UConn looks like the No. 1 overall seed as the NCAA women's college basketball season is 10 weeks away from Selection Sunday.
Kings reportedly ‘checked in' with Warriors on Jonathan Kuminga situation
Kings reportedly ‘checked in' with Warriors on Jonathan Kuminga situation originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Kings’ interest in young Warriors wing Jonathan Kuminga hasn’t wavered.
And since Kuminga is back out of Steve Kerr’s rotation, those talks apparently have been rehashed.
Kuminga, who signed a two-year, $46.8 million contract in late September that ended a months-long standoff with the Warriors, is trade eligible beginning Jan. 15.
The Warriors reportedly are “exploring the deadline landscape,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported in a column published Wednesday, citing league sources, but are willing to keep Kuminga past the deadline if nothing appealing materializes.
Slater added, citing league sources, that Kings general manager Scott Perry checked in with Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy last week on the situation.
Kuminga, in a stunning turn of events, started the first 12 games for Kerr this season, averaging 14.9 points on 48.1-percent shooting, with 6.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 29.1 minutes over that span.
Since then, he has registered several DNPs, including sitting out of 12 of Golden State’s last 13 games.
Over the summer, the two teams engaged in several discussions for a trade involving Kuminga. Perry visited Kuminga during his workout in Miami over the summer when he was a restricted free agent. He, Kings assistant GM B.J. Armstrong and coach Doug Christie also had conversations with Kuminga over the offseason.
“There remains mutual interest,” Slater wrote.
However, Perry is hesitant to offer the same 2030 protected first-round pick that was on the table for Kuminga in the summer, Slater wrote. The Warriors don’t want to take on a multiyear contract they view as “negative value,” Slater reported, citing league sources, which has made veteran Kings guard Malik Monk a “nonstarter” in negotiations.
There are other pathways to getting a deal done, but it isn’t easy.
And both sides have made it clear they won’t make any rash or impulsive decisions to get it done.
Middling Warriors in similar spot as last year ahead of NBA trade deadline
Middling Warriors in similar spot as last year ahead of NBA trade deadline originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
It’s déjà vu all over again for the Warriors less than a month from the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.
A 103-102 loss to a James Harden-less Los Angeles Clippers team Monday night, one month to the date from the deadline, dropped them to 19-18 on the season, giving the Warriors the same record through 37 games in four of the last six seasons.
The other three seasons are 2020-21 when they finished as the No. 9 seed and missed the playoffs after losing twice in the play-in tournament, 2022-23 when they were the No. 6 seed and beat the Sacramento Kings in seven games before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six, and last season when they won their play-in game as the No. 7 seed and lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games without Steph Curry after beating the Houston Rockets in seven.
The two seasons they weren’t 19-18 were the 2021-22 championship team, in which the Warriors were 29-8 through 37 games, and 2023-24 when they went 17-20. That season ended with a play-in tournament blowout loss to the Kings in Sacramento that also was Klay Thompson’s final game with the Warriors.
Hope didn’t start for the Warriors last season until the trade deadline after acquiring Jimmy Butler. But the Warriors were stuck in the blocks at the beginning of the race and sprinted to the end to try and catch up. Their superstar who will be 38 years old at the start of this season’s playoffs couldn’t make it through the finish line.
Curry’s strained hamstring put a stop to the Warriors’ puncher’s chance of making a run at another ring. He’s averaging 28.7 points per game in Year 17, the fourth highest of his career, and ranks ninth in the league. Of the eight players ahead of him, Nikola Jokić, 31 on Feb. 19, is the only one who’s in his 30s.
The first and most obvious avenue for improvement this season starts the day Jonathan Kuminga becomes trade eligible on Jan. 15. The summer saga of Kuminga’s restricted free agency has turned into him holding a $22.5 million contract on the bench as he watches games in warmup gear. Kuminga played 21 and a half minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 6 and then was a healthy DNP (Did Not Play) in the Warriors’ next three games, going 1-2.
Coach Steve Kerr raved about a string of practices Kuminga put together and said he would be rewarded in the Warriors’ Dec. 18 game against the Phoenix Suns. The Warriors lost by one point and Kuminga played nine and a half minutes where he scored two points on 1-of-5 shooting and had four rebounds.
Kuminga was ruled inactive with an illness two nights later against the Suns and was back to being a healthy DNP in five straight games. Kerr said Kuminga was going to be in the rotation against the Oklahoma City Thunder but he was a late addition to the injury report with lower back soreness and missed a game the Warriors also were down Curry, Butler and Draymond Green. Kuminga has been a healthy DNP in the two games since.
The Warriors are 9-9 in games Kuminga has played this season, and 10-9 without him.
League sources told NBC Sports Bay Area the Kings, Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards all have different levels of interest in Kuminga. The Dallas Mavericks, who initiated contact with the Warriors about their thoughts on trading for Anthony Davis, as The Athletic’s Sam Amick first reported, also like Kuminga, sources confirmed. But the Mavericks do not have interest in Green, whose $25.8 million contract would be needed in a deal to get Davis, who’s making $54.1 million.
