a player turned down the Spurs just for a spot on the Warriors summer league team, that's unfortunately not true.
Random former Warriors in the news: C.J. Watson being signed before Jarrett Jack and Timmons mentioning Monta Ellis as a possible target for the Nuggets are just small examples of the desirability of former Warriors. My favorite former-Warrior-turned-hot-commodity story was this excerpt from Mike Prada of SB Nation about Mike Dunleavy signing with the Bulls:
This is a nice move for the Bulls as Dunleavy has always been an undervalued asset, posting excellent perimeter shooting numbers while also showing his underrated skills as a passer...The one downside to the signing is that Dunleavy's arrival may signal Marco Belinelli's departure. Dunleavy is a better player, but the Bulls will miss Belinelli's ball-handling and playmaking on their second unit.
It's like all of my draft day hopes and dreams coming true, in that they're both valued and useful (and if you look back at the 2002 NBA Draft, that's actually an accomplishment). If only either of them leaving the Warriors involved a similar level downside.