Draymond admits Warriors losing Wiggins in Butler trade ‘sucked'
Draymond admits Warriors losing Wiggins in Butler trade 'sucked' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Nearly every blockbuster trade in professional sports is bittersweet.
The Warriors have enjoyed what they've seen from Jimmy Butler since acquiring him in a trade before last week's NBA deadline. In doing so, though, they shipped fan favorite Andrew Wiggins to the Miami Heat along with Kyle Anderson, in addition to trading Dennis Schroder and Lindy Waters III to the Detroit Pistons in the multi-team deal.
While Golden State's Butler addition was exciting for obvious reasons, it also led Draymond Green to a somber realization.
'A part of you is obviously excited. Man, we got a chance now. The switch flips fast,' Green said on 'The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis.' 'And then you settle to reality like man, 'All right, so who's gone?' Wiggs, Dennis, Kyle and Lindy. And you're like, damn. Because regardless of how this year had been going, the vibe of the team was still great. You enjoy being around them every day. With Wiggs, obviously, it's been six years where we've been playing together. Watching his growth from coming to a place where everyone's saying, 'Yo, this dude's a bust, he's never going to be it,' to earning the name 'Two-Way Wiggs' and helping lead us to another championship. Collecting his first NBA ring.
'To go through that with someone, there's an obvious relationship. Now I rock with Wiggs on a different level. In Toronto every summer, kicking it with him. Been through some real stuff with Wiggs. Living a couple years and him dealing with his father being sick and being away from the team and keeping that low. We've been through some real stuff. He's had two kids since I met him. He's become a brother. To see him go, it sucked.'
The Minnesota Timberwolves traded Wiggins to the Warriors in the midst of the 2019-20 NBA season and was welcomed to Golden State with open arms. It didn't take long for Dub Nation to embrace and adore him, especially during the 2021-22 season in which he helped lead the team to its fourth NBA championship in eight seasons and was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.
His contagious smile and humble heart made it easy for fans, teammates and coaches to connect with him.
In 307 games (295 starts) over six seasons with Golden State, Wiggins averaged 16.7 points on 46.4-percent shooting from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range, with 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 31 minutes.
Green admitted it was difficult to find the right words to say goodbye to Wiggins, adding he tried to use humor to lighten the mood.
'I tried to make a joke like, 'You going to Miami, it ain't that bad of a place. You're going to save some money and taxes, send me some bread,' ' Green said. 'But just not knowing what to say.'
While the initial goodbye took some time to fathom and now that the dust has settled, Green knows the move can be beneficial for all parties involved. He's excited to have Butler on his side as the Warriors push for a playoff spot, but he's also looking forward to what Wiggins will accomplish in South Beach.
And the bar is set high for the newest member of Miami.
'In saying that, it's a great opportunity for him to continue to build,' Green concluded. 'He's a champion. I think he's going to go to Miami and have great years and guess what? Don't be surprised if Wiggs is an All-Star again next year.'