And the Warriors also haven’t shown any interest in trading Butler, another big contract that would land Davis, one year later.
The Mavs badly want to get off Davis’ contract ahead of him being eligible for a $275 million max deal next summer, and draft picks are more enticing. Teams like the New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets are eyeing the future and will want draft compensation more than anything for their best players who could be available. One league source speculated Trey Murphy’s price tag would cost giving the Pelicans three first-round picks, and two to the Nets for Michael Porter Jr., if either player is available.
Letting go of draft picks while also knowing what the post-Curry era could look like is the Warriors’ best bet of adding a big enough piece to really compete. How far will they go?
The Warriors own their future first-round pick in every year aside from 2030, which they can trade the rights to that year only if it lands in the top 20. They have three unprotected firsts, the ability to swap in three other years and the protected pick in 2030 over the next seven drafts.
The Butler move made Curry believe again. Can he believe the Warriors in their current construction right now are championship material?
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy joined NBC Sports Bay Area’s Bonta Hill, Chris Mullin and Festus Ezeli on “Warriors Pregame Live” before Golden State’s eventual 120-97 win against the Orlando Magic two weeks ago and poured water on the idea of making a move as big as last year’s Butler acquisition. Kerr recently also spoke publicly on the precautionary tales of teams that went all-in for a star and now don’t have any future first-round picks.
“We’ll look to do stuff that makes our team better,” Dunleavy said. “But I wouldn’t bank on that type of move. To get a guy like Jimmy Butler, to have the improvement that we did … that’d be pretty unrealistic.”
The Warriors went 23-8 with Butler down the stretch last season. Their record was one game below .500 at the trade deadline, and the season ended in the second round of the playoffs after Curry’s injury.
Even if the Warriors don’t make a move to the magnitude of Butler, this year’s situation is similar in the way of addition by subtraction, and the sentiment is shared despite them liking the players who make up the bottom half of the roster. The Warriors lost four players and brought in one with Butler. Aside from his talent, the move allowed the Warriors to solidify roles and rotations much better.
If the Warriors can move multiple players for one who would be in their top four every night, “that would make things a lot easier [for them], it’s kind of what happened last year,” one league source said.
Kerr still is using 12 guys, and Kuminga isn’t one of them, with 14 players healthy. Open roster spots would open a lane to a standard contract for Pat Spencer, and the Warriors might have big help, literally, in waiting from their Santa Cruz G League affiliate.
Charles Bassey, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound center/power forward was a former top high school recruit and second-round pick in the 2021 draft who has 115 games of NBA experience, including two this season. Santa Cruz traded for Bassey, 25, on Dec. 27 and in 26.4 minutes per game he has averaged 17.6 points, 11 rebounds and 3.4 blocked shots through his first five games with a 60.3 field goal percentage and 45.5 3-point percentage.
His last three games have been some crazy box scores, and Bassey’s energy and effort jumps out. First, he went for 17 points, 17 rebounds and six blocked shots on New Year’s Eve and then dropped 34 points on 13 of 21 from the field and 3 of 6 on threes, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots. Bassey in Santa Cruz’s most recent game went for 14 points, 15 rebounds and another three blocked shots. The Sea Dubs won all three games.
“He’s an NBA player,” one source said.
“He still is,” another source said. “All that stuff is real.”
Like Kevin Knox last year, though, Bassey isn’t eligible for a two-way contract. Teams started being able to sign players to 10-day contracts on Jan. 5. As Bassey has impressed the Warriors, the big man is sure to be on other teams’ radars outside of them as well with rosters soon to be in flux.
More traction to Kuminga’s market is going to come the closer we get to Jan. 15, starting a three-week window to the trade deadline. Both sides agree it’s best to move forward and on from each other. The Warriors’ picture of what team they’ll be to make another run should become clearer in the next four weeks, and likely sooner, just like a year ago.
Kansas erases 16-point deficit, beats TCU 104-100 in overtime
Darryn Peterson scored 32 points, including three crucial free throws in regulation to the tie the game.
Ejiofor has 18, St. John’s defeats Butler 84-70
Ejiofor also contributed five rebounds and three steals for the Red Storm.
Wisconsin beats UCLA 80-72 in Bruins’ first game in Madison since 1962
The Badgers shot 54% overall in the first half and made 8 of 16 from beyond the arc.
KeShawn Murphy has buzzer-beater called off in heartbreaking fashion as Auburn falls to Texas A&M
Texas A&M beat Auburn 90-88 on Tuesday night after a review determined that a buzzer-beater didn't quite get off in time.
Cason leads No. 2 Michigan to 74-72 win over Penn State
Before picking up his fourth foul with 5:48 left, Juric went 4 for 4 from the foul line and hit his second 3-pointer of the game during an 11-0 run that cut Michigan's lead to three with 7:13 le NO. DUKE 84, NO. LOUISVILLE 76 LOUISVILLE, Ky.
