The Golden State Warriors are primed for a stronger season, with hopes resting on a Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Stephen Curry continuing his MVP-level play, and key contributions from their younger players. After parting ways with Klay Thompson …
The Golden State Warriors are primed for a stronger season, with hopes resting on a Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Stephen Curry continuing his MVP-level play, and key contributions from their younger players. After parting ways with Klay Thompson in a sign-and-trade deal that sent him to Dallas, the Warriors gained valuable financial flexibility and retooled their roster. They brought in reinforcements like Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, and De’Anthony Melton, adding much-needed shooting depth and bench support – crucial to their offensive system.
The development of young talents like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis will be key, as the Warriors aim for more consistent contributions from their bench. With Curry leading the way, the Warriors have the potential to bypass the play-in tournament entirely and secure a top-six spot in the West in a best-case scenario.
Draymond Green refused to take this reporter’s condescending bait.
Draymond Green has an extensive reputation for sometimes taking things way too far on a basketball court. As such, it’s very fair to ask whether anyone with the Golden State Warriors is concerned about his availability moving forward if he’s going to keep losing his cool.
The thing is, you have to ask that question in the right, non-disingenuous way without seemingly trying to bait a narrative.
On Monday, during a press conference at Warriors media day, a reporter told Green that people (fans, teammates, etc.) were “worried about him.” Naturally, Green took great exception to this weird framing because it starts to sound like there’s more to worry about in his life than his occasional conduct in the extremely narrow scope of basketball. That’s just not the case.
As Green alludes, he’s a successful, wealthy Black man who will go down as one of the best players in NBA history. Why on Earth would anyone be “worried” about him?
This back-and-forth between Draymond Green and a reporter 😳
Green wasn't a fan of this reporter telling him people are "worried about him" pic.twitter.com/9Qun7pgzfx
Good for Green for refusing to take this silly bait.
Again, it’s one thing to ask him about people being concerned about his NBA availability because he could potentially get suspended and leave the Warriors shorthanded once more. That’s totally fair to ask for someone of Green’s on-court history, and it keeps it within the realm of the game. You also don’t have to get a perfect quote from him in this regard. A no-comment or curt answer is fine.
It’s another to ask this question in one of the most patronizing ways possible, as if Green, the basketball player, is in any way connected to Green, the man. Green rightfully shot this conversation down.
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Mike Sykes
Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you’re having a great day and are ready for the three day weekend ahead of you.
The Golden State Warriors got their work done a bit early this week, didn’t they?
Stephen Curry has reportedly signed a one-year, $62.6 million extension with the team for the 2026-27 season. He’ll join the NBA’s $500 million club and remain a Warrior through the remainder of his deal unless he asks out.
That’s great news for Warriors fans out there who thought Curry might dash for greener grass after a couple of underwhelming seasons in a row for the Warriors. While that’s still not completely outside the realm of possibility, it’s become a lot less likely now.
What is completely cooked with this extension, though, are hopes that he and LeBron James would ever play together.
Fans have almost always fantasized about the two defining players of this era of hoops playing together. Steph at point with LeBron on the wing? That’d be a nightmare, even in their twilight years. Curry is still the game’s best shooter and James knows how to manipulate defenses better than almost anyone in NBA history.
Their Olympic stint together this summer only added fuel to the fire for those thoughts. And when Steph removed “Warriors guard” from his Instagram bio? Whew, boy. Things were getting crazy.
But now, Curry is locked in. He could theoretically be traded for, sure. But it’d take half the Lakers’ roster to get a deal done without a third team while also keeping Anthony Davis and James on the roster. Plus, they don’t have the draft capital or young prospects the Warriors would be looking for in return. Much of the same could be said on the Warriors end of things if, say, James were to request a trade.
At this point, we know that’s not happening. Neither of these guys are going anywhere. The teams they’re with now are the teams they’re going to be finishing their careers with. You never say never — this is the NBA. You never know.
But if you were holding out any hope for a union between these two, you should probably let that hope dissipate now.
Do us justice, Netflix
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking of LeBron, I cannot wait to watch Netflix’s Starting Five docuseries coming out this year.
The docuseries is set to release ahead of the NBA season, according to the Hollywood Reporter. It’s been in the making for the last year. The series follows James, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler and Domantas Sabonis through the 2023-24 season.
We’re going to see LeBron crack the 40,000 points record. We’re going to see Jayson Tatum win his first championship. We’re going to see Anthony Edwards be…Anthony Edwards. That should be fun stuff.
