Tag: damion lee

Damion Lee out vs. Memphis after hitting 45-day limit on two-way deal

The Warriors will be without Damion Lee against the Memphis Grizzlies after his 45-day two-way contract has capped his NBA service time.

Throughout the season, the Golden State Warriors’ rotation has been understaffed in some way, with the usual cause being injuries. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State will be without Damion Lee, yet, he’s not injured.

Lee takes up one of two Warriors’ two-way contract spots, and he’s hit his 45-day NBA service limit that will relegate him to the bench until the team can finalize his full-time contract.

Golden State waived 22-year-old power forward, Marquese Chriss, last week to potentially open up a roster spot for Lee. However, the team has yet to sign him to a deal that will keep him with the Warriors full time.

Two-way contract players are only allowed 45-days of service time with their NBA club, while the rest of their contract sends them to the G League. Lee is still expected to remain with Golden State, but there has been a delay due to salary cap reasons, according to Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported the Warriors would sign Lee to a full-time roster spot on Wednesday.

Luckily for the Warriors, with Lee out, D’Angelo Russell is expected to make his return after missing the past six games with a shoulder injury. Russell’s return softens the blow of losing Lee, who’s been playing well enough to earn a more significant role with Golden State.

Lee is averaging 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 26 games with Golden State. Lee has started the last 13 games for the Warriors at shooting guard next to either Russell or Ky Bowman. As a starter, Lee is averaging 14.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

If the Warriors sign Lee on Wednesday as Slater reported, their starting shooting guard will be back for Golden State’s tilt against the Denver Nuggets.

Draymond Green calls Marquese Chriss getting waived ‘unfortunate’

Warriors All-Star power forward reacted to Marquese Chriss getting waived by Golden State after spending three months with the team.

After losing five straight games, and being without Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Golden State Warriors haven’t had much to get excited about in the 2019-20 season. Unfortunately for Golden State, Tuesday night, things got worse.

The Warriors suffered a loss to their Northern California rivals, the Sacramento Kings, and Steve Kerr was ejected during the contest, but that wasn’t the only piece of disappointing news.

Marquese Chriss was waived by Golden State after their loss in the state capital to reportedly clear room for two-way guard Damion Lee. Chriss had played well in his first season with the Warriors, averaging 7.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 37 games for Golden State.

The 22-year-old power forward looked like he could be a long-term piece for the Dubs, but their situation with the hard cap and Lee’s two-way contract running out of days, the Warriors chose to let go of Chriss before his non-guaranteed deal turned into a fully guaranteed contract.

At Tuesday’s practice for the Dubs, members of Golden State had a chance to react to Chriss getting let go from the team. Former Defensive Player of the Year, Draymond Green told reporters that Chriss getting waived was “unfortunate” after he had earned a spot with Golden State.

who worked his way on the teamIt’s obviously unfortunate, ‘Quese’ has been here for about four months now, you build relationships with guys, so that part makes it tough, but also that’s where the business sucks — that’s a guy who came in training camp, who worked his way on the team— not only did he do that, he earned a spot — it’s unfortunate sometimes how the business side works out where there was a situation that, that was the only option — he earned a spot, and it’s unfortunate to see him go.

Green was an advocate of Chriss since the former Washington Husky joined the Warriors during their 2019 training camp; however, the two forwards could have an opportunity for a reunion later in the season. If Chriss clears waivers, the Warriors could add the former lottery pick back to the team on a 10-day contract.

Report: Marquese Chriss open to a potential reunion with Golden State

In an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area, Marquese Chriss spoke about his time with Golden State and mentioned the chance of a potential reunion.

Last night after the Golden State Warriors underwhelming loss to the Sacramento Kings, Steve Kerr getting ejected wasn’t the most significant storyline following the game.

In a surprise move, the Warriors waived Marquese Chriss to presumably open up a roster spot for two-way contract guard, Damion Lee. Moving on from a 22-year-old power forward that’s bounced around the NBA in his four-year career may not ring any alarms, but with Golden State, Chriss was playing well.

Chriss averaged 7.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 37 games for Golden State this season. Over his time in San Francisco, the former Washington Husky had 13 contests with double-digit scoring efforts. In four games, Chriss recorded a double-double.

