Golden State Warriors Reach Out To The Available Damian Lillard, Still Nothing In Free Agency

Golden State Warriors Reach Out To The Available Damian Lillard, Still Nothing In Free Agency

Imagine a world where Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler also played on the same floor as Dame Lillard. It could be a possibility. Per Mark Spears, the Golden State Warriors are interested in Lillard services. The Oakland native was actually waved by the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. The $113 million on his contract will be stretched. The reason they did that was to acquire Miles Turner. Lillard says he’s ecstatic, or at least his agent said he’s ecstatic to be a free agent a couple of years early. So, if the Warriors were to sign Lillard, he would miss the 2526 season, but there would be a legit final dance of Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Steph Curry, and Dame Lillard. The NBA is drunk, folks. Now, to today’s regularly scheduled programming. Everyone is making moves in the NBA except for the Golden State Warriors. What are they going to do?
You are Locked On Warriors, your daily Golden State Warriors podcast.
What are they going to say now?
Part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. [Applause] What’s going on everyone? Welcome to Lockdown Warriors. We’re part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day, Monday through Friday, we shoot Golden State Warriors content your way whenever news breaks and live after every single game. Today’s episode’s brought to you by FanDuel. Now’s a great time to join FanDuel because new customers get 150 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. You can find that on fanduel.com. You can find this show wherever you get your audio podcasts. If you’re hanging out with us right now on YouTube, definitely give us that thumbs up. Hit the subscription button. It’s free and Golden State Warriors content will head your way left and right. My name is Charlie Walter, formerly a 957 the game in the Bay Area. It’s the flagship of the Golden State Warriors. Cover the team on TV for CVS. I I just said TB and then CVS. So, let’s change those letters. TV for CBS News Bay Area. Uh you can find me on social media. Tik Tok, it’s Charlie Walter, IG Sewalter22, Twitter Charliewalter TV. Hit uh whichever is your favorite social media platform up right now and give me a follow for Warriors content. Evans Giddings is my co-host today. 957 the game. He’s a host there talking Warriors. Also on the call for the St. Mary’s Gales men’s basketball team on the radio. Evan, radio silence. Man, we have heard nothing and I mean literally nothing in terms of a Golden State Warriors acquisition. The only news pertaining to the Warriors are two things thus far. One is Cavon Looney is now a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, 8 million a year over two years. And the other is it’s very likely that the Warriors, I guess it was likely yesterday. Now it’s uh seems to be a twotam battle with Al Horford and the Lakers are the other team. So will they get their big man is the question to replace Cavon Looney. We’re going to get into all these things on today’s show. Let’s start with a Looney tribute. Man, this is your first time to react on this program to a stalwart, a 10-year veteran, a three-time NBA champion, and one of the most important players in that 2022 title run, Kavon Looney. He’s got to be missed, man. Everybody, forget everybody loves Raymond. Everybody loves Looney truly. Yeah. Before we dig into to free agency or the lack thereof for Golden State, I think that it’s it’s not hyperbole to say that beyond Curry, Clay, Draymond, KD, and Iguodala in whatever order you have them in, Cavon Looney is the most beloved Golden State Warrior of this of this era. You know, he’s a three-time champion. He’s someone that was probably more involved in the 2022 title. you know, he was bestowed the nickname Hakee Aloon Lun Lunage by by Klay Thompson. Like this guy is I think someone that every single father looks at and says that should be someone that marries my daughter. Like he’s the person that everybody wants to be involved with their team, their lives, and has been involved and has been synonymous with with Warriors basketball for the last decade. So, for him to be moving on, it’s definitely it’s not necessarily the the end of an era, but it’s definitely the end of one of the most beloved Warriors in my lifetime, certainly. And it’s it’s just I think reflective of the state of the franchise to have somebody who was a late first round pick kind of a you know a developmental character so to speak at age 19 to be with this franchise for roughly a decade and to work his way up from a backup to someone who could check James Harden in a playoff series to a starting center on a championship squad. He’s reflective of everything that’s good about the Warriors and also the the the NBA story. So, big send off to Lon. Love that dude. Wish him nothing but the best and glad he got his bread in New Orleans.
