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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New York Times
27 minutes ago
- New York Times
‘You have to really start over': Former Rockies watch and weep at futility of 2025 team
Watching from afar, unable to avoid headlines about the historic futility of his former franchise, Nolan Arenado can envision a path forward for the Colorado Rockies. What he can't say for sure is whether the team will take it. 'The only way you get out of this, my opinion, is you have to really start over,' said Arenado, the St. Louis Cardinals third baseman who spent the first eight seasons of his MLB career in Colorado. 'Trade guys that have value and deal with the restart. But I don't know if that's what (owner Dick) Monfort wants to do. That's not really what they like to do.' Advertisement Arenado, a cornerstone of Rockies contenders in the 2010s, said he doesn't follow the club closely these days. But the decline is hard to ignore. Unwilling to attempt a rebuild, the team is suffering through a full-blown implosion. Only a year after the Chicago White Sox set a new big-league record with 121 losses, Colorado entered Monday with a 12-53 record, on pace to finish 30-132. And last week was the team's best of the season. A three-game sweep of the Miami Marlins offered a rare opportunity for Colorado's social media team to gloat. Then the team returned to Coors Field and promptly weathered a three-game battering by the New York Mets that concluded with a 13-5 defeat on Sunday. It has been that kind of season. The Rockies finished April at 5-25. When Monfort and general manager Bill Schmidt fired manager Bud Black on May 11, the team was 7-33. Warren Schaeffer, the Rockies lifer who replaced Black, won once in the next 10 games. They are the first team to have lost 50 games before winning 10 since the 1876 Cincinnati Red Stockings. Last week's sweep of the Marlins represented the team's first series victory of the season, ending a streak of 22 consecutive lost series. Playing baseball in Colorado features inherent challenges. The altitude at Coors Field hampers pitchers and hitters alike. The franchise has never won the National League West and never won more than 92 games in a season. But the team is not far removed from contending. Colorado made the postseason in 2017 and pushed the Los Angeles Dodgers to a Game 163 in 2018. The current state of the club is painful to watch for veterans of those seasons. 'You want to see them do well, and it's tough to see, how it's going right now,' said Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story, who spent the first six years of his career in Colorado. 'Yeah, it's hard. Don't necessarily want to speak on anything further than that.' Advertisement As the team has continued to spiral, The Athletic spoke with several prominent former Rockies about the state of the team. Several players conveyed their pity for the current situation and their lingering affection for the franchise. (The latter sentiment was not universal. Reached via text message, Troy Tulowitzki responded with a one-sentence answer. 'I don't comment on that organization,' said Tulowitzki, who made five All-Star teams for Colorado before being traded in 2015.) The conversations offered glimpses into why Colorado has cratered, with six consecutive losing seasons heading into the ignominy of 2025. DJ LeMahieu cited the ongoing health woes of former National League MVP Kris Bryant. Tyler Anderson noted a lack of success in the draft. Arenado mentioned the team's unwillingness to acknowledge the reality of the situation and embrace rebuilding through trades. Several players conceded the team lacks the data-driven planning that powers other clubs. 'I think they're a little behind, for sure,' said LeMahieu, who signed with the New York Yankees heading into 2019 after seven seasons in Colorado. 'That doesn't necessarily translate to wins and losses. It's not like I'm going to point to that and say that's the reason. But I think (joining the Yankees), it was like, 'Wow, they're really, really on top of things here.' That was, like, one of the biggest surprises.' The Rockies are considered more insular than other clubs, according to rival executives. For years, the team has avoided the lure of stripping down its roster. The team did not trade Story at the deadline in 2021, opting to receive a compensatory draft pick after he signed elsewhere. A year later, rather than move 37-year-old reliever Daniel Bard, the team inked him to a two-year, $19 million extension. The front office failed to sell high on former Gold Glove second baseman Brendan Rogers and parried away overtures for All-Star third baseman Ryan McMahon. Colorado is expected to be more active this July at the deadline. But the lack of transactions has left the club without a wave of fresh talent surging through the minors. Even when the organization has made deals, as it did by moving Arenado in 2021, there hasn't been much success. Colorado traded Arenado to St. Louis for a five-player package. None of the acquired players are currently on the active roster. Advertisement Anderson, a 2011 first-round pick who played with the Rockies from 2016 to 2019, recalled being surrounded by homegrown stars at Coors Field. Outside of LeMahieu, who was acquired in a 2011 trade, most of the best Rockies arrived in the draft. Tulowitzki was a first-round pick in 2005. The team snagged outfielder Charlie Blackmon in the second round in 2008 and Arenado in the same round a year later. Story was selected at No. 45 in 2011. The draft has been far less fruitful in recent years. Since 2016, the club has made 12 first-round selections. The collective worth of the group has been minus-0.8 wins above replacement, according to Baseball-Reference. 