Chriss was on the verge of getting his non-guaranteed deal turned into a fully guaranteed contract, yet before his contract deadline, the Warriors waived the Sacramento native.

Chriss sat down with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Logan Murdock to reflect on his stint with Golden State. The former Warriors center said getting let go was a disappointment, but understood Golden State had to make a business decision.

Chriss’ time with the Warriors may not be entirely over, as they do have the chance to sign him to a 10-day contract later in the season if he clears NBA waivers. Murdock asked Chriss about a reunion on a 10-day contract later in the season, and the now-former member of Golden State said he would be up for it.

We’ve had conversations about certain things to try and make things work, but I think that’s something that I would try to keep between myself and them, just because I don’t know any situation that might come up — But who knows? I would like to be here. So eventually, if that happens, I would be all for it.

The Warriors thought highly enough of Chriss to waive Alfonzo McKinnie in training camp to sign the former lottery pick to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal. It’s not out of the question for Golden State to attempt to bring Chriss back if the opportunity opens up down the road.

What’s next for the hard cap after Warriors waive Marquese Chriss?

The Warriors are now $1,236,685 below the apron, leaving them plenty of space to sign one of Damion Lee or Ky Bowman to a standard contract.

The Warriors waived forward Marquese Chriss after playing 37 games for them. The move comes ahead of the January 10 deadline to waive players on non-guaranteed contracts before they become fully guaranteed.

The Warriors were roughly $375,000 below the $138.928 million hard cap, or apron, throughout the season. Chriss’s contract was non-guaranteed and added $9,485 daily to the Warriors payroll. By waiving him on January 7, Chriss leaves the Warriors with a $758,804 dead cap hit.

Warriors cap sheet after waiving Marquese Chriss
Warriors cap sheet after waiving Marquese Chriss

The Warriors are now $1,236,685 below the apron, leaving them plenty of space to sign one of Damion Lee or Ky Bowman to a standard contract.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Warriors intend on converting Lee for now, who has run out his 45-day two-way clock.

Warriors potential cap sheet if they sign Damion Lee to a prorated minimum salary on January 7, 2020.
Warriors potential cap sheet if they sign Damion Lee to a prorated minimum salary on January 7, 2020.

If Lee is signed on January 7, his pro-rated minimum salary would be $915,573. This would put the Warriors $321,112 below the apron. They would have to trade a minimum-salaried player, such as Alec Burks or Glenn Robinson III, to clear enough room to sign Bowman to his minimum salary.

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The Warriors still have $1.7 million remaining from their taxpayer mid-level exception. There is a strong possibility that the Warriors use part of the exception to sign Lee in order to give him at least a three-year contract. By using the exception, the Warriors could also pay Lee a little more than the minimum salary.

Report: Warriors waive Marquese Chriss to open spot for Damion Lee

After spending the first month of the season in Golden State, the Warriors have waived center, Marquese Chriss to open a spot for two-way guard Damion Lee.

In a surprise move, the Golden State Warriors have decided to waive 22-year-old center, Marquese Chriss, according to multiple reports. The Warriors brought Chriss in during training camp, but have decided to move on from the former Washington Husky 38-games into the 2019-20 season.

The 22-year-old’s center contract would have become fully-guaranteed the next day, but now Chriss will return to the waiver wire instead of Golden State.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Warriors moving on from Chriss is to open a roster spot up for two-way guard Damion Lee.

With only limited days left on Lee’s 45-day contract, the Warriors had to make a decision to seal their two-way guard’s deal. Chriss was the only player on the Warriors roster with a non-guaranteed contract, making waiving him the most natural solution to open a roster spot for Lee.

This move may come as a surprise due to Chriss’s impressive play with Golden State, averaging 7.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Chriss was released shortly after the Warriors 111-98 loss against the Sacramento native’s hometown Kings.

The news of Chriss getting waived hurt the Warriors’ locker room because the now-former Golden State center, was well-liked amongst his teammates, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Chriss checked-in on his Instagram after being let go by Golden State. The power forward seemed in good spirits, with a caption that read, “God got me! #BeyondBlessed.”