It’s pretty crazy to me that there are some people out there that would like to replace Looney with a player like DeAndre Aton who say whatever you want about the talent that DeAndre Aton has as a human being. Like, it’s it’s just a completely different story. I mean, forget the fact that he skipped a game because he had icy roads in his neighborhood, whatever. Uh, like some of the things that have have come out about his behavior, showing up late to team flights and practices, skipping rehab sessions, slamming chairs when subbed out of the game, temper tantrums after being benched for lack of effort. Everything that is attached to DeAndre Aton was the exact opposite of Cavon Looney, especially with the issues he’s had with his hips and just, you know, the lack of mobility that he’s quite frankly lost. Like, you watch some of his clips from when he was in high school. And he was a completely different player. He was projected to be a completely different player. And he made it work because he was physical. He was hard-nosed. He he came to work every single day. He represented that bring your own lunch pale mentality. And forget just the player that he was on the floor. We both had an opportunity to cover him. Just a good salt of the earth, like good dude. A a truly good human being that was easy to talk to, that had a smile on his face, that would laugh at your questions even if he probably didn’t think they were funny. Extremely respectful. Truly, everybody loves Lon. So, for one final time, he’s going to go play with Jordan Pool and the Pelicans. Uh we salute you, Cavon Looney. any final words on uh Loon Dog before we unfortunately have to to flip the page and and he’s nothing more than uh a memory and um I’m sure he will get a huge standing o at Chase this year. Yeah, and he should. You know, I think if there’s one minor nugget that I can reveal that’s reflective of the importance of Looney to that locker room, the moment you walk into the Golden State Warriors locker room, on the right is Steph Curry. on the left, the first locker is Cavon Looney or was I should say and that’s because that’s the the cache, that’s the respect that he had from that from that organization that he earned. And Kavon Looney is, I think, one of the best dudes in the NBA and certainly one of the better guys to come through Golden State since since I’ve been a fan and obviously have started covering the team. He’s a pleasure to talk to. He’s someone that you could always, I think, hit with a question, get a real answer from, and someone that every single young player is gonna miss, you know, going through there. So, and the old guys, too. He was in many ways the glue, I think, to uh to the multiple generations for for Golden State. So, you’re right. So, salute to Lon and uh again, you know, you wish that guy nothing but the best because that’s all he gave Golden State
and he was a perfect fit for the Warriors system. Did all the dirty work that they needed. set of amazing screens that allowed Curry to get free. And I remember uh NBA championship in 22 in Boston. We needed kind of a filler piece. The the game was going on Eastern time and there was a newscast at KPIX and Brian Day, my producer, just sent me out on the streets, man on the streets, to get some sound from Celtics fans walking in. He’s like, “Ask him who Cavon Looney is.” Because earlier in the in the day at a press conference, we had asked Looney like, “Hey, do you feel kind of, you know, disrespected that a lot of people aren’t saying your name despite the fact that you’re grabbing 20 rebounds against Memphis and kind of being an unsung hero that’s propelling this team to the NBA finals?” And he was just kind of like, you know, I like it that way. And so we asked a bunch of fans, who’s the Warriors starting center? And we got like Andrew Wiggins. We we got a bunch of I don’t knows. We got a Kevin Looney. Not a single Celtics fan. And they claimed to know Ball said the name Cavon Looney. So that’s kind of um kind of what he was, right? He he did it in silence. He didn’t expect a lot. He was never getting highlights on Sports Center. He never had an over-the-shoulder graphic on Sports Center, anything like that. Just kind of did his work. And Dub Nation really really recognized it. And uh Pelicans fans, if you’re watching, you’re getting a real one. Cavon Looney is uh there’s a reason why there are so many Warriors fans right now paying their respects. Unfortunately, the Warriors need a center. Quinton Post and Trace Jackson Davis heading into next season. Sure, it’s a team that has been pretty good at somehow utilizing a system that hasn’t had consistent centers over the years, but you got to have more than Post and Trace Jackson Davis. Al Horford is a name that’s been brought up. It’s been very closely tied to the Warriors, but still nothing on that front as of 5:00 Pacific time on the 1st of July. So, we will monitor that situation. We’ll talk about potential backups if he were to go to the Lakers. We’ll talk about this coming up on Locked on Warriors. First, let’s tell you about FanDuel. Evan, I got to ask you. Uh Evan’s not there, so I’m not going to ask him. Okay, I’ll ask you. Have you heard of the Nerfy before? You’re trying to get a quick water break in there, weren’t you, Evan? You heard of the Nerfy in baseball before?
