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The Golden State Warriors’ new general manager, Mike Donlevy Jr., told the media a month ago that the team was keeping Jordan Ball for another four years. A few days later, Paul was sent to the Washington Wizards to bring in veteran guard Chris Paul.
NBA insider Keith Smith reportedly had a source within the Dubs camp who said this:
“The only decision was to re-sign Draymond (Green). We would never have broken heart. They were so successful and we won the title two seasons ago. Why are we taking this group out now?”
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Dunlevy’s first few weeks as general manager couldn’t have been more challenging. Besides the Jordan Paul situation, he also had to deal with Draymond Green by choice from the last year of his contract. The former Defensive Player of the Year became an unrestricted free agent.
The Golden State Warriors and Green were reportedly interested in a reunion with “Dray” looking for more years on his contract. Mike Dunleavy Jr. had to contend with a sky-high payroll and luxury tax bill even before he could resign from Green.
In the end, he replaced Paul to get more wiggle room in the salary cap and remove the elephant in the room. Green’s hit for “JP” just before the start of the season shattered the team and prevented them from achieving their potential as the season progressed.
Draymond Green was convinced the team could not overcome this incident. Steve Kerr, in his exit interview after the Lakers were eliminated in the playoffs, said the same thing.
Between Jordan Ball and Green, Mike Donleavy Jr. chose to keep the Golden State Warriors’ fiery captain.
Here is Keith Smith’s full report
Branden Budzimski could take over the Jordan Bull role in the Golden State Warriors lineup
The Golden State Warriors drafted Branden Budzimski out of STA. Clara as their first (19th) pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. They were hopeful in his defense and hustle and drive. It also didn’t hurt that he shot 43.8% of his attempts from deep in his sophomore year of college.
Jordan Ball Splash made it one of the best shooters in the NBA. But once his shooting got bad, he became almost unplayable due to his poor defense. Steve Kerr barely gave him minutes in the playoffs, especially against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Keith Smith asked this reporting on his contact within the Warriors camp about the rookie:
“Branden (Podziemski) didn’t shoot well, but he did everything else. He’s a smart, powerful, versatile player.”
Podziemski shot just 26.3%, including 21.7% of his triple doubles. The Golden State Warriors are confident they will regain their shooting touch as they adapt more to the NBA. However, his defense and hustle can make him a huge part of the team’s rotation.
Also read: Steve Curry admits it was tough seeing Jordan Paul leave but excited to play with Chris Paul – ‘We’re trying to win next year’
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