'They didn't get superstars like they got with Trevor or Tulo or Arenado or Blackmon,' Anderson said. After fourth-place finishes in 2019, 2020 and 2021, the Rockies looked outside the organization for a player to build around. The team inked four-time All-Star Kris Bryant to a seven-year, $182 million contract. The deal proved disastrous. Beset by injuries, mostly involving his back, Bryant averaged 53 games per season in his first three years in Colorado. He is currently on the 60-day injured list as he recovers from a surgery related to degenerative disc disease. 'Bryant's been out a lot,' LeMahieu said. 'He's one of their best players.' As a member of the Los Angeles Angels, the employers of perpetually injured Anthony Rendon, Anderson is familiar with how a massive contract can prevent a club from improving its roster. 'You spend a lot of money on a player, and guys get hurt and it happens and it sucks,' Anderson said. 'But it kind of handcuffs you. You hate to see that, for any player to have that. And for an organization, that's tough too.' All of these factors have led the Rockies to the precipice of historic embarrassment. As Arenado noted, the fierce competition in the National League West will not make the going much easier. Which is why the status quo, refusing to rebuild despite all of the losing, cannot hold. Advertisement 'They have a lot of good teams over there, a lot of good teams that spend,' Arenado said. 'I know this is Major League Baseball and nobody really feels bad, but I do have a soft spot for people there because I know them. 'But at the end of the day, if you're not adapting, you get left behind.' — The Athletic's Sam Blum, Brendan Kuty, Jen McCaffery and Katie Woo contributed to this story. (Top photo of Arenado, LeMahieu and Story in happier times: Ron Chenoy / USA Tpdau)


Forbes
28 minutes ago
- Forbes
Why The 2025 NBA Offseason Might Be Loaded With Blockbuster Trades
With the 2025 NBA Finals underway, 28 teams have already turned their full attention to the offseason. Free agency is largely shaping up to be a dud, as the Brooklyn Nets are the only team projected to have considerable cap space, but the league could still have its fair share of fireworks in the coming weeks. "It's gonna be a crazy summer," one Western Conference executive told longtime NBA insider Jake Fischer. "There's going to be a lot of movement." According to multiple reports, it's basically a foregone conclusion that the Phoenix Suns plan to trade Kevin Durant. ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently said they'd likely do so between now and the 2025 NBA draft. Durant might not be the only star on the move this summer, though. Between an unpredictable Finals matchup, a pair of shocking jumps in the draft lottery and NBA teams' ongoing battle with the new collective bargaining agreement, the stage is set for explosive player movement across the league. The Suns' intention to trade Durant might be the NBA's worst-kept secret. According to ESPN's Shams Charania, he's expected to have "a robust market of approximately four to six seriously interested teams this offseason." However, another domino might need to fall first before Durant conversations take off. In mid-May, Charania reported that "for the first time in his career," Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo "is open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere." Damian Lillard's Achilles injury and the Bucks' third straight first-round playoff loss raised questions about their ability to build a championship contender around him moving forward, although Fischer recently said executives are increasingly skeptical that he'll actually ask out. Antetokounmpo could be the domino that triggers a deluge of offseason activity either way. Teams interested in acquiring him or Durant might not want to move on to the latter until they're sure Antetokounmpo is staying in Milwaukee. Durant figures to cost far less from an asset perspective, as he's heading into the final year of his contract and turns 37 at the end of September, whereas Antetokounmpo just turned 30 in December and has two guaranteed years left on his deal. Once Antetokounmpo decides what he wants to do, the floodgates should open around the league. The Boston Celtics figure to be in cost-cutting mode in the wake of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury, which means Kristaps Porziņģis, Jrue Holiday and/or Derrick White could all be on the move. ESPN's Brian Windhorst recently said there's "some belief" that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be open to moving All-Star point guard Darius Garland "under the right circumstances." That alone has the potential to drastically reshape the Eastern Conference hierarchy. Western Conference teams could also get in on the fun. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, 'rival NBA executives are monitoring the trio of Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan with the belief that Sacramento will explore the possibility of trading at least one of those players either this offseason or before the trade deadline in February.' Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports reported the New Orleans Pelicans have "no untouchables" and are "gauging the market for everyone on their roster." Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers also have plenty of veterans on expiring contracts to dangle as trade bait, from John Collins (player option), Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson in Utah to Deandre Ayton, Anfernee Simons, Robert Williams III and Matisse Thybulle in Portland. That process could begin in the days leading up to the draft. Whichever team landed the No. 1 pick in this year's draft figured to stand pat, take Duke forward Cooper Flagg and not look back. The Dallas Mavericks, who entered lottery night with only a 1.8% chance of winning said pick before doing exactly that, "have made clearly publicly and privately that they plan on selecting Flagg," according to Charania and ESPN's Jonathan Givony. The real excitement could begin as early as the No. 2 overall pick, which the San Antonio Spurs currently hold. Two years ago, the Spurs landed the No. 1 overall pick and spent it on French wunderkind Victor Wembanyama, who has already lived up to his predraft hype and then some. He finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting as a rookie after averaging a league-leading 3.6 blocks in only 29.7 minutes per game, and he was the heavy front-runner for this year's DPOY award before he was shut down after the All-Star break due to deep vein thrombosis. In Wembanyama, the Spurs already have their franchise cornerstone. They're now figuring out how best to build around him, although the No. 2 overall pick may complicate that to some extent. Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper is the clear consensus second-best prospect in this year's draft behind Flagg. However, the Spurs already spent the No. 4 overall pick last year on fellow guard Stephon Castle, who proceeded to win Rookie of the Year this past season. And at this year's trade deadline, they acquired former All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox in a trade with the Kings. Long-range shooting is not a strength for any of Fox, Castle or Harper at the moment. NBA teams can never have enough high-level playmakers these days, so the Spurs might just take the best-player-available approach, select Harper and worry about his fit alongside Fox and Castle later. But if they're unsure about how that trio might mesh, they could always look to shop the pick as well. The Philadelphia 76ers, who own the No. 3 overall pick, may likewise be considering trading it. Team president Daryl Morey has repeatedly declared that he plans to make the Sixers younger and "more dynamic" this offseason, so the Sixers likely won't trade out of the draft entirely, according to Fischer. However, they "are expected to at least listen to trade-down opportunities," he added. Meanwhile, a handful of other teams have multiple first-round picks that they could seek to package to move up in the order. Would the Sixers take the Nos. 5 and 21 picks from the Jazz in exchange for No. 3? What about Nos. 6 and 18 from Washington? The Brooklyn Nets have four first-round picks (No. 8, No. 19, No. 26 and No. 27) that they could dangle. And the Thunder, who are three wins away from this year's championship, have two more first-round picks (Nos. 15 and 24) than they do open roster spots for next season. Combined with the number of star players who could be on the move, the unique draft order could lend itself to some major fireworks on June 25. A handful of teams could also use this offseason to get ahead of business next year. Those with stars who are set to become free agents in 2026 might have to decide whether to recommit now or move them now rather than risk losing them for nothing next summer. Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. could be the big swing piece on this front. After not making an All-NBA team, Jackson is only eligible for a four-year, $146.8 million extension unless the Grizzlies create cap space to renegotiate his contract first. If he becomes a free agent in 2026, he'll be eligible for a five-year, $296.0 million contract with the Grizzlies or a four-year, $219.4 million contract with any other team. For now, multiple teams could carve out significant cap space in 2026. If the Grizzlies can't get Jackson signed to an extension this offseason, would they risk going into next season with him still on the roster? Or might they decide that they're better served trading him this summer and maximizing their return on him? The same goes for Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, who has a $49.0 million player option for the 2026-27 campaign. Zach Lowe of The Ringer said he didn't think "there's a great market for him," but what happens if Young and the Hawks can't come to terms on an extension this summer? It might only take one offense-starved team to make them reconsider whether to continue building around him moving forward. That's one of the main reasons why the Kings moved Fox at this year's trade deadline. He declined to sign a three-year, $165 million extension last fall because he'd be in position for a larger deal this offseason, but it became increasingly clear to the Kings that he wasn't planning to sign an extension this year, either. Fox's agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, eventually told the Kings "that it would be wise to move him sooner rather than later" with that in mind, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. The Dallas Mavericks also cited that as justification for their controversial decision to trade Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. "We really feel like we got ahead of what was going to be a tumultuous summer, him being eligible for the supermax and also a year away from him being able to opt out of any contract," Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. "And so we really felt like we got out in front of that." Christian Clark, Mike Vorkunov and Fred Katz of The Athletic later reported that the Mavericks never planned to offer Dončić the five-year, $345 million supermax extension that he would have been eligible for this offseason, but that's beside the point. Other teams may decide to follow in the footsteps of Dallas and Sacramento this offseason if they're unsure of their ability to retain their own stars beyond 2025-26. All of those ingredients combined set the stage for what projects to be an explosive offseason. Unless otherwise noted, all stats via PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Follow Bryan on Bluesky.
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Knicks Head Coach Rumors: NBA Insider Claims Jason Kidd Has "Mutual" Interest In Taking Tom Thibodeau's Place
Knicks Head Coach Rumors: NBA Insider Claims Jason Kidd Has "Mutual" Interest In Taking Tom Thibodeau's Place originally appeared on Fadeaway World. The New York Knicks have explicitly shown an interest in Jason Kidd to fill the vacancy of the head coach position on their team. As per ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the sentiments may be mutually reciprocated from Kidd's end as well. While discussing the topic on SportsCenter, he said: Advertisement "The other way I would describe it is that there is mutual intrigue on both sides. Also, I know there's this whole thing about asking for permission. You don't ask for permission to hire another team's coach; when you ask, you're going to hire them." "So essentially, when the Knicks express interest, the ball will be in the Mavericks' court, and they have three options as I see it," said Windhorst. "One, they can just say, 'No, thank you very much. Jason will see you in the fall, look forward to the season, look forward to Cooper Flagg.' They can try to make Jason Kidd have zero interest in the Knicks, possibly with a new contract; they did just give him an extension last year." "Or, they can negotiate a trade, and we have seen a handful of trades of coaches over the last 15-18 years, including Jason Kidd. He was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Milwaukee Bucks for two second-round picks 11 years ago. So it's not like Jason Kidd has not been in this situation before." The Dallas Mavericks' head coach has seen a lot of interest from New York in the last few weeks. Having been a part of the Knicks organization during his playing years, Kidd made quite an impact. However, his success as the Mavericks' head coach has seen New York make quite an effort to lure him over to their side. Advertisement The Knicks made some drastic personnel changes after being eliminated from the ECF. After what could only be considered a successful season, the Knicks shocked the NBA world by firing head coach Tom Thibodeau. With a vacant spot, New York showed an interest in Houston's head coach, Ime Udoka, as well, but the chatter around Kidd at the moment seems to be gathering more buzz. Kidd's position in Dallas seems to be pretty secure at the moment. After what could only be referred to as a tumultuous period for the franchise since trading Doncic, the head coach seems to remain a part of the franchise's plans. With the possibility of selecting Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, Kidd also has the chance to work with one of the most talented prospects in recent years. While there has been speculation that Jason Kidd would also want out of Dallas, there has been no real evidence to support this claim. However, given some of the events that had taken place before the Doncic trade, Kidd may have enough reason to also want to facilitate a move away from the organization. Related: Knicks Owner James Dolan Spearheaded Tom Thibodeau's Firing This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.