Kingston Flemings scores 23 points, leads No. 7 Houston to 69-65 win over No. 14 Texas Tech
Kingston Flemings scored 23 points, including nine in the final two minutes, and No. 7 Houston rallied in the second half for a 69-65 win over No. 14 Texas Tech on Tuesday night. Flemings had 15 points in the second half and shot 5 of 8 from the field. Emanuel Sharp scored 17 points, Chris Cenac Jr. added 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Joseph Tugler had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Houston (14-1, 2-0 Big 12).
Darryn Peterson leads No. 22 Kansas on wild comeback to fend off TCU in overtime, avoid second straight loss
Darryn Peterson dropped a career-high 32 points in his return to the starting lineup after a lingering hamstring injury on Tuesday night.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie scores 34 in No. 21 Tennessee’s 85-71 win over Texas
Ja'Kobi Gillespie scored 34 points to lead No. 21 Tennessee to a 85-71 victory over Texas on Tuesday night. J.P. Estrella scored 11 and DeWayne Brown II and Jaylen Carey each added 10 for the Volunteers (11-4, 1-1 in Southeastern Conference). The Longhorns (9-6, 0-2) were led by Tramon Mark with 20, Camden Heide scored 16 and Simeon Wilcher added 10.
Problems continue to mount for UCLA men in loss to Wisconsin
In a game that the Bruins needed to win to get their season back on track, they fell behind early and lost to Wisconsin.
Kings' Keegan Murray to miss 3-4 weeks due to left ankle sprain
A season that has been tough for both the Sacramento Kings and Keegan Murray just got a little rougher.
Murray left in the third quarter of Sunday night's loss to Milwaukee and now an MRI has revealed a left ankle sprain and the wing will be re-evaluated in 3-4 weeks, the Kings announced.
It's been an injury-plagued season for Murray, who missed the first month of the season following surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb. Murray also missed a few games in December with a calf strain.
In the 19 games he has played, he has been one of the bright spots in an otherwise gloomy season in Sacramento, averaging 14.6 points and 6.1 rebounds, although he has struggled with his shot, hitting just 27.2% from beyond the arc.
Against the Mavericks on Tuesday night Zach LaVine — the target of a lot of trade rumors — moved back into the starting lineup taking Murray's spot. Expect Keon Ellis — also mentioned in many trade rumors – and rookie Nique Clifford to get more run as well.
Oklahoma State tops No. 25 UCF 87-76
Parsa Fallah scored 24 points and Kanye Clary added 18 and nine rebounds to help Oklahoma State defeat No. UCF 87-76 on Tuesday night. Anthony Roy added 15 points, including four 3-pointers, for Oklahoma State (13-2, 1-1 Big 12).
Luka and LeBron go 30-30 as Lakers defeat the Pelicans
LeBron James and Luka Doncic left the fans inside the Smoothie King Center in awe at their performances on Tuesday night.
James had a near triple-double of 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Doncic had 30 points and 10 assists, the two of them leading the Lakers to a 111-103 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III was a handful for the Lakers (23-11), scoring 42 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop New Orleans from losing its eighth straight game.
The Lakers opened the fourth quarter with an intensity on defense and a strong offensive output, outscoring New Orleans 18-4 to take a . a 97-90 lead.
Still, it took the Lakers playing hard until the end to close out the victory.
When Doncic lost control of the basketball late, it looked like it would be a 24-second clock violation.
Read more:Lakers' Jake LaRavia reminds everyone who No. 12 is
Instead, he got the ball back and shot a floating three-pointer with James standing nearby. Doncic then hoisted a three-pointer for a 105-96 Lakers lead with one minute and 59 seconds left.
The Pelicans called a timeout, leading to James putting his head in the chest of a smiling Doncic.
The Lakers got an active and engaged Deandre Ayton from the start, as he threw a lob pass to James for the first basket of the game.
Then Ayton ran the court and took a return lob pass from James for a dunk.
By the end of the first quarter, Ayton had four points, four rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot. He finished the game with 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
The Lakers trailed 54-51 at the half.
They couldn’t make enough three-pointers, going three for 17 in the first 24 minutes.
They couldn’t keep up with the Pelicans' bench, their reserves outscored 19-9 in the first 24 minutes.
Read more:Why the Lakers locked back in on Deandre Ayton in their comeback win against Grizzlies
Doncic had 16 points and six assists in the first half and James had 15 points and six rebounds.
But starting forward Jake LaRavia didn’t score in his 18 minutes of play in the first half.
The Lakers then went down by nine points in the third quarter, meaning they had to play catch-up the rest of the way.
The Lakers play a back-to-back game Wednesday night in San Antonio, leading to Redick being asked if the 41-year-old James would play against the Spurs.
“We have no plan for any of our players,” Redick said. “We’re gonna see what happens tonight.”
Etc.
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent is on the two-game trip, but he was downgraded to out for the game against the Pelicans with a lumbar back strain. Vincent has missed the last nine games, but there is hope he’ll be available Wednesday against San Antonio. “We just downgraded Gabe,” Redick said. “He has not had a setback, but we're hoping he gets to play tomorrow. But again, it's all about how he feels tomorrow.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.