View this post on Instagram

God got me!🙏🏾 #BeyondBlessed

A post shared by Marquese Chriss (@quese) on

After playing well with Golden State, Chriss, who is only 22-years-old with four years of NBA experience, has a likely chance of getting picked up by another team quickly. If Chriss clears waivers, the Warriors could bring him back later in the season.

With another roster spot open, the Warriors can now sign Lee to a full-time contract with Golden State. Lee has started the last 11 games for the Warriors and played well throughout his time up in Golden State. Lee’s tallied 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26.3 minutes per game this season.

Finding a roster spot for Lee was the only the first step for Golden State. The Warriors will now have to turn their attention to finding a place for their second two-way guard, Ky Bowman, whose 45-day contract is expiring by the minute.

Ky Bowman is running out of NBA service time with the Warriors

The two-way rookie guard is nearly out of availability with the Warriors after becoming a regular in the rotation.

The Golden State Warriors may soon have a tough decision to make.

After dealing with several injuries this season, the team has leaned heavily on rookie Ky Bowman and third-year guard Damion Lee, who are both signed to two-way contracts.

Both players are nearing the end of their 45-day service clock and the Warriors are severely limited financially to make a move. The organization would need to shed contracts to make room to sign one or both players to avoid a hard cap.

As Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweeted on Monday, Bowman will have just six days of service time left after Monday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings while Lee is down to just two more days.

The Warriors have used a smaller rotation recently, mainly out of necessity with the injuries piling up. The organization has certainly been impressed with what Bowman and Lee bring to the lineup and will likely look at all avenues to keep them.

Bowman is averaging 7.7 points, 2.9 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 33 appearances with the Warriors and has played five games in the G League with Santa Cruz. He hasn’t played with the minor league affiliate since Dec. 22.

Lee is averaging a career-high 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 23 games with the varsity club and has not yet played for Santa Cruz.

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At only 19 years old, rookie Alen Smailagic impressing fellow Warriors

Damion Lee had nothing but praise for the Warriors Serbian rookie, Alen Smailagic four-games into his NBA career.

Where were you when you were 19-years old? A tough question to answer that was asked to Golden State Warriors teammates after their 99-84 loss in Minnesota.

One Warrior won’t have to remember that far back, as he’s living out his final year as a teenager in the NBA with Golden State. A week ago, Alen Smailagic made his not-so-long awaited NBA debut when he entered the game against the Phoenix Suns.

Now, after four games, the rookie is living up to the magnified hype he’s played under since being drafted No. 39 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Since being recalled from the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the Serbian ranks as the third-youngest player in the NBA— a change of pace for a team with a heavy veteran presence over the past five seasons.

Injuries initially put Smailagic’s debut on hold, but now they’ve opened the door for his arrival. In each performance, he’s impressed not only the Warriors’ fanbase but his fellow teammates.

After the Warriors loss to the Timberwolves, G League-to-NBA veteran, Damion Lee praised the Warriors rookie to reporters, saying there’s a bright future ahead for Smailagic.

At the end of the day, this is only his fourth NBA game, him just learning still growing— obviously, there’s a pace difference between the G League and the NBA — him coming into his own — I mean, at the end of the day, he’s 19, he has a lot of basketball ahead, there’s definitely a bright future for him.

Lee said it’s crazy to think that Smailagic should’ve been graduating from only high school last summer. However, it’s valuable for him to get this type of experience while he’s still developing.

It’s crazy, you can see it in his frame— he has the frame to put on weight — it’s just learning the NBA game, continue to learn, continue to develop — he’ll come into his own, it’s good for him to get this experience at such a young age.

Fellow rookie Eric Paschall told reporters he believes Smailagic is playing well despite his young age for the speed of the NBA game.

Smailagic has scored four or more points in every game he’s entered for Golden State this season. In each game, he’s shown a new skill; whether that be rebounding, banking home three-pointers, or dishing out dimes, the rookie is quickly becoming a fan favorite.

Smailagic’s play even got the attention of two-time NBA MVP, Stephen Curry. Against the Phoenix Suns, Smailagic put a smile on Curry’s face after fighting for a rebound and cashing-in the putback layup.

Smailagic’s minutes might be tapered back once D’Angelo Russell, Willie Cauley-Stein and Kevon Looney return. Still, for now, the rookie is seizing every opportunity he has while he’s up with Golden State’s big club.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Warriors decide to reassign Smailagic back to Santa Cruz at some point, as his development still has ways to go, but if he can continue to impress at this pace, Golden State has to consider making the Serbian a significant part of their future.