Netflix has been cooking with sports documentaries lately. Drive to Survive is an incredible production around Formula 1 racing. That sounds like it’s kind of the basis for what this series is, except for it’s not happening live during the season.
This doesn’t need to be as good as that. But if it gets close? I’ll be satisfied.
Steph Curry made an appearance during the final night of the 2024 DNC.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr wasn’t the only member of his organization who appealed to the 2024 Democratic National Convention this week.
Warriors superstar Steph Curry made a virtual appearance on Thursday to show his support for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the upcoming presidential election for the DNCs final night, sporting his 2024 Paris Olympic gold medal in the video.
Curry compared the unity that it took for Team USA basketball to bring home the gold to the unity he feels Harris will bring to the country.
“This is about preserving hope and belief in our country,” Curry said in his remarks supporting Harris’ candidacy for president. “In the words of Michelle Obama, do something! Go vote. Be active. Let’s show out in November like never before.”
Steph Curry has people dreaming of an Olympic reunion.
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Prince J. Grimes.
I apologize in advance for bringing this to your attention, but it’s the dog days of the NBA offseason when non-news becomes news, so here’s your weekly dose of non-news: Steph Curry apparently removed the Warriors from the bio on his Instagram account.
That’s according to a fan account on X, which posted then and now screenshots of Curry’s bio which shows the line “Guard for the Warriors” changed to “Olympic Gold Medalist.”
As you can imagine, NBA fans on social media acted totally normal about the small change. And by normal I mean they immediately started picking new teams for Curry.
And one the most popular destinations was the Los Angeles Lakers.
He’s going to the Lakers to team up with Bron and AD
It doesn’t take a genius to understand why people would think Curry might be disgruntled and want to team with LeBron James in LA. The Warriors missed the playoffs for the third time in the last five years last season, then shipped out Curry’s brother in splash, Klay Thompson. He’s 36 on what appears to be a sinking ship. Meanwhile, he just had the time of his life winning gold as part of a lethal tandem with James.
Not to mention, Curry’s Instagram activity Wednesday also included him collab-posting photos of himself with James and Kevin Durant, with the caption: “Same Team…Winning Team.”
OK. Look, I can see how this all looks. But we really shouldn’t read too much into it. For starters, I can’t even confirm what Curry’s bio said before today. I think we can trust it didn’t previously have a mention of his gold medal considering, ya know, he didn’t have one two weeks ago. At the same time, this literally means nothing… probably.
I mean, yeah, sure, Curry could have fit both “Guard for the Warriors” and “Olympic Gold Medalist” into his bio. But maybe he just wanted to bask a little in the only success he’s likely to have in 2024. Who knows?
What I do know is we’ve been down this road before with athletes who ultimately stayed where they were. It’s silly to read too much into people’s social media activity — even if there is a more sinister plot behind it all.
Reese’s Pieces are official
Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky looks on during the game against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on July 05, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
It was only a matter time before Angel Reese and the Reese’s Pieces brand collaborated on something. From the moment Reese first revealed that her fans go by the same name as the candy, it seemed too perfect not to happen.
Well, that moment finally arrived Wednesday. The sides announced an apparel deal, and FTW’s Meghan Hall wrote about it here:
“Now, per Boardroom, Reese put those good vibes in the atmosphere to work and officially landed an endorsement deal with The Hersey Company to be a brand ambassador with Reese’s. The partnership includes several Reese’s-themed apparel items, like tees, hoodies and hats. IT’S PERFECT.”
The best kind of partnerships are the ones that happen organically like this. Smart move by Hersey.
Are the Golden State Warriors risking Steph Curry’s final years in the NBA by straddling two timelines?
The Golden State Warriors struck out in their pursuit of both Paul George and Lauri Markkanen this summer. According to reports, Golden State’s front office had been unwilling to include either Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski in trade discussions with the Utah Jazz. As such, the Warriors will head into the new NBA season without a clear-cut second-scoring option.
Curry is reportedly remaining calm over the franchise’s current situation, and the Warriors are said to be confident that they’re well-positioned to make a big trade when the right deal becomes available. However, until that trade occurs, Curry will be shouldering a heavy workload following Klay Thompson’s departure.
In a recent episode of the “Gils Arena” podcast, Gilbert Arenas and the panel of hosts discussed whether the Warriors were running the risk of wasting Curry’s final years in the NBA. The sharpshooting superstar is entering his age-36 season and will turn 37 before the playoffs.