Now, have I heard of the Nerfy? It’s something that I I swing and miss on every single time I bet on a baseball game.
Well, you don’t swing and miss on FanDuel. In fact, if you win a Nerfy and place $5 on it, you’ll get 150 in bonus bets. That is guaranteed. But an Nury is a no- run first inning. Find two pitchers that are hurling and pray for six out. Cross your fingers and then tell your buddies you’re the smartest man in the room. If that’s too long, a 15minute time investment, you can literally bet first pitch is going to be a strike. They’re going to hurl it down the middle. You can bet run lines for extra juice or you could take over unders. You can find it on fanduel.com. Right now is a great time for new customers. You will get 150 bucks in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins because nothing goes like gambling and baseball. It’s uh it’s a perfect combination. We’ve always known this, Evan. and you can find it on fanduel.com. So, the Warriors and the center position, it has not been a priority in years past or at least a priority that they’ve hit on over the years. They have uh made attempts last year to Lowry Mark in it. You want to call him a center or stretch four, whatever. Quinton Post, they they drafted him. Trace Jackson Davis again. Is he a four? Is he a center? They they drafted him, but the Warriors have really done most of their work bringing in centers off smaller deals. Sarich and second round draft picks. They have not really taken that big swing on a center. It doesn’t appear they’re going to do that this off season. Doesn’t appear they’re going to do much this off season. But before we get into the center position as a whole, let’s kind of just talk about where the Warriors stand right now. And that is the exact same as the last time we saw him minus Cavon Looney. Absolutely nothing has changed. Is this the way they’re going to look when they go into the season? Because we know they have nine 10 guys that are probably slotted in on this roster right now. Will they not do anything in free agency? Will they attack the trade market? Like this is what we expected, right? Yet, we’re still kind of panicking because around the league, everyone is doing something, including the Milwaukee Bucks, waving Dame Lillard and giving that money to Miles Turner, who I hoped kind of was wearing the Warriors blue and gold. Yeah, I wonder how much we would be looking at the inactivity of the Warriors as a negative if Jimmy Butler had been acquired at the beginning of free agency. Like to me, I do think that Warriors fans have to look at the trade deadline in February and the beginning of free agency as kind of connected. Like the whole reason why they’re not out shopping for a Miles Turner or in the trade market for a Chris Epsorzingis, you know, for for any of these big market centers that you and I would love to have in Golden State next year is because they have three players that make 90% of their cap in Jimmy Butler, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green. Curry’s going to be the highest paid player in basketball next year. Jimmy Butler is going to be the sixth highest paid basketball player in the league next year. Next year, that doesn’t give you a ton of flexibility. So, the fact the Warriors have been dormant doesn’t shock me and it shouldn’t necessarily uh scare people. I know that the West is looking like a bear. Denver’s getting better. Houston’s making trades and is getting acquisitions. Even the Clippers getting a backup big like Brook Lopez is a good get for them. San Antonio is going to take a leap. Denver, Dallas, pardon me. Like, there’s a lot of good teams in the West, but the Warriors are betting on their big three. And now it’s just about, all right, really like the vetmin market. Like, to me, the the moves that should frustrate peuh people, Chuck, would be like, all right, Bruce Brown choosing Denver on a Vetmin deal. Um, a particular center choosing a team on a vet deal because that means they didn’t choose the Warriors and they don’t think the Warriors are a good spot for them. But the idea of not being able to acquire Miles Turner or you know name any even a Luke Cornett who’s a 4 for 41 player in San Antonio like that’s not available to them because of the guy we do have to talk about at some point. The big domino that has to fall first is Jonathan Kaminga. And until he makes a decision and the Warriors sign or choose to trade