How the Warriors can convert Damion Lee and Ky Bowman today

Starting today (December 30th), the Warriors can trade Burks for salary relief and be able to convert both Lee and Bowman within the apron.

Two-way players Damion Lee and Ky Bowman have been pleasant surprises for the Warriors this season and arguably deserve roster spots.

In December, Lee is averaging 14.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game off 45% shooting and 89% from the free-throw line, according to Basketball-Reference. He has started in the last 7 games in which the Warriors have gone 4-3, including a 4 game winning streak.

Bowman has consistently been in the Warriors rotation averaging 22.8 minutes per game. He’s been heavily relied on earlier in the season while the Warriors were strung with injuries. He’s averaging 12.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per-36 minutes, according to Basketball-Reference.

Both players are on two-way contracts, meaning they can only spend up to 45 days with the Warriors. Once they run out their days-of-service (DOS) clock, they must be converted to regular NBA contracts that would have them count against the Warriors salary cap if they are to continue with the team. Otherwise, they must return to the Santa Cruz Warriors, but can still be converted later.

There is no publicly available resource available to track the DOS of two-way players. According to Bobby Marks, Lee has spent 12 of his 45 DOS with the Warriors as of December 6. While one could mathematically conclude that Lee is at his 36th DOS as of December 30th, there is a good chance that isn’t the correct number. It is tough to estimate how many DOS Bowman has left, but he could have less since he has played more games for the Warriors than Lee has this season.

Warriors current salary cap sheet.
Warriors current salary cap sheet.

The Warriors cannot convert either player with the way the Warriors roster currently stands because are hard-capped. They subjected themselves to the hard cap after they sign-and-traded for D’Angelo Russell. They are currently just $374,925 below the hard cap, or apron.

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If Lee is signed today, December 30th, his cap hit would be $988,819. That figure declines by $9,155.73 daily. Bowman’s cap hit today would be $548,121, but an additional $440,698 would count against him towards the Warriors luxury tax total. His potential cap hit prorates by $5,075,20 daily. The individual cap hit of either player today exceeds the Warriors’ $374,925 hard cap cushion, making either conversion illegal at the moment.

What can the Warriors do?

The easiest thing for the Warriors to do is trade a minimum-salaried role player such as Alec Burks, Glenn Robinson III, and Marquese Chriss, all of whom have a $1.6 million cap hit. Burks’ name has been floated around the most, and according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, league sources say the Warriors are willing to part with him. His $1.6 million cap hit is very moveable and he should have many suitors based on his high-level of play this season.

Warriors potential cap sheet if they trade Burks, then sign both Lee and Bowman to their respective pro-rated minimum salaries today.
Warriors potential cap sheet if they trade Burks, then sign both Lee and Bowman to their respective pro-rated minimum salaries on December 30th, 2019.

Starting today (December 30th), the Warriors can trade Burks for salary relief and be able to convert both Lee and Bowman within the apron. If they were to execute such a trade and sign both players today, they would be just $17,851 below the hard cap for the rest of the season. They can increase their cushion by making another trade or waiving Marquese Chriss whose contract is non-guaranteed.

The Warriors have $1,743,897 remaining of their taxpayer mid-level exception. They can sign both Lee and Bowman using the exception in order to give them contracts that run for at least three seasons.

The Warriors could be a little more patient and run Lee and Bowman’s two-way clocks to its expiration. While they can fit both today, the Warriors already have such limited flexibility and $17,851 won’t allow them to do anything going forward. It is still best to try to let both players’ potential cap hits continue to prorate so they can have as much space below the apron as possible. It is also best to not rush a trade for Burks so they can try to get the most value for him in a trade.

Warriors trap James Harden, and Rockets can’t make them pay

With James Harden routinely trapped, Houston’s shooters went ice cold from three-point range as the Warriors pulled away on Christmas Day.

The Golden State Warriors had a clear game plan on Christmas Day versus the Houston Rockets: Make anyone outside of James Harden beat them.

It proved to be a winning strategy.

