March 2017 Golden State Warriors Wiretap

Kevin Durant: Nobody Wants To Play In Under Armours

Aug 29, 2017 2:53 PM

Kevin Durant criticized Under Armour during a podcast. Durant endorses Nike, but Stephen Curry is the lead endorser for Under Armour.

"Nobody wants to play in Under Armours. I'm sorry. The top kids don't because they all play Nike," Durant said.

Durant was asked if he's spoken to Curry about Under Armour shoes.

"Everybody knows that. They just ... nobody don't want to say nothing."

Under Armour pursued Durant when his Nike deal was coming up.

Bill Simmons/The Ringer (via Reuters)

Tags: Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, NBA

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Klay Thompson: Trade Rumors Mean You're Wanted

Aug 24, 2017 11:18 AM

Klay Thompson has been the subject of trade interest this offseason from both the Indiana Pacers for Paul George and the Cleveland Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving.

The Warriors passed on both proposals for Thompson.

“It's really cool,” he said. “It shows the Warriors believe in me and these other teams want me to be a part of their success. So I appreciate it. I've been in trade rumors forever. Everyone has. Except for maybe LeBron James, Steph — well, even Steph early in his career. It's part of the business. It is flattering and I do appreciate it.”

Thompson was asked about his involvement in trade rumors.

"Yeah. They're just rumors. You gotta deal with that as a professional. The only untouchables in this league, there might be like five or six of them. Other than that, you have to expect it. When you hear the rumors, it means you're wanted. You're doing something right. Look at the bright side. But I'm happy I'm still with the Warriors. I hope to be here my whole career. It's a great place to play."

Anthony Slater/The Athletic

Tags: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA Trade Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Jerry West Didn't Want To Leave Warriors

Aug 22, 2017 12:31 PM

Jerry West left the Golden State Warriors to join the front office of the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason. West described his departure from the Warriors as difficult in an interview with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic.

"Frankly it was very sad, OK? It really was," said West. "A place where I thought that if I was going to work another year or if somebody wanted me to work another year, I thought I could contribute; I did not want to leave. I did not want to leave. I was very happy there.

"But those things happen sometimes. Obviously to be around a bunch of players that were as together as any I’ve seen and I think more importantly the talent that was on that team and to see the joy. There’s a lot of joy there. I think those are the kind of environments where people really prosper.

"And getting to know Steve (Kerr) a lot better than I did before… I think the one thing about him, he’s a remarkable person. He’s continuing to grow as a coach. But he seems to have a great way with these people, working with Bob (Myers), who I’ve known forever… I don’t even call it work. Being around Bob. And more importantly seeing Travis (Schlenk, now the Atlanta general manager) get a job. I’m thrilled for him. Very deserving. And also the people in the scouting department up there and the fun I had up there.

"You don’t always in your life have a chance to work in environments like that. And the ownership group, to have that many diverse people who were so successful. To see the decisions that were made up there to make this possible… it was kind of a storybook six years to be honest with you.

"Everyone talks about, ‘well, this team is loading up to beat the Warriors,' right? Well, everyone’s playing for second place right now.

"There’s one thing you can’t ever guard against is (injuries), losing your players that are unique. But there’s a joy to that place that I’ve never been around before. When you get older, certainly that plays a big part when you’re no longer there."

West was then asked by Kawakami why he left the Warriors if he wanted to remain with the franchise.

"It was time for me to leave. I’m in Los Angeles again. For me, I’ll have a chance to go in the office a little bit and watch some of the people that have been hired, to watch our coaches coach. I’ve often said I’ve done some crazy things in my life because of the timing and maybe the timing was right."

Tim Kawakami/The Athletic

Tags: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor

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Steve Kerr Expects To Coach 'For Many Years To Come'

Aug 21, 2017 2:51 PM

Steve Kerr missed several weeks of the 2017 playoffs due to complications from his 2015 back surgery.

“It’s all right, it’s all right,” Kerr said. “I’d love to say that I’m all better, but not the case. I’m feeling better, having a good summer, relaxing. But it’s just been an ongoing thing now for two years.”

Kerr also missed the first part of the 15-16 regular season.

“I fully expect to coach all year,” Kerr said. “That’s my expectation. And for many years to come.”

Kerr suffers from headaches in addition to the frequent discomfort in his back and neck.

Scott Ostler/San Francisco Chronicle

Tags: Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor

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Kevin Durant Won't Visit White House With Donald Trump In Office

Aug 17, 2017 5:41 PM

Kevin Durant will not visit the White House if the Golden State Warriors are invited.

"Nah, I won't do that," said Durant. "I don't respect who's in office right now."

The Warriors are scheduled to play at the Washington Wizards on Feb. 28th, but the White House has yet to extend a formal invitation. 

"I don't agree with what he agrees with, so my voice is going to be heard by not doing that," said Durant, who said it wasn't an organizational decision. "That's just me personally, but if I know my guys well enough, they'll all agree with me."

Durant believes the president has played a role in the escalation of racial tension in the United States and the public rise of white supremacists.

