Not all is perfect in paradise. Patrick McCaw let the Warriors’ 1-year, $1.7 million qualifying offer expire on Monday, and reportedly also declined a 2-year, $4 million deal from Golden State. McCaw will remain a restricted free agent — the Warriors are not willing to renounce their rights at this point — but, as such, remains in limbo.
Patrick McCaw wants more than the Warriors can give him
We have that and more in Tuesday’s NBA newsletter.
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
If McCaw wanted a chance to prove himself worthy of more — both salary and minutes — the easiest path was to convince the Warriors to cut him loose. That hasn’t worked.
Because McCaw has just two years in the NBA, had he signed the qualifying offer, he’d be a restricted free agent again next year. Plus, there’s no guarantee he’d get many minutes this season — his use by Steve Kerr fell in 2017-18 compared to his rookie 2016-17 season, despite more injuries among the players McCaw backs up the more recent campaign.
McCaw’s situation is a reminder that stable, unprecedented success isn’t perfect for everyone on the roster. McCaw is young and wants a chance. He feels trapped on the Warriors right now — consigned to a meager (by NBA standards) salary and very limited role. He wasn’t able to convince another team to make a heftier offer to pry him free. He still could — the Kings are right down the road with cap space to burn and an imbalanced roster. (This would probably have to wait on the Jimmy Butler saga to be resolved.)
It’s hard to fault McCaw for wanting more for himself. It’s hard to fault the Warriors for being unable to give it. Restricted free agency is rough.
Schedule check
NBA on TNT alert!
Cavaliers at Celtics, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Nuggets at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
League Pass options include:
Heat-Hornets at 7, Grizzlies-Rockets at 8, Raptors-Jazz at 9.
Links galore
Kyrie Irving apologized to science teachers for spreading Flat Earth conspiracy theories. Real glad he came around.
Chris Dudley, a retired NBA journeyman most notable for having the fourth worst free-throw percentage ever for any player with 1,500 career attempts, is now adjacent to the center of the storm over the nomination of fellow Yalie and old friend to the Supreme Court of the United States. Why? Dudley and nominee Brett Kavanaugh were reportedly in a bar fight after a UB40 concert allegedly started by the judge. (The fight, not the concert, was allegedly started by Kavanaugh. The UB40 concert was probably started by “Red Red Wine.”) The 1985 police report says Dudley threw a glass that hit a man’s ear during the incident. The question becomes how many attempts Dudley had to achieve that. Did you know Dudley once missed five free throws on one trip to line?
Part 1 of Zach Lowe’s League Pass rankings. I disagree on the Hawks — I can’t wait to devote my body to watching Trae Young for at least three weeks before probably giving up because the heart can only take so many losses.
I wrote about why Jimmy Butler isn’t playing during this saga.
Bill Oram explains in The Athletic why the Lakers aren’t rushing Lonzo Ball back. In other Ball family news, potential future federal judge Lamelo got ejected from a JBA game for slapping a Lithuanian. What’s that, he got ejected from a game in the league his dad created? Achievement unlocked.
Caitlin Cooper on the infamous Pacers team photo — you know the one! — that changed the course of the franchise.
Tom Haberstroh on the perils of social media addiction in the NBA and everywhere. Fascinating. I feel like I should also note Tommy H. tweeted about the story 14 times in 24 hours. Break the cycle!
If you put a basketball, a Migos song, and a Supreme bumper sticker into a blender, you’d get this Terry Rozier quote.
And finally: Ron Baker uses saliva to get his contact lense back into his eye. No, Ron Baker. Absolutely not.
Be excellent to each other.
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