In today's NBA rumors, the Warriors might be preparing for Steve Kerr's departure, Trae Young has burned his Team USA bridges and Pascal Siakam will be traded.
We're in the depths of the offseason but deep-cut coaching changes, the FIBA World Cup and Team USA shenanigans, along with some longshot trade chatter give us plenty of NBA rumors to keep playing with. Here's the latest for today:
NBA rumors: Have the Golden State Warriors already found their Steve Kerr replacement?
After a season full of rumors about trades and free-agent scenarios, the Warriors ended up inking Draymond Green to an extension, locking in their long-time core for at least another season. Klay Thompson will be a free agent next season but is extension eligible and seems likely to re-up at least through the 2025-26 season, the final year on Steph Curry's current deal.
The other key piece of the Warriors' core is Steve Kerr, whose current contract reportedly ends after this season. Kerr's coaching staff has been defined by continuity — assistants Ron Adams, Bruce Fraser and Chris DeMarco have all be there for at least eight seasons. Kenny Atkinson, former Nets head coach and always a favorite hypothetical candidate for new openings, has been there for three years.
The organization loves internal candidates — replacing general manager Bob Myers with longtime player and executive Mike Dunleavy for example. And so it's at least interesting to see that Kerr's son, Nick, is moving from the video room to the head coach of the team's G League franchise, the Santa Cruz Warriors.
If Steve Kerr does step away from the Warriors at the end of next season, Atkinson would the most obvious candidate to replace him. But grooming his son for an NBA coaching role somewhere down the line certainly fits their template.
NBA rumors: Trae Young already burned his Team USA bridges
Team USA will be attempting a run to a FIBA World Cup title with a roster heavy on NBA role players. The biggest names often sit out World Cup years, saving their energy for Olympic summers but this roster, headlined by Anthony Edwards and Jalen Brunson, seems decidedly short on flash and star power.
Trae Young is not on the roster and in a recent appearance on Gilbert Arenas' podcast he made clear that this was not because he wasn't interested, it's because he wasn't invited:
"I would love to play with guys and show off my passing and not have to go out and score a lot and just be there if they need me to. I'd be happy to, obviously, I'd love to play, but I respect the OGs and understand you need to take your turn, but I believe that I should be on there."
Young has been a part of Team USA just once before, winning a gold medal with the team during the 2016 U18 Americas Championship. This was before his freshman season in college and he was on a roster loaded with future NBA talents — Mo Bamba, Markelle Fultz, Jarrett Allen, Hamidou Diallo, Kevin Huerter, Michael Porter Jr. and P.J. Washington.
He didn't really stand out among all that talent, shooting 7-of-34 from the field and 5-of-21 from beyond the arc, with just 16 assists across five games. And, according to Tim McMahon on a recent episode of the Hoop Collective podcast, that previous tournament may have been why he hasn't gotten another chance: "I also heard at one point a question was presented to Trae Young something along the lines of 'Are you ever going to go over a bleeping screen?'"
Young is an NBA star but clearly functions best in a situation with massive offensive responsibility and a roster built around his skills. Effort aside, the collaborative environment of Team USA doesn't seem like it would play to his strengths. His burgeoning reputation as an unpleasant teammate certainly isn't helping his case either. And, sevenish years after the question was asked — no, he still hasn't gone over a single bleeping screen.
NBA rumors: Pascal Siakam WILL be traded … eventually
The Toronto Raptors have resisted every urge to blow up their core, holding steady through last season's trade deadline and this offseason. They did lose Fred VanVleet but they also re-signed Jakob Poeltl, saw Gary Trent Jr. pick up his player option and resists trade offers for both OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. That trade offers for the latter, reportedly included an offer of De'Andre Hunter, A.J. Griffin and draft compensation from the Atlanta Hawks.
However, NBA insider Mark Medina has said he thinks a Siakam trade is "inevitable" even if the Hawks aren't the ultimate destination. Medina did acknowledge that the timing of that trade is up in the air.
One of the complicating factors is that Siakam's current deal is up at the end of this season and he and the Raptors haven't yet come to terms on an extension. If that doesn't get worked out, the Raptors would need to seriously consider trading him to avoid losing him for nothing at the deadline.
For his part, Shams Charania has said that it's unlikely Siakam gets traded before the beginning of the season and he could stay in Toronto through the deadline even if he hasn't signed an extension yet.