"He's definitely driving it," Durant said. "I feel ever since he's got into office, or since he ran for the presidency, our country has been so divided, and it's not a coincidence. When [Barack] Obama was in office, things were looking up. We had so much hope in our communities where I come from because we had a black president, and that was a first.

"So to see that and to be where we are now, it just felt like we took a turn for the worse, man. It all comes from who is in the administration. It comes from the top. Leadership trickles down to the rest of us. So, you know, if we have someone in office that doesn't care about all people, then we won't go anywhere as a country. In my opinion, until we get him out of here, we won't see any progress."

Chris Haynes/ESPN

Tags: Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors, NBA

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Warriors Sign Georges Niang To Deal With Partial Guarantee

Aug 16, 2017 10:25 AM

Georges Niang has signed a partially guaranteed deal with the Golden State Warriors.

Niang will likely play for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the G-League.

Niang appeared in 23 games last season for the Indiana Pacers as a rookie. Niang also averaged 19.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 33.0 minutes per game over six games in the G-League. Niang was a second round pick in 2016 out of Iowa State.

Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

Tags: Georges Niang, Golden State Warriors, Santa Cruz Warriors, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor, D-League, D-League Teams

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Kevin Durant: I Took Less Money To Keep Warriors Together

Aug 11, 2017 9:32 AM

Kevin Durant took significantly less money in free agency to help the Golden State Warriors re-sign Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. Durant spoke about it with Anthony Slater for The Athletic in his first interview since his decision.

"Well, I'm a smart guy and I want to keep this thing going and looking at Andre and Shaun (Livingston) and Steph (Curry) — they all should make the most money that they can make and get what they deserve," said Durant. "Because they were all underpaid and I knew at some point they'd want to get what they deserve. So I just took a step back and let the chips fall where they may. Then I took it in my hands. I wanted to keep the team together and I thought it was going to help the ownership bring all the guys back. And on top of that, it's my money. It's my decision. I can do what the hell I want with it."

Durant received criticism from some members of the media and fans for taking less money.

"They only (criticized) it because it's the Warriors and it's me and they love to hate anything we do right now. A lot of players have (taken pay-cuts). It wasn't that I wanted the praise. I've learned from Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki and how it has helped them over the years and I thought, if they did it, why can't I? Why shouldn't I sacrifice? People wanted the money to break us up and I didn't want that to happen."

Durant confirmed that he brought the number to the Warriors.

"Yeah, like I said, I'm a grown man in this league and I'm at the point of my life and career where I'm able to dictate what I want to do with my future. So me and my business partner (Rich Kleiman) talked about it and when we brought it to them we knew they'd be excited because it'll definitely help the whole group."

Anthony Slater/The Athletic

Tags: Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors, NBA

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Briante Weber Agrees To Partially Guaranteed Deal With Lakers

Aug 8, 2017 4:40 PM

Briante Weber has agreed upon a partially guaranteed one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Weber spent parts of last season with the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets.

Shams Charania/The Vertical

Tags: Briante Weber, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA Signing Rumor, NBA Misc Rumor

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Stephen Curry Believes Warriors Improved In Offseason

Aug 8, 2017 10:05 AM

The Golden State Warriors were able to keep their core together while also adding three potential rotation players.

“We have a great potential and opportunity to do amazing things and win more championships,” Stephen Curry said. “When you have that chemistry, you don’t want it to end. You don’t want to start over. You want to take advantage of the camaraderie, chemistry and vibe we’ve created.

“So for the front office to get it done and sign all the guys they needed to sign — and add two great players in Omri Casspi and Nick Young, and draft Jordan Bell — I think we got better.”

Curry also acknowledges the Western Conference had several teams improve.

“You look around the Western Conference, and the amount of talent up and down the board is going to be crazy,” Curry said. “… Everybody is trying to make moves to become championship contenders. Before our first Finals appearance, we were doing the same thing — trying to load up and put together the right combination of guys to take our team to the next level.

“It’s great for the league that there’s that much movement and shuffling of the deck, and teams taking chances to try to get better.”

Ron Kroichick/San Francisco Chronicle

Tags: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Stephen Curry Denies Trying To Make Fun Of LeBron James In Video

Aug 2, 2017 10:58 AM

Stephen Curry was recorded dancing at Harrison Barnes' wedding imitating LeBron James rapping along to "First Day Out."

Curry's rendition went viral, in part because Kyrie Irving was laughing at him. Irving has requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers as he doesn't want to play with LeBron James any longer. 

“I've been watching that video twice a day since it happened because it's my favorite video in the entire world,” Curry said. “He made a song popular by making a video. And that lives. So now every time I hear that song, that's all I think about. And I've been doing that dance because of him, at my house, at dinner. When something good happens, I pull that out, because I like it and it makes me laugh and it makes me happy. Not making fun of him.”

Curry said he didn't reach out to James to explain himself.

Marcus Thompson II/The Athletic

Tags: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, NBA

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Pelicans Agree Upon One-Year, $1.6M Deal With Ian Clark

Shams Charania/The Vertical