NBA News Roundup: Golden State Warriors steal the show at the ESPY awards, League fines Dubs owner Joe Lacob for discussing the CBA, and more - July 21st, 2022
The sports world wrapped up the 2022 ESPY awards and the Golden State Warriors stole the show at the ceremony. There were athletes from almost every sport at the event but the NBA dominated with host Stephen Curry leading the charge.
There have been a few signings and trades in the league this week, with the Warriors leading the way in that category as well. Let's take a look at a few news stories from around the NBA in the last 24 hours.
JaMychal Green joining the Warriors after clearing waivers with OKC Thunder
JaMychal Green was traded to the OKC Thunder by the Denver Nuggets this offseason. As the Thunder are rebuilding, they have no use for a 32-year-old Green.
He is reportedly working out a buyout agreement with the Thunder. Green intends to sign with the reigning champions Golden State Warriors after clearing the waivers.
Forward JaMychal Green is finalizing a contract buyout with the Oklahoma City Thunder and plans to sign with the Golden State Warriors after he clears waivers, his agent Michael Hodges told @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Reigning two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic once said of JaMychal Green:
"I'd like to play with him for the rest of my life."
He hit some critical threes during the Nuggets' first-round battle with the Warriors and will now join the Bay Area franchise soon.
Miles Bridges plead "not guilty" to three felony domestic abuse charges
Miles Bridges was the Charlotte Hornets' leading scorer last season and the franchise extended him a qualifying offer this summer. He was arrested on June 29th by Los Angeles police and released on a $130,000 bond.
As reported by ESPN's Baxter Holmes, Bridges is accused of assaulting his girlfriend in front of their two children. Three felony charges were filed against him by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon.
As per Holmes, Bridges has pleaded not guilty to the charges and a date for a preliminary hearing is slated to be scheduled on August 19th.
Miles Bridges pleads not guilty to domestic violence charges; next court appointment is scheduled for Aug. 19: espn.com/nba/story/_/id…
Golden State Warriors win four awards at the 2022 ESPYs
The Golden State Warriors not only won awards but were part of the main ceremony as Stephen Curry hosted the event.
He joked about several players, including his teammates, as millions around the world celebrated the Warriors' successful season. The Dubs won four of the five total nominations at the 2022 ESPYs including the coveted "Best Team" award, aka. "Team of the Year."
Klay Thompson won the "Best Comeback Player" award after returning from two gruesome injuries. Finally, Stephen Curry won two awards - "Best Record-Breaking Performance", for capturing the NBA's All-time three-point record, and "Best NBA Player."
Congrats to the @warriors on four awards at the 2022 ESPYs last night... including Steph's Best Record-Breaking Performance/Best NBA Player , Klay's Best Comeback Athlete, and 2022 ESPYS Best Team.
Here's to celebrating the best with the best, #DubNation https://t.co/JKzAbcCe0t
Mac McClung earns himself a 1-year deal with the Warriors after strong performances in Las Vegas
Former LA Laker Mac McClung earned himself a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors. He has technically earned an invitation to training camp and his deal is non-guaranteed. If he performs well in camp, then his one-year deal will be in effect.
Guard Mac McClung has agreed on a one-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, his agent Dan Poneman of @beyond_am told @TheAthletic @Stadium. McClung averaged 13.4 points and 4.8 assists in summer league for the Warriors.
As reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania, this isn't a two-way or Exhibit 10 deal yet, which means he can easily be cut before the season begins.
An Exhibit 10 clause allows him to be part of a two-way deal or get an NBA G-League bonus. An Exhibit 9 clause gives him injury protection.
Mac McClung either wants to make the 15-man roster out of training camp or be cut.
NBA fines Warriors owner Joe Lacob for calling the league's luxury tax system "very unfair"
The NBA levied a lavish fine on owner Joe Lacob for speaking against the luxury tax system of the league. Fans are accustomed to seeing fines like $25,000 or $50,000 but the league found Lacob's act so egregious that they fined him half a million dollars.
He discussed the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement, calling the luxury tax system "very unfair". He also spoke about how there is an element of "checkbook winning" against the Dubs.
ESPN Sources: The NBA has fined Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob $500,000 for his recent comments on the Point Forward Podcast discussing the league’s collective bargaining talks, which included Lacob describing the league’s luxury tax system as “very unfair.”
Lacob made those comments on the Point Forward Podcast hosted by Andre Iguodala, saying:
"The hardest thing of all is navigating this luxury tax, unfortunately…right now, there's a certain element out there that believes we 'checkbook win'…We're $200 million over in total because most of that is this incredible penal luxury tax.
"And what I consider to be unfair and I'm going to say it on this podcast and I hope it gets back to whoever is listening. Obviously, it's self-serving for me to say this, but I think it's a very unfair system because our team is built by…all top eight players are all drafted by this team."
The Warriors have drafted most of their players and have developed them into star talents. Hence, they believe paying such a massive luxury tax bill is unfair as they don't acquire star players in free agency or trades.