How CP3's status as starter will be decided
It's been three months since the Warriors traded for Chris Paul, and the 38-year-old former All-Star has shown quickly that he's all in to immerse himself in the organization's established culture.
He calls head coach Steve Kerr on the phone frequently and has been involved in setting up team workouts everywhere from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and San Francisco.
“Chris Paul took a 6 a.m. Southwest flight up here for a workout,” general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said at a team news conference on Monday.
To be determined is perhaps the most intriguing element to Paul's integration into the Warriors' roster. Will Paul cut into Golden State's established starting five of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney? Or will he come off the bench for the first time in his 18-year career? The team's answer: They won't have an answer until all coaches and staff see how Paul looks playing with various lineups in training camp.
“We basically have six starters the way I look at, and only five can go each night,” Kerr said Monday. “So I haven't decided yet what we're going to do. I want to see training camp. We are going to try different combinations and take a look.
“Obviously all six guys are going to play a lot of minutes for us. If this is going to work then everybody has to embrace it regardless of who is starting and who is not. It only works if the whole team buys in. I know these guys well. I know five of them really well and I'm getting to know Chris. The one thing I know about all of them is they want to win more than anything. They are an incredibly competitive group and I'm very confident that we'll figure it out and the guys will buy in and find a way.”
Buy-in and matchups will likely be the determining factor. Historically, the Warriors haven't been afraid to throw out a hyper-small lineup if it's advantageous to speed up the pace and space the floor depending on the matchups. In this case, swapping Paul in for Looney would be the most likely move.
“We'll look at that for sure in camp and exhibition games,” Kerr said. “See what that looks like. It's hard to imagine that that wouldn't click pretty well, given that
you've got a lot of talent and versatility and scoring on the floor.
“But as you know, we've started Loon and Draymond together for years. They are a great combination. Probably one of the few 4-5 combinations with the league that is unique like that in terms of more screening than shooting. You know, most people are throwing four shooters out there. We are still throwing two bigs out there and it's worked well but we've always had the change up of going small.”
If matchup dictates the Warriors go with their traditional
lineup -- which held a 128.5 offensive rating and 106.4 defensive rating last season -- there will need to be buy-in from Paul to accept a role with the second unit. Paul's methodical play style and status as a floor general is far different from fastpaced offense Curry, Green, and Thompson have dominated the league with, which is more to say that Paul can transform the second unit into a more productive entity than it was last season.
The Warriors have been down this road before. During the Warriors' first championship season, Andre Iguodala
was hesitant to accept a role off the bench in favor of Green starting. Iguodala accepting the role helped fuel the Warriors' success for years to come.
Looney has consistently bought into a fluid role -off the bench or as a starter. Warriors camp opens up on Oct. 2, and Paul's role could be crystalized then and during their exhibition games. Their first is against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 7.
Kerr, Klay contract talks
With training camp less than a week away, two of the Warriors' biggest loose ends are possible extensions for Kerr and Thompson.
Thompson is entering the final year of his five-year, $189.9 million deal and is extension eligible. Kerr is on the final year of his contract and extension eligible, too. On Monday, Dunleavy said the team wants both men back long term and that the feeling seems mutual, adding that there is “no timeline” for either deal to get done but they are “optimistic” both parties can agree on an extension.
“I think there's a desire to extend or be back or you know make sure those guys are in the fold with the Golden State Warriors moving forward,” he said. “I think both sides feel that way. I think when you're working off that idea, you can come to a deal and hopefully we can do that.”
Warriors add young center on 2-way deal
The Warriors signed a former Rockets center in their hunt for a backup big man, but it was not Dwight Howard, whose meeting with the team last week drew interest online.
Instead, Golden State has signed Usman Garuba to a two-way contract, meaning he can bounce between the NBA and the Warriors' G League team in Santa Cruz.
Garuba, 21, is a 2021 firstround pick who played backup minutes for Houston last season after splitting time between the NBA and G League as a rookie.
The Warriors, who have two spots left on their NBA roster, also are set to bring in free agent Rodney McGruder, according to The Athletic. McGruder, 32, veteran shooting guard who has played for the Clippers, Heat and Pistons and was the subject of an on-air Klay Thompson rant in January 2021 after a Warriors win over Detroit.