After leading by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Rockets (21-10) scored just 36 points in the second half and lost by a 116-104 margin to the host Warriors (8-24), who have now won three consecutive games.

The Rockets finished their four-game West Coast road trip at 3-1, with a home game against the Brooklyn Nets looming Saturday.

The story for Houston was what happened when the ball was forced out of Harden’s hands. Even though the Warriors routinely trapped Harden just inside the halfcourt line, the Rockets weren’t able to consistently take advantage of the resulting four-on-three scenarios.

Excluding Harden, who had 24 points on 50% shooting from the field and 60% shooting (6-of-10) on three-pointers, other Rockets made just 10 of 41 long-range attempts (24.4%) despite many of those being wide open.

Excluding Danuel House Jr., who made 5 of his 12 three-point attempts (41.7%), other Rockets connected on just 5-of-29 (17.2%) shots from long range. Russell Westbrook led Houston in scoring with 30 points, but it came on 32 shots and an 0-of-8 showing from behind the three-point arc. Austin Rivers and Ben McLemore combined for just three makes from deep in 14 attempts (21.4%) off the bench.

Harden led the Rockets with 11 assists, but it could have been much more, had his teammates made those open shots.

Houston’s defense (or lack thereof) was also a story, with the Rockets allowing 24 points in the final five minutes of the second quarter after taking the aforementioned 53-40 lead.

Despite having Harden and Westbrook, the Warriors shot 12 more free throws for the game than the Rockets — in large part due to uninspired defense. Of those 28 total free throws, 10 came from Damion Lee, who led Golden State with 22 points and 15 rebounds.

Overall, the Rockets are now 8-4 in December. But it’s a month that the team may eventually remember for missed opportunities. Though they’ve had high-profile road wins against the likes of the Los Angeles Clippers (22-10) and defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors (21-10), their four losses have come to the Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, and Sacramento Kings. All of those teams are at least five games below .500.

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Warriors gift Rockets Christmas coal in biggest win of 2019, 116-104

With the Warriors struggling, they delivered their biggest win of the season on Christmas day against their rival, the Houston Rockets.

The Warriors playing a primetime game on Christmas Day has turned into a holiday institution. However, the cast may have looked a bit different in 2019, but the group played like a Golden State team of the past. 

The Warriors extended their season-long win streak to three games in a 116-104 victory against the favored Houston Rockets. A statement that seemed impossible to believe a month ago. 

Similarily to the Warriors dynasty run, the win against Houston came on the back of their defense. The Warriors limited the Rockets’ potent offense to 37 percent from the field on 100-total field goal attempts. 

Former MVP, Russell Westbrook went 11-for-32 from the field, missing over 21-total shots. On top of that, he went 0-8 from beyond the arc. James Harden scored 24-points, his lowest total in his last 10-games. 

According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Warriors takedown of the Rockets was the biggest upset on Christmas day in 30-years. 

Damion Lee Career Night

Lee, only on a two-way contract, put a punctuation mark on his case to get a full-time deal in the NBA with a career performance on Christmas day. Lee tallied 22 points, three steals, four assists and a shocking 15 rebounds. Lee’s improbable 14 boards were a career-high with his previous high being 11.

Lee made his best James Harden’s impression, knocking down all 10 of his free-throw shots, and going perfect from beyond the arc on two attempts. Lee’s 22 points led the Warriors and provided a spark to the underdog Warriors in their best all season.

In a game featuring three All-Star guards, the two-way contract player, Lee was the best on the floor.

Draymond Green 

Green sealed his fourth carer Christmas Day double-double with 16-points and 11 rebounds, but how he did it was more important than any stat. When Green is a scoring threat, the Warriors play like a different team, and that showed against Houston.

Green was a +20 in the game, with solid defense up-and-down the floor and several big-time shots. With less than two minutes remaining, Green drilled a three to give the Warriors a 115-99 lead, essentially sealing his team’s Christmas Day victory.

James Harden

MVP candidate James Harden registered a double-double, but it didn’t look like a typical day for Houston’s franchise player. The Warriors were sending double-teams at Harden early and often, and it worked.

The Warriors were able to cut down one of Harden’s best assets— the free-throw line. The All-Star leads the NBA in free-throw attempts, averaging 11 attempts per game, but against the Warriors, he only went to the stripe once and missed.