Dub Hub: Joe Lacob expects ‘substantial discussions’ on Klay Thompson’s extension

Warriors News:

Kawakami: Warriors’ Joe Lacob on Klay Thompson, Steve Kerr, Chris Paul and much more | The Athletic

And listen to Lacob’s answer when I asked him if he expects that Klay Thompson, whose current contract expires next July, will be with the team past this season.

“I do,” the Warriors owner said on my podcast Thursday. “We’ve had some very brief discussions at this point with his agent. But they’re very, very early. … I fully expect that we’ll have some substantial discussions soon sometime and we’ll see if we can’t put something together that allows Klay to be here for a long time, which we clearly would like him to be.”

The practical context is that Draymond just took a cut from his scheduled 2023-24 salary to get long-term security, and last year Andrew Wiggins took an even larger reduction from his previous salary to sign a four-year, $109 million deal. So it isn’t a grand leap to presume that any new Klay deal, whether it happens this fall or next summer, would probably include a pretty steep drop in 2024-25 from the $42.3 million salary he will earn this season.

“Look, it’s August and there’s plenty of time to work all this out,” Lacob said. “His contract doesn’t expire until next year. We love him and I know he knows we love him. And we’re going to try to do something here for the rest of his career.”

Klay Thompson promises to bring a fifth ring back to China

Kerr jokes with Lakers’ Reaves he’s still not over playoff loss | NBC Sports Bay Area

Reaves spoke with the Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike in a recent Q&A, where he revealed what one of the first interactions he had with his new coach was like just two months after his Lakers took down Kerr’s Warriors in the six-game NBA playoff series.

“Steve, basically, the first conversation we had was him being like, ‘You know, I’m still not really over what you and y’all did to us this postseason,’ “ Reaves said. “‘But much rather be coaching you than coaching against you.’”

Warriors’ Kevon Looney reveals secret to being great NBA rebounder | NBC Sports Bay Area

“It takes a lot of effort. You’ve got to be relentless,” Looney said Wednesday as he and Klay Thompson spoke in the Philippines ahead of the Anta Squad Asia Tour at the Peninsula Manila hotel. “You’ve got to know your shooters, you’ve got to know your teammates. You’ve got to know your offense, and that kind of goes a long way.

“So, it takes a lot of time, studying. It’s something that it’s kind of hard to practice sometimes, but you’ve got to figure out what makes you a great rebounder and what makes you special, and your physical attributes that you can use. I’m not the best leaper, but I know how to use my body and my arms. ... I’ve got some of the best shooters in the world, so I know where they’re going to miss, I know where the ball’s going to be at. I take the studying, watching them shooting after practice, learning about them and carry it over to the court.”

Biggest 2023-24 NBA preseason questions and predictions | ESPN

4. Harden and Lillard could be traded to new teams. Which other star players could make a move before the season’s end?

Kevin Pelton: I don’t know if Paul still fits into this category, but I’d peg him as the most likely to be dealt midseason after a pair of trades this summer landed him with the Warriors. Although Paul fills a need for the team by anchoring their offense with Curry on the bench, perhaps his greater value is financial flexibility. Golden State could trade Paul for a younger player on a longer contract if that’s worth paying additional luxury tax in future years

NBA News:

Lithuania hands USA first FIBA World Cup loss, but Americans punch ticket to Paris Olympics | The Athletic

The Americans converted just 11 of 29 3s for the game. Being out-rebounded at a dizzying pace and not shooting it well from 3 is pretty much the recipe for danger. Allowing an opponent to open a game 9 of 9 from 3, coupled with those other two things, is how they lost.

It happens from time to time, as the world has caught up to the U.S. in the sport. It can’t happen again in Manila.

“It’s always good to be tested in the tournament,” Portis said. “We need some adversity. I knew adversity would hit us at some point. I think a great test for every good team is how can you overcome that adversity and this will be a good test for us on Tuesday — knowing that it’s a win-or-go-home situation, like a Game 7 in the playoffs again.”

Film Study: No point guard, no problem in Phoenix? | NBA

Indications are that Beal will be the nominal point guard in a starting lineup that also includes Booker, Durant, Deandre Ayton and one of the 11 Suns that are making less than $3 million.

Beal played less than 10% of his minutes at point guard (with none of Goodwin, Monte Morris or Delon Wright on the floor) last season. But the last two seasons have come with the two highest assist ratios of his career: 21.1% in 2021-22 and 19.6% last season.

According to Second Spectrum tracking, Beal had 38.2 ball-screens per 100 possessions set for him last season. That rate ranked 27th among 109 players who used at least 500 screens.

Harry Giles III signs a one-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Report: Kings sign former Warriors fan-favorite JaVale McGee

According to a report by Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, the Kings are going to sign former Dubs center JaVale McGee. McGee was released by the Dallas Mavericks earlier this week before the second season in a three-year contract. Given the guaranteed money in McGee’s previous contract, he will presumably be signing in Sacramento for the veteran’s minimum.

An appreciation for Draymond Green’s technical fouls

Type in “Draymond Green ejection” or “Draymond Green technical foul” into YouTube and watch as the algorithm explodes. The Golden State Warriors’ future Hall-of-Famer revolutionized his position, becoming arguably the greatest small ball center in NBA history. He also is the rigid backbone of the Warriors’ dynasty, which mean she spends a lot of time under the microscope of referees for his furious antics.

Follow @unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.