The front office will need to find Curry some additional veteran help if they’re truly intent on challenging for another championship in the near future.
You can watch the full episode of “Gils Arena” by clicking on the embedded video above.
Lakers fans shouldn’t fret too much about the competition in the Western Conference.
The narrative around the Los Angeles Lakers these days is that they’ve had a terrible offseason and that they won’t get much accomplished this coming season. While the former is true, the latter may or may not come to pass.
One argument more cynical fans and pundits have made against the Lakers having any real success is that the Western Conference will be much tougher this coming season. In their minds, a bunch of teams will be substantially better, leaving the Lakers to idle in the dust.
But a closer examination puts that claim in some real doubt.
In the 2023-24 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder claimed the top seed in the West with a 57-25 record. The Denver Nuggets were second with 57 wins of their own, and the Minnesota Timberwolves were third at 56-26.
After that, there was a considerable drop-off of sorts. The Los Angeles Clippers, who have been the darlings of the national media for most of the past five seasons and have often been overwhelming favorites to reach the NBA Finals, won a mere 51 games. The Dallas Mavericks, who did reach the finals, finished fifth with a 50-32 record.
Then came the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans, both of whom took home 49 victories. The Lakers, of course, had the seventh-best record in the West at 47-35.
Here’s a look at who should be better, who should be worse and who will roughly stay put. As you will see, there is no one for the Lakers to truly fear in the Western Conference right now.
The Golden State Warriors head coach brought Steph Curry’s “night night” celebration to the Democratic National Convention.
Coming off a run to the Olympic gold medal in Paris with Team USA’s men’s basketball, Steve Kerr made the trip back to where he shared the court with Michael Jordan — the United Center. Yet, his trip to the home of the Chicago Bulls wasn’t for basketball, but for the Democratic National Convention.
Steve Kerr was one of the speakers on Monday in Chicago who gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention. Along with publicly endorsing, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, Steve Kerr finished his speech with a shoutout to the Golden State Warriors point guard.
Kerr spoke about telling former President and 2024 Republican candidate Donald Trump “night night.” To end his speech, Kerr reenacted Curry’s signature night night celebration.
In the words of the great Steph Curry, we can tell Donald Trump … night night.
Steve Kerr at the Democratic National Convention: “In the words of the great Steph Curry, we can tell Donald Trump Night Night” pic.twitter.com/eUDeUgVuZ5
Steve Kerr cracked a joke at Donald Trump’s expense at his Monday night DNC appearance.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has never hidden his progressive politics, and he decided to veer into full advocacy on Monday night.
The longtime NBA coach made a memorable appearance on the first night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago to help support the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz presidential ticket.
During his speech, Kerr had some fun with the idea of former President Donald Trump losing the November election with a classic celebration from his Warriors superstar Steph Curry.
Kerr joked toward the end of his speech that “in the words of the great Steph Curry, we can tell Donald Trump … night night!”
It’s not hard for you to guess who Kerr will be voting for this fall with a dig like this, one that combines the NBA, the election and comedy all in the name of political advocacy.
Chris Paul’s media investment is already paying dividends.
Chris Paul is among 70 athletes to either be part of PlayersTV’s ownership group or hold shares within the company. The former Golden State Warriors guard, and future Hall of Famer has now seen a direct return on his initial investment, as PlayersTV has struck a groundbreaking deal with DIRECTV.
The move, the first of its kind, will see PlayersTV expand its overall reach to a vast new audience. The channel specializes in sports, entertainment and lifestyle content and also boasts Carmelo Anthony, Kyrie Irving and CJ McCollum, among the notable names from within NBA circles.
“PlayersTV has announced a new agreement with DIRECTV, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of sports media,” The press release read. “As the only athlete fan-owned media network and content provider exclusively dedicated to sports, lifestyle, and entertainment, PlayersTV will now expand its reach to millions of new viewers. This agreement offers unparalleled access to premium athlete lifestyle content, solidifying PlayersTV as the premier destination for sports enthusiasts seeking a deeper, more personal connection with their favorite athletes.”
BREAKING: PlayersTV, the only athlete-driven media network, has announced a new agreement with DIRECTV, where they will expand their reach to millions of new viewers across the world 📲
PlayersTV will deliver its 24/7 channel packed with premium athlete lifestyle and culture… pic.twitter.com/K2gqaPPqOe
It would appear that he’s already finding success in other avenues and could potentially embark on a new journey with PlayersTV once his time in the league draws to a close.