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USA Today
7 minutes ago
- USA Today
Caitlin Clark's new line of Wilson basketballs reflect who she is off the court
INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark's favorite color is blue. Outside of the gym, she's happiest being on the water or a golf course. She says the same thing to teammate Aliyah Boston before every Indiana Fever game. When you buy one of the basketballs in Clark's new line from Wilson, you're not just getting a ball. You're getting a glimpse of Clark herself. The colors, the patterns, the detailing — all are the result of months-long conversations between Clark and Wilson's design team about who she is, what she likes and what messages she wants to send to young fans. 'It was a really fun process for me to go through,' Clark told USA TODAY Sports. 'It's things that are super important to me and all very different things, too, throughout my life. So hopefully they can make an impact on whoever's going to pick the ball up.' Clark joined Michael Jordan as the only athletes to be brand ambassadors for Wilson, signing a multiyear sponsorship deal in May 2024 with the official manufacturer of basketballs for the WNBA, NBA and NCAA. In part because of the short turnaround time before the release of her first signature ball last October, Clark's first line leaned heavily into history. The records she broke at Iowa. Her historic rookie season with the WNBA's Indiana Fever. But Clark and Wilson knew they wanted future lines to be more personal, reflecting who Clark is as a person as much as a player. 'She's actually influencing this. It's not just people at Wilson picking the design,' Hudson Vantrease, director of product design at Wilson, said. 'We never wanted to just put her name on a ball and call it a day,' he added. 'We want to tell the most compelling story, and having her as part of that is a positive to it.' Wilson invited USA TODAY Sports to attend the design team meeting in April where Clark saw the finished basketballs for the first time. The design team also gave USA TODAY Sports a behind-the-scenes look at the collaboration process with Clark for the latest collection, which will be released June 23. There are four balls in the collection, and they differ in both purpose (one is an indoor-only ball, one is outdoor-only and two can be used either indoors or outdoors) and price point. One, the Embrace, is an Evo NXT basketball, meaning it has the same construction as a regulation W ball and could be used in official games. 'Awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome,' Clark said when she walked into the Indiana Fever's practice gym and saw the four new basketballs. 'You guys killed it.' The team responsible for developing Clark's line has about a dozen core members. They met with Clark at last year's All-Star Game and got her initial thoughts about the collection, including what a young Caitlin Clark would have wanted. 'I think she said a blue ball,' said Hailey Reines, the product line manager at Wilson. Afterward, Reines and product designer Julia Muscarello sent Clark a detailed questionnaire, asking her everything from her favorite color (blue) to her hobbies outside of basketball (golf, being on the water) to what she'd be if she wasn't a basketball player (chef). They also monitored social media, taking note of Clark's clothes — there's an Instagram account devoted to her fits — and what she does off the court. 'I don't want to say borderline stalking, but yeah,' Muscarello said with a laugh. 'I was trying to stay on the Caitlin pulse.' Those answers and details drove the design process, which involved 'hundreds' of hours. Christopher Rickert, the senior director of global production at Wilson, said the team began with 50 design ideas and whittled them down. Sometimes the color wasn't right. Sometimes the pattern didn't work. Sometimes what seemed like a great idea on paper didn't quite translate into reality. When the team had 10 ideas, they sent the designs to Clark for her thoughts. There were further tweaks, and prototypes were made to make sure the designs looked the same on an actual basketball as they did in drawings. The four designs ultimately chosen for this year's line all have very different looks, but there's a commonality to all of them. Clark. 'Whenever I do something, I want to make it the best product possible for people. But also I feel like this is an easy way for me to connect with my fans,' Clark said of being so involved in the design process. 'I want it to feel very personal for them, too. They can connect with me, not just by watching me on TV or coming and buying a ticket to a game.' Take the Oasis ball, which can be used indoors and outdoors. Clark told Reines and Muscarello that her favorite color is blue, she likes pastels and her happy places are the water and golf course. So the panels of the Oasis ball are white and light blue, and the light blue panels have what looks like pink and green splashes of paint but is actually an abstract drawing of a golf course. Clark picked up on it right away when she saw the ball. 'That looks like a hole on a golf course!' she exclaimed. Light blue is also the shade used for the pattern on the Envision, an outdoor ball. At first glance, it looks like a maze, but it's really the words 'DREAM BIG.' That phrase is also on the Aspire, an indoor/outdoor ball that at first appears to be white or grey. Put it in the sunlight, however, and the phrases 'Dream Big,' 'Keep Going' and 'You're Going to Be Amazing Because You Are Amazing' emerge in bold, Fever-red letters. That last phrase is what Clark says to Boston before every game. 