Dub Hub: Suns GM James Jones says they can be the first team to 'maximize Kevin Durant'

03/05/2024 18:30

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Friday, May 3rd.

In today's Dub Hub:

• Suns GM James Jones claims Phoenix can be the first team to 'maximize Kevin Durant'
• Lebron James and JJ Redick discuss the nuances of guarding a Steph Curry pick-and roll on the latest episode of the Mind the Game Podcast
• Pacers eliminate Bucks after 120-98 victory in Game 6

Phoenix Suns general manager James Jones recently held his end of season press conference, reflecting on the year following the team getting swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the First Round of the playoffs. Among the topics discussed was the emphasis on building around superstar forward Kevin Durant. Jones believes Phoenix can be the first team to 'maximize' the talents of the 14-time All-Star.

Of course, Durant infamously "ruined the NBA" by joining the Golden State Warriors as they dominated the league from 2016-2019. His first year with the Dubs resulted in a championship as he averaged an absurd 35.2 points per game on 55.6 percent shooting from the field during the 2017 NBA Finals.

Overall, Durant finished his Warriors career with three-straight Finals appearances, winning two of them while also being named Finals MVP in each year.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Friday, May 3rd:

Warriors News:

Suns GM oddly claims Phoenix can be first team to maximize KD's talent | NBC Sports Bay Area

While addressing local media in Phoenix on Wednesday, Jones explained how the Suns' focus moving forward will be maximizing Durant, before boldly claiming he believes they can be the first team to do so.

"A constant focus for us is to continue how to figure out and maximize Kevin Durant," Jones told reporters. "No one has done it yet. I believe we'll be the first team to do it." (h/t azcentral's Duane Rankin)

The Point Forward podcast — which is co-hosted by Durant's former Warriors teammate Andre Iguodala — seemed to clap back at Jones' comments with a post on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

Warriors TV broadcast team rated as worst in NBA by national fan poll | SF Gate

Sports media blog Awful Announcing published a ranking of all 30 broadcast teams around the NBA on Wednesday based on a poll of hundreds of fans. Participants assigned teams grades of A through F (skipping E). Coming in at dead last was the Golden State duo. Of the 562 fans that graded Fitzgerald and Azubuike, nearly 60% gave them an F, by far the highest proportion of any broadcast team, and their GPA was 0.91. For context, only two other teams broke the 30% barrier of F's: the Philadelphia 76ers (ranked No. 29, 37.26% F) and the Boston Celtics (ranked No. 27, 35.27% F).

Warriors 2024 Offseason Guide | NBA

MAY 12: NBA DRAFT LOTTERY

On May 12, the Warriors will find out the status of their potential first-round draft pick. The Warriors' 2024 First Round pick is top-4 protected, meaning it will go to the Portland Trail Blazers unless it lands in the top-4. The Dubs have the lowest odds of getting the first pick among lottery teams (0.7%) and the pick is currently projected to be the 14th overall selection. They initially traded this pick to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Andre Iguodala trade on July 7, in which they received forward Julian Washburn and a trade exception that allowed them to bring in additional salary in another transaction.

Warriors' Most Realistic Trade Targets in 2024 Offseason | Bleacher Report

Are we pushing the boundaries of realism by including Lauri Markkanen here? Perhaps. The Jazz could absolutely align their future to his with a massive contract extension this offseason.

But will this team—a lottery participant during each of his first two seasons in Salt Lake City—be good enough quickly enough to capitalize on the soon-to-be 27-year-old's prime? The fact that question isn't easily answered in the affirmative is the reason it feels somewhat safe to speculate on his future.

If nothing else, Golden State isn't out anything by making a phone call. And with a formidable package built around draft picks (perhaps two firsts and up to four swaps) and young players (Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziesmki, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Moses Moody) to offer, the Warriors have enough to at least get a dialogue going.

LeBron James and JJ Redick explain the challenges of defending a Steph Curry pick-and-roll

NBA News:

2024 NBA playoffs: A blockbuster trade and coaching changes deliver another first-round exit in Milwaukee | ESPN

The Bucks dipped into their future last season to acquire Lillard and are projected to pay the luxury tax for a fifth straight season, limiting the team's options going forward. The Bucks can trade their 2024 and 2031 first-round picks starting on the night of the draft. However, with such a small sample of seeing their best players healthy and on the court under Rivers, it's unlikely the front office will make major changes to the roster despite a second straight first-round exit.

Lakers planning to move on from head coach Darvin Ham 'likely by the end of the week' according to The Athletic's Jovan Buha

Bulls' Alex Caruso wins NBA Hustle Award

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Draymond Green just had a career high for three-point accuracy

If I asked you what you would take away from this past season from Draymond Green, I can imagine a couple responses.

You might start with the fact that he was suspended for hella long (12-game suspension) for doing unsportsmanlike conduct on the court.

You could also go with his leadership helping the Golden State Warriors to a 33-22 record in games he played.

You could also talk about him keeping up his award winning podcast, "The Draymond Green Show" throughout the season to expand his portfolio of telecommunications greatness.

But what about this: Green just had the best three-point shooting season of his professional career!

A tweet to end the week:

Follow@unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.