him, really nothing else is able to happen outside of using a taxpayer mid level to get somebody like an Al Horford. I want to get into Kaminga in a minute, but you led me right into Al Horford who as of right now still not a Golden State Warrior. It sounds like it’s down to two teams last I heard the Lakers and the Warriors. And the Lakers had some interest in DeAndre Aton. Do you feel like this is a situation where whoever doesn’t get Horford lands with Eightton? That sort of thing? Because Eightton’s got to go somewhere, right? Or or do you just think that the Warriors and the uh the organization that they’ve built and the competitors that they brought through this door would want no part of DeAndre Aton or is it we can fix him? I I I don’t think the Warriors would be a good fit for DeAndre Aiden. He’s someone who needs the ball. He doesn’t space the floor. He doesn’t really play defense. He’s obviously a lot younger than than Al Horford and he’s a big body, but everything that the Warriors have been trying to acquire and really like if they wanted a DeAndre Aiden, not exact prototype, but if they wanted a third center, they should have just kept Cavon Looney. But that player, and I think DeAndre Aiden might cost a little more than than Looney even did, that that player is not for them. So to me, like it is a little bit Al Horford or bust. You know, I was looking around at other centers possibly if Horford chooses the Lakers. Eightton is a guy I think also someone like Precious Precious Achua for the New York formerly the New York Knicks might be a potential body they could look at. He’s young, he’s athletic, gave them good minutes in the playoffs at times, but again, you’re like you’re scraping bottom of the barrel in regards to the center market. That’s what kind of sucks for Golden State is they put themselves in a position where they’re last in line for any of these dudes. And so while Al Horford is not like a major sexy get and I would feel uncomfortable at having a front line of 35 and 39 years old next year, Al Horford is kind of the perfect piece for Golden State. And I do think that they are not all in on him, but that’s they really need. Yes,
they need him because what’s your backup option? You go into next season with Quinton Post and and Trace Jackson Davis as your two centers on the roster. Trace Jackson Davis went half the season not getting minutes it felt like and honestly I felt pretty good about his game towards the end of the season or at least better than I did at at points and I know the Warriors are extremely high on Quinton Post and and the development that he could have this season but let’s say knock on wood Post goes down you’re so screwed. I I mean they they may be screwed regardless. Let’s get real. But you are so screwed if Trace Jackson Davis is the only person above 6’8 on an NBA roster. You’re just you’re not a real contender. Like you don’t need a a dominant Jokic. You don’t need some center that can put up 15 and nine, but you need some size, some vertical ability to affect shots on the defensive end of the floor. and that that’s something that they just would not have and then catastrophe both go down. So, you need depth at that position. I don’t even think they have depth at the at the G-League in those spots. No, the other name I’ll throw out there is Chris Bucher, who ironically was a Golden State Warrior to start his career, but uh is someone that he is a depth piece though, like and this is really the biggest issue that the Warriors have at their center spot is they don’t have a starter. Like even Al Horford at this stage in his career is he’s he’s a starting center player, but like not for 70 games, not for 35 minutes. There’s no one out there that’s going to fill that role, I think, the way that people want him to. You know, Trey Lyles is someone who could play a small five and space the floor. Buché can shoot a little bit, but he’s I think he’s only started 20 games in his entire career. Like, they do need Al Horford to say yes to them. Otherwise, it is going to be a backup center to your point, Chuck, that’s there just because they got to have three fives on the team. And it’s just they’re going to rotate them. And you’re gonna hear Kerr talk a lot about combinations and we’re finding a fit and it’s going to be the same challenge as last year just in a different position. Remember Kerr said we’re not just gonna sign size to have size if they can’t play.
