Golden State

Warriors

Kerr was very complimentary of TJD, who slipped to the Warriors at pick No. 57 in the draft. Not many second round players are able to carve out roles on contenders in year one, but Jackson-Davis was excellent through four years at Indiana. He should be capable of filling a role for them, even if it isn’t large enough for him to make a fantasy impact for most of his first year in the NBA.

With the addition of Chris Paul to the roster, there have been questions about which five players will start once the season begins. Kevon Looney has been assumed by many to be the odd man out should Kerr decide to start Paul, but the head coach made it clear that he has yet to decide. “We basically have six starters, in the way I look at it,” Kerr said. “I haven’t decided yet what we’re going to do. I want to see [in] training camp...we’re going to try different combinations and take a look. Obviously, all six guys are going to play a lot of minutes for us. But, if this is going to work, then everybody has to embrace it, regardless of who’s starting and who’s not. It only works if the whole team buys in.” When asked about potential lineups during the summer, Paul said that he (and the reporter asking the question) didn’t know what was going to happen. While the Warriors had some moments of success playing small, there were also times when Looney’s absence exposed them defensively and on the boards. Paul’s fantasy value may take the bigger hit if he’s asked to come off the bench, but both will play enough to merit being rostered in all leagues.

McGruder has spent the last three seasons playing a minimal role for the Pistons. Now, he’ll have a chance to earn a spot on the Warriors in training camp. Since McGruder won’t be playing much of a role if he makes the team, the more interesting story here is if there will be any notable interactions with Klay Thompson, after Thompson dissed McGruder while participating in a broadcast during his extended injury absence.

Spears clarified that this is based on what he’s hearing, not his opinion. If CP3 were to start, he would likely only play in short spurts, according to Spears. This would likely mean that Kevon Looney is coming off the bench, though he would still play a large role. Nothing has been explicitly stated, and this is based off Spears’ interpretation of his sources. There’s no guarantee that he starts, and there should be more rumors as the season approaches.

Croatia’s chances of qualifying for next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris were kept alive on Sunday as they managed to knock off Turkey in Istanbul. And Saric led the way, showing off a versatile offensive repertoire. He’s close to two years removed from the ACL tear that he suffered during the 2021 NBA Finals and appears to be a solid fit for the Warriors’ offensive system. Saric will definitely merit consideration as a late-round pick in fantasy leagues come draft time.

When it looked like Iguodala was ready to retire last summer, Golden State actively recruited him to return for one more season. Dunleavy has made it clear that they would welcome him back, but they haven’t been in constant communication with him. If he doesn’t return, he’ll likely be retiring and calling it a career after two decades in the NBA.

Quinones will be back with the Warriors for another season, and this transaction leaves the team with two available two-way contract slots. Undrafted out of Memphis in 2022, Quinones was one of the best performers at Summer League earlier this month. While he could get some playing time on the back end of the rotation, that’s unlikely to make Quinones a player worth rostering in fantasy leagues.

A first-round pick of the Clippers in 2018, Robinson camped with the Warriors last fall but was cut before the start of the season. Spending last season with the Warriors’ G League affiliate, Robinson appeared in 24 games and averaged 14.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.8 3-pointers in 29.2 minutes. While he will get the opportunity to compete for a roster spot, Robinson is highly unlikely to impact fantasy basketball next season.

Jackson-Davis only played in two games in Las Vegas, performing well in both. The second appearance was better than the first in that TJD was more efficient offensively while recording a double-double. Given the Warriors’ salary cap situation, there’s a real chance that Jackson-Davis will play rotation minutes as a rookie. That would make him worthy of a roll of the dice in deeper leagues, even with the Warriors signing Dario Saric in free agency.

Quinones, who played 32 minutes, had a very good summer despite the Warriors losing all five of their games in Las Vegas. The Warriors did take the step of extending him a qualifying offer in late June, making Quinones a restricted free agent. Given how well he played in two summer leagues, it’s a good thing that the Warriors did. None of the team’s two-way slots have been filled, so keep an eye on Quinones in the coming days.