Dub Hub: Warriors reportedly have Lauri Markkanen as their ‘number one’ trade target

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Wednesday, July 3rd.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole says Warriors have Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen as their “number one” trade target, during an interview on 95.7 The Game.
• Draymond Green reacts to Klay Thompson’s decision to leave the Warriors on the latest episode of The Draymond Green Show.
• Cavaliers and guard Donovan Mitchell agree to a three-year, $150.3 million contract extension, per ESPN.

After losing both Klay Thompson and Chris Paul in free agency, the Golden State Warriors bounced back nicely with the reported additions of De’Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson, and Buddy Hield. While these acquisitions bolster the roster with solid role players, they don’t address the Warriors’ most pressing need: a reliable secondary scoring threat to support Steph Curry.

This is what makes Golden State’s reported interest in Utah Jazz standout Lauri Markkanen particularly compelling. During an interview on 95.7 The Game, Warriors insider Monte Poole revealed that the team has identified the Jazz big man as their “number one” trade target this offseason.

Markkanen checks a lot of boxes for the Warriors. Listed at seven-foot while shooting 40% from deep, he immediately adds size and shooting to the team’s starting front court making him the perfect complement to Draymond Green. Meanwhile, his 23.2 points per game last season and his proficiency in off-ball play make him a dependable secondary scorer, poised to alleviate Curry’s offensive burden while seamlessly integrating into the flow of Steve Kerr’s motion offense.

Having said all that, acquiring a player of Markkanen’s caliber won’t come cheap. It will likely require multiple future first-round picks and the inclusion of several of Golden State’s young core players. However, the potential payoff might justify the hefty price tag, as Markkanen could be the key to reopening the Warriors’ championship window.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Wednesday, July 3rd:

Warriors News:

Lauri Markkanen is reportedly the Warriors’ ‘number one target’

How Klay Thompson’s 13-year run with the Warriors splintered so unceremoniously | The Athletic

It’s been a layered five-year path to this divorce, splintering last season, sprouting earlier and finalizing in the last couple weeks, where —among the conversations Thompson had, league sources said — was a request of Stephen Curry not to exert his significant organizational influence and up the temperature with management to ensure Thompson’s return. Curry’s measured voice, even if it altered the outcome, wouldn’t change the genuineness of Joe Lacob and the front office’s true desire to have Thompson back.

Inside the Paul George free agency showdown: How the Sixers landed the nine-time All-Star | ESPN

The Warriors offered multiple combinations of expiring contracts, young players and an unprotected 2027 first-round pick, sources said. The Clippers countered by asking for prized youngster Jonathan Kuminga, sources said. The Warriors resisted because Kuminga is so important to their own future, sources said, but also because they worried George wouldn’t be as interested in joining them if they gave up too much to get him.

At several points, it seemed the teams might reach a deal as talks took place at both the ownership and executive levels. But they never found common ground on the financial implications for the Clippers. As they did with George, sources said LA held firm on not taking back contracts that would land it over the second apron unless there were compelling reasons to do so.

Steph Curry’s biggest doubter has now finally killed the Warriors | SF Gate

Lacob and his crew seem to think their brand will save them when Curry is gone, but he couldn’t be more cosmically incorrect. There is no brand without Curry. The years here will be lean — and sooner than later. Maybe the decades. We’ve been there before.

Make no mistake: What we are witnessing in real time is the absolute eradication of the Light Years mythology, the rending of Warriors exceptionalism. From one standpoint: Great! It was this old-fashioned hubris cloaked in Silicon Valley venture-capital brain that helped drag Golden State to this new brink. A team that once “broke basketball” is now preparing itself for life in a Sisyphean pit of its own design while both allies and enemies crow about the chickens decisively coming home to roost. On the other hand, it’s also what the ancient Greeks called “a real bummer” to witness the team you care about (particularly a team with a still-productive-despite-everything top-10 player in Curry!) sputter to the finish line, and to do it in such shabby fashion, staining by far the most successful era in Warriors history with an undignified final act, a sour taste the Bay Area will remember for a good long while.

Draymond Green reacts to Klay Thompson leaving the Warriors

NBA News:

Sources: Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers agree to 3-year, $150.3M extension | ESPN

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell has agreed on a three-year, $150.3 million maximum contract extension that includes a player option for the 2027-28 season, sources told ESPN.

The deal delivers the Cavaliers the stability of having their franchise player under contract beyond next season. For Mitchell, it delivers a guaranteed four years, $185 million total now and a chance to reach the league’s 10-year service criteria that would allow him to pursue a five-year extension worth more than $380 million in 2027.

While the NBA sifts through free agency, the Rockets play waiting game | The Athletic

At this stage, it’s unlikely either Şengün or Green receive max rookie extensions — both are eligible for a five-year deal worth up to $224.2 million, per The Athletic’s salary cap expert Danny LeRoux. Houston has had conversations with both camps concerning an extension and will continue dialogue during the offseason, but the chances of either player inking an agreement in the realm of fellow 2021 draftees Cade Cunningham ($236 million) or Scottie Barnes (potentially up to $270 million) are slim. It’s more likely the Rockets revisit this next year, unless there is an agreement that benefits both sides.

Second-round rookie Bronny James signs a multi-year guaranteed contract with the Lakers

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Warriors get small return for Klay Thompson

The other non-prize is a conditional second-round pick in the 2025 draft, the lesser of the picks held by the Denver Nuggets and the Philadelphia 76ers. There’s a non-zero chance those two teams have two of the best records in the league, meaning this could be one of the last picks of the second round. Golden State did find Trayce Jackson-Davis in one of those picks, so you never know, but the success rate for No. 57 overall picks is not high.

Still, it’s better than losing Thompson for nothing. It’s also very similar to losing Thompson for nothing.

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