'See, she loves it!' Clark said, pointing to a picture of her and Boston on the bench that was on the design team's planning whiteboard. 'We'll get her a free basketball. She'll love it. I'm going to put it in her locker.' Because the Embrace is an official basketball, it cannot have any obvious detailing. Look closely, though, and you can see a pattern — again, light blue — within the Wilson logo and in what looks like a sunburst around the airhole. Both are the visual representation of the decibel level at a Fever game; the Wilson team took an audio file of the sound and made a graphic out of it. 'Fans really admire how she just plays so well under pressure,' Muscarello said. 'Sometimes it's OK to embrace the noise.' Though Clark had been involved in every step of the design process, seeing the basketballs on a computer screen is very different than holding the finished product. Clark picked up each of the basketballs and examined it, taking note of the different details. She spun each ball and shifted it from one hand to the other. She also studied the design team's white boards, pointing to some of the notes and photos. Though she initially seemed most taken by the Oasis ball, she was fascinated with the Envision's UV technology and said she'd have loved to have had a basketball that revealed 'secret' messages when she was a kid. She also was impressed that Wilson's design team was able to turn a decibel meter reading into a design. 'They're all unique in their own way. They all have different things I love about them,' Clark said. 'I think they each serve their own purpose and are different. 'So I guess you have to buy 'em all!' she added, laughing. While there will be some fans who buy the whole collection, whether to use or keep as memorabilia, Clark was conscious of not pricing any fans out of the new line. Two of the balls are less than $50, with the outdoor Envision ball costing $27.95 and the Oasis indoor ball priced at $49.95, while the Aspire outdoor ball is $54.95. The Embrace, which is Wilson's premium Evo NXT basketball, costs $124.95. All the balls will be available on Wilson's website and at retail sporting goods stores. Last year's collection sold out almost immediately and, given the appetite for all things Clark, it's a good bet this one will, too. 'It's kind of cool to see how the balls came back and they feel very `me,'' Clark told USA TODAY Sports. 'That's what I love about it. I feel like I'm sharing part of my life and my journey with people. "I could have never dreamed (as a child) to have something like this," she added. "It's pretty special." Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
USA Today
22 minutes ago
- USA Today
Adaptability keeps Pacers coach on cutting edge of NBA change
Adaptability keeps Pacers coach on cutting edge of NBA change What makes Indiana coach Rick Carlisle unique is the way he has engaged with modern disruptions in the NBA, the way he has reimagined his philosophies to suit different teams in different eras. Show Caption Hide Caption Pacers and Thunder NBA Finals is better than it's 'small-market' billing USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt breaks down the star-studded NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. Sports Pulse OKLAHOMA CITY — The reporter called out Rick Carlisle. His Indiana Pacers had staged yet another improbable come-from-behind victory in the playoffs, this one in an epic Game 1 of the NBA Finals — a series they entered as overwhelming underdogs. In the first few questions, Carlisle matter-of-factly had downplayed the frenetic pace of Indiana erasing a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter against a Thunder team that rarely squanders leads, especially at home. 'I know you're being Cool Hand Luke and all that,' the reporter began, 'but at any point did you stop and say: 'Damn, that was a hell of a comeback?' ' The way Carlisle opened his answer, in essence a shrug, was quite revealing. 'No, no,' Carlisle began. 'Listen: I've been through too much of this, you know, over the years.' In what is a fascinating NBA Finals matchup of contrasts, Carlisle, 65, is a mainstay, a proven commodity and hoop lifer, a coach with a deep mental archive. But what makes Carlisle unique is the way he has engaged with modern disruptions in the NBA, the way he has reimagined his philosophies to suit different teams playing in different eras. OPINION: Pacers cannot keep relying on crazy comebacks. They must start quicker, finish stronger. And now, Carlisle's Pacers will try to pull off another improbable feat Wednesday, June 11, and go up 2-1 on Oklahoma City (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC). 