That that may not be true.
You may just sign size to have size because at some point you can’t have Draymond Green as your primary center for 82 games. You it just cannot be done. I want to talk about the center position some more coming up. Also, Jonathan Kaming gets a huge domino that has to fall. That is ahead on Locked on Dubs. Let’s finish this conversation on the center position. Seems like Al Horford or bust. He’s been made a priority. It’s a pretty tough situation to be in that a 39year-old is really your your prime option there, especially considering the fact that Jimmy Butler is not known to really give it his all during the regular season at all times. Steph Curry needs breathers. Draymond Green could use some breathers. And you got to win games to avoid a playin or you’re going to have the same situation as last year where it’s win or go home or even worse in a West that may be very very tightly contested. You’re a game back with a couple contests left in the season because Al Horford only played 56 and Curry played 61 and Jimmy played 64. That is the issue with having an old team. Come playoff time, Al Horford, he’s fine to me. uh he he can get the job done in that situation, but regular season when you need young fresh bodies, that’s why, you know, bringing back E Santos and Quinton Post is nice, but uh they need these young fresh bodies and it just does not seem like there are a ton out there that can really help them win games in the regular season when they need players to step up. That is my biggest issue with the uh the center position right now. And you you hit the nail on the head. You don’t want to go into another season without a starting center. It’s mind-boggling that we’re still in this position, but here we are, man. I mean, this is the Warriors. They they try to get it done the small way. Yeah. And it’s frustrating. You look at a team like Houston who signs Clint Capello, resigns Stephen Adams, like they have three. And I realize that Capella and Stephen Adams are probably not, you know, starters at this stages in their careers, but yeah, they are not lacking size whatsoever. They have so many different ways to play and should one go down, one will be right there to step up and you got multiple sevenfooters. Like the Warriors don’t have any. And and I’m with you also about kind of the the forward spot. You’re right. I don’t think Jimmy Butler is going to play 70 games this year. So, the guys out there that are left, like the top 20 free agents right now are pretty much off the board. So, you know, Chuck, you’re you’re looking at guys like Kevin Porter Jr., you’re looking at guys like uh Larry Nance, Amir Coffee. Um you’re you’re looking at Ryan Rollins, a potential Warriors castoff now that got uh let go by the Bucks. like you’re looking at players that again are not true fits, but are going to have to be square peg and round holes kind of contributions for Golden State this season. And I I I know that the Warriors might seem like they’re a little more built for the for the postseason at this point because they are topheavy, but you got to get through the regular season first. And right now, if I’m power ranking the West, the Warriors are probably at about the same point they finished last year, sixth or seventh. And they’re they’re vying for a playing spot, hoping to get in the top six. And it’s just situation. Yeah.