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During his four decades in the NBA, Carlisle has played alongside legends like Larry Bird, only to later serve as an assistant under him in his first stint with the Pacers; coached Hall of Famers Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki to a NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks; and is 11th all-time in coaching victories, with 993. Carlisle always has had a strong aptitude for offense. It helped that he played for the great Boston Celtics coach K.C. Jones and with Bird and Kevin McHale. Their offensive acumen shaped Carlisle's offensive philosophy. Still, despite that influence, Carlisle has seen offenses evolve. Not only has he adapted over the years, but his offensive vision has put him at the forefront of innovation, including the pace and effort in which his teams play. Throughout his coaching career, Carlisle was adamant about making offensive calls from the bench, instructing the point guard what play to run. Pacers center Myles Turner recalled a game in 2021-22, which was Carlisle's first season in his second stint with Indiana. "Rick was a coach that he used to like to call a play every single possession," Turner said. "Even Rick's first year here, we had a game where he did that. He stopped us and called a play every single possession. "In the dawn of this new NBA, especially in the playoffs, that stuff doesn't work. It's easy to scout. But when you have random movement on offense, guys that are someone like Tyrese (Haliburton) who wants to pass the ball, it makes the game a little bit easier, especially for a guy like myself who thrives with space." It was with Kidd that Carlisle's philosophy of player empowerment began to take root and he ceded some control. 'What I learned my first year in Dallas was to give J-Kidd the ball and get out of the way, let him run the show, let him run the team,' Carlisle said Thursday, June 5, before Game 1. 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New York Times
25 minutes ago
- New York Times
Celtics mailbag: Payton Pritchard's opportunity, Brad Stevens' trade options and more
Summer weather has arrived in Boston. And that means Brad Stevens and the Celtics front office are on the verge of a franchise-altering offseason. It's a good time to answer some questions from the readers. Here's part 2 of our Celtics mailbag. Part 1 can be found here. Questions have been lightly edited for style, grammar and clarity. Are the Celtics planning on giving Payton Pritchard the opportunity to establish himself as a primary offensive creator next season? All he's done since coming into the league is improve, and the Tatum injury would seem to provide him, more than anyone else on the roster, with an unexpected chance to level up into a much more prominent role. — Peter P. Pritchard could stand to gain the most touches and shot attempts during Tatum's absence. Considering the Celtics will also likely trade at least one starter, Pritchard should be set to take on the biggest role of his career. He should flourish with that opportunity. Throughout recent years, one of Pritchard's strengths has been an ability to step up when the Celtics are shorthanded. Over 10 games without Tatum last season, the guard averaged 19.0 points, 5.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds. And the Celtics went 8-2 in those games. Advertisement How much shooting accuracy will Pritchard sacrifice if he does become more of a go-to guy and a focal point for opposing game plans? One of the most impressive parts about his Sixth Man of the Year season was that he increased his efficiency even while taking more difficult shots. Among all players to attempt at least seven 3-pointers per game, only Zach LaVine finished with a higher true shooting percentage than Pritchard. On the diet of shots Pritchard took, only a premier shooter could have finished the season at 40.7 percent from downtown like he did. Can Pritchard push the boundaries of his game even further? 'We will put a good team together, a lot of competitors and people who will go out there and lay it on the line every night,' he said of next season. 'And I believe people will elevate their games and have bigger roles, especially with JT being out, until he comes back, and they should take full advantage of it and be ready for those opportunities. We will compete.' From what you've heard, what are the percentages that each of Kristaps Porziņģis/Jrue Holiday/Jaylen Brown/Derrick White are traded? — Joshua E. At this stage, I'm not sure even the Celtics front office could provide percentages on that. As far as I'm aware, none of those four players will be untouchable, but the price tag for Jaylen Brown and Derrick White will be extremely high. Jrue Holiday, who will turn 35 next week, might be the most likely to go because of how old he will be when Tatum returns to full strength. If other teams value Holiday now (and I suspect they will) it would make sense for the Celtics to move on, as much as they appreciate everything he brings to the team on and off the court. The futures of the other three starters likely all depend on the offers the Celtics receive as they explore avenues to shed salary this offseason. Is a team willing to blow away Brad Stevens with a huge offer for Brown or White? How much value does Porziņģis still have after yet another season marred by an inability to stay on the court? He will be on an expiring contract next season. There's going to be a whole lot for the Celtics front office to weigh over the coming weeks and months. How intact will the core four to seven players be in 2025-26 with JT out almost all year? Will this be a total rebuild, floor to ceiling? — Steve H. The Celtics could go several ways. If they want to get out of the luxury tax entirely, and not just below the second apron, they would need to shed about $40 million in salary. Such a path would likely require more of a full rebuild, but they don't necessarily need to take that path. Why, Jay? Why?? — Max S. But, for Boston fans, seriously. How did everything shift so suddenly for the Celtics? One moment they were one of the favorites to win a title, which would have given them the organization's first back-to-back championships since the Bill Russell days. The next moment, they were the authors of consecutive collapses against the Knicks and Tatum's loved ones were crying in the Celtics locker room because he had ruptured his Achilles. And now, poor Steve H. is pondering the possibility of a full rebuild. Advertisement Losing a second-round series to that New York team would have been awful anyway; the Tatum injury turned it into a catastrophe like the tsunami that wiped out much of Earth's population in the television show 'Paradise.' Unfortunately for Brad Stevens, I don't think anyone has built an underground city where he could move to hide from the daunting decisions ahead. What kind of quality big can the Celtics acquire if they move on from either Holiday or Porziņģis. Can they get a starter, a rim-protecting, screen-setting dunker that is a step up (from Neemias Queta)? I don't mind getting Al Horford back, but only as a rotation player with more limited minutes. — Jeff S. The Celtics' frontcourt is nothing but a question mark right now. Porziņģis could get traded. Luke Kornet and Al Horford are free agents. At his exit interview, Horford declined to say with any certainty whether he will even play basketball next season. I assume somebody will start at center for Joe Mazzulla's team next season, but your guess on who that will be is as good as mine. Tatum's injury could change Horford's decision on his future. The big man turned 39 earlier this week and the Celtics no longer appear ready to contend next season. This deep into his career, would he want to go chasing another ring elsewhere? If he does, he would be a good fit for several contending teams, including the Nuggets and Pacers. But Horford has really liked it in Boston and has five children to think about. The last time he left the Celtics as a free agent, he signed in Philadelphia, where he was utilized so poorly that people thought he was washed up. Would he risk ending his career in another situation that looks good on paper, but might not work out? The Celtics' luxury tax situation (not great!) will also limit their frontcourt options, including potentially their ability to re-sign their own free agents. What I'm trying to say is that they should sign Vitor Faverani again and see what happens. For real, maybe they should call the Mavericks and see if they can pry away Daniel Gafford in a Jrue Holiday trade, though it would be fascinating to see how frustrated Mazzulla would get if he needed to play Queta 25 minutes per game. Mazzulla's sideline reactions to Queta's mistakes often provide great entertainment. Here's the headline question I think you could answer in a fun way, because while the new owner and front office could stand pat and run up bills, they also could pull a swashbuckling Auerbach move or two: 'The Celtics are at a crossroads: What would Red do?' — Tad W. He would have found a loophole to draft Cooper Flagg last year before his one and only season at Duke. Boom. Advertisement Jaylen Brown's name keeps coming up in trade rumors both by national media and by fans who think he's a turnover machine, which isn't true — a simple check of stats would tell them that, but no one uses facts in debates these days. While yes, they could get a lot in return for Brown which could reset the roster and get them out of luxury tax hell, do you think trading a young superstar who is also a pillar of the community and has great plans for the future of the area would destroy the image of the Boston Celtics and send a horrible message to other free agents? — Adam B. Trading Brown would be a bold move. It could go extremely poorly. Generally, teams try to keep All-Stars who improve every year, serve as locker room leaders and own an NBA Finals MVP award. Even if a Brown move would fix Boston's apron dilemma, there would be no promise the Celtics would ever find Tatum such a capable running mate again. That said, such player movement will become the new norm. The collective bargaining agreement includes severe enough penalties that teams will only have short windows before they need to break up a contending core. So I don't think such a trade would hurt Boston's chances of landing any free agents in the future. It would likely be more of a blow to the team's image among fans, many of whom love Brown and would hate to see him go. Would a new owner in Bill Chisholm have the stomach to oversee a teardown right away and potentially tick off his entire fan base during his first offseason? Chisholm could just listen to the optimistic Chris W. instead. So, I figured it out. Even without Tatum, the Celtics will win it all next year, and it'll be because Jaylen Brown leveled up. Hear me out: JB is best used as a play finisher. With Horford, KP, and Kornet all potentially gone, by necessity, the C's will need to play small, putting Brown at the 4. With 2-3 other ball handlers around him at all times, he'll no longer need to initiate. He'll also be matched up against 4s, mitigating the problems he has dribbling through traffic. With small-ball thrust upon them, the C's will embrace a new level of Mazzulla Ball, hoisting an absurd amount of 3s and powering the league's highest-scoring offense. It's a foolproof plan, right? Guys? — Chris W. I don't see any weaknesses in that plan. (Photo of Payton Pritchard: Al Bello / Getty Images)