And that’s if healthy. That’s the the biggest thing with uh this entire situation. Jonathan Kaminga is the biggest player this off season that we’re keeping an eye on. Obviously, we believe that he can turn into something good, whether it’s as a contributor next year, whether it’s as a player at the deadline that has some more value. But in terms of the open market and maybe there’s stuff going on behind the scenes, I think the NBA’s kind of spoken on the the value of Jonathan Kaminga, and it’s just uh like he may be better off as a Warrior. if if they don’t get a good sign and trade offer that returns him a solid player, they’re going to take their chances with Kaminga. They’re going to give him tons of run early in the season, especially, you know, he’s going to be the catalyst on load management nights and on backto backs. They’re going to give Kaminga the ball and say, “Get out of the way, everyone else. Give us 35, play better defense.” And then if that happens, you do have some flexibility mid-season because the Warriors obviously have a timeline that is win this second and some teams that you know may be faltering that that want a backup plan could potentially throw the Warriors one more player and uh do a trade then and there for Jonathan Kaminga and extend him long term. But I have no idea what to think of this entire situation. It’s somewhat poetic that this entire saga has dragged on this long and now it’s just kind of handcuffing the Warriors. Yeah. I mean, the biggest issue they’re running into right now is that Kaminga thinks he’s worth something that nobody else does, including the Warriors. Commoners on this show.
Yeah, that’s that’s fair. I mean, but seriously, like if if the reports are true that Kameha thinks he’s worth 30 million per year, nobody on the market, nobody in the league in 2025 26 is going to give him that money. And that’s where the Warriors are stuck because they probably they probably think he’s between 20 and $30 million player. Perhaps some other team does, but the Nets just ate a whole ton of money to acquire an Albatross contract and Michael Porter Jr. If they really thought Kaminga was worth 25 to 30 million per year, they would have made him an extra. They’re not trying to win. That was the last straw to me, Chuck. When I saw the Nets do that to acquire a protected pick seven years or an unprotected pick seven years from now, that lets me know they’re not trying to get into the business of JK. And so, the issue is that the Warriors need him to make a choice for them to do stuff in free agency. and he won’t want to because he thinks he’s worth more money than is out there for him. I I think we could be coming to a head of him just accepting the qualifying offer, taking the $8 million, and then becoming an unrestricted free agent next year and figuring that out because the Warriors have no reason to offer him a contract outside of trying to get the rest of their off season going. And he clearly wants more money than is on the table for him. And that’s that’s the big hangup to me. A couple more things in free agency that I guess pertain to the Warriors. Dennis Shruder, not a longtime Warrior, but a Warrior is is heading up north to Sacramento. He got paid a lot of money, man. Did you see the the contract
for 45, I think.
So 15 million a year for Dennis Shruder. It is a lot of money considering how he looked on the Warriors. And that to me is a perfect example of there are fits. There are fits for certain teams. Dennis Shruder was not one of those fits. So, you hope that the Warriors can work around the edges and kind of find the the players that do fit into the system schematically that are a little bit cheaper, but they are handcuffed to a certain degree. And uh Jonathan Kaminga is going to be a huge piece to all of this. I’m still hoping maybe a Moses Moody plus draft picks for Herb Jones deal could get done to help defensively, but even then, is it enough to bring them to one of the top teams in the Western Conference? We’ll see. I mean, Jimmy Draymond, Steph together, buddy shooting, another year of growth from potentially Pods, Moody, Kaminga, those sorts of things. Like, Warriors can be better than they were a season ago. Um, but a lot of it is staying healthy and better than a season ago was was still not good enough because they got their asses kicked by the the Wolves. Granted, an asterisk next to it. Evan, any final thoughts for the way out the door? Man, I’m I’m waiting for for something as much as everyone else is. I hope the Warriors are able to at this point get the Horford deal done. Maybe there’s something else around the margins. And then obviously the ball we’re waiting to drop is is Kaminga because that to me is the most uh shout out zed clarity that they can provide on this off seasonason is what they’re going to do with this guy. And hopefully it’ll it’ll give us a lot of um I don’t know solace in the meantime. Zed clarity. Unbelievable song. All right. Locked on Warriors free and available wherever you get your podcast. Peace everyone. Thanks for tuning in. Evan Giddings the guest today. Always appreciated.

Dame Lillard was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors have showed immediate interest. Lillard will miss the 2025-2026 season, but would be aligned with Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green’s final ride. Plus, Evan Giddings joins the show to talk about the Warriors need of a center and whether we should push the panic button.

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