The Warriors added two more names to training camp on Friday, signing guard Nick Boyd and forward Elias Ralph, according to Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot.
Boyd’s path to this point has been a busy one. He logged seven games with Golden State in summer league and put up 9.0 points per game, and Rory Maher of Hoops Rumors noted he had been on a tentative Exhibit 10 contract before the deal became official. The 6-foot-3 guard spent six years in college and peaked in his final season at Wisconsin, where he averaged 20.7 points and 4.3 assists.
Ralph also comes in after a summer league look, though his came with Sacramento. He appeared in two games for the Kings and averaged 2.5 points per game.
The 6-foot-7 forward is 22 and took a long college route of his own, spending three seasons at the University of Victoria in Canada before transferring to Pacific for two years. In his final season, he averaged 16.7 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 40.9 percent from three.
Golden State also moved on from Jacksen Moni on Friday, a step that was expected after the 6-foot-10 forward signed an Exhibit-10 contract. If Moni remains with the Santa Cruz Warriors for 60 days, he’ll get a $91,000 bonus.
Boyd enters a crowded backcourt picture. Santa Cruz is expected to feature LJ Cryer, who is on a two-way contract, along with Deivon Smith at point guard and Chance McMillian at shooting guard, so Boyd may not jump right into a major role.
Still, the rookie has a résumé that gives him a chance to stand out. He finished third in Big Ten scoring last season and showed off his scoring range with a 38-point burst against Illinois in the Big Ten tournament semifinals.
That leaves Boyd and Ralph trying to work their way into the mix while the bigger two-way battles take shape elsewhere. The Warriors are believed to have four main contenders for three two-way spots in Cryer, Malevy Leons, Lajae Jones and Graham Ike, making it unlikely Boyd or Ralph will factor into that competition over the next few weeks.
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Brandin Podziemski Just Made The Warriors Next Cap Decision Tougher
The market for young guards just got a little more interesting for Golden State, with the Jazz and Heat setting new extension benchmarks for Keyonte George and Pelle Larsson. For the Warriors, those deals matter beyond the box score columns they produced elsewhere, because Brandin Podziemski sits right in the middle of the teams next financial decision and the price of keeping a promising backcourt piece is only getting clearer.
Podziemskis situation now has a little more leverage attached to it, even before Golden State has to make its final call. If the front office wants to keep its books flexible, the path could be to let the process play out longer and see where the market lands, which only raises the stakes around how the Warriors handle a player they clearly value. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Free Agency Plan Is Suddenly Looking Much Tougher
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Golden State still has its own business to sort out first, with Brandin Podziemski needing a new contract decision of his own. If the Warriors were hoping for a deep class of restricted free agents to help shape the offseason, the pool is looking more limited by the week, which may push them toward a different lane entirely. Veterans with player options now look like a more realistic place to hunt, even if that route comes with its own risks and costs. [Read more 🡒]
Steph Curry Just Put One Huge Warriors Question Back In Focus
LeBron James move out of Los Angeles this summer inevitably brought up the familiar star-player question around the NBA: when a legend has given so much to one franchise, is there ever real curiosity about a final chapter somewhere else? Steph Curry was asked about that kind of free-agency path, and his answer came with the kind of clarity Warriors fans have come to expect. He said he intends to stay in Golden State, where he has spent his entire 17-season career, won four championships and collected two MVP awards.
Even with that commitment on the record, the conversation around Curry is not going away anytime soon, because his future now sits at an interesting crossroads for the franchise. He is eligible for a new extension, which only sharpens the focus on how long the Warriors can keep their defining player in place and how the next phase of this partnership gets handled. For a team built around Currys presence, the question is no longer whether he has earned that kind of loyalty. It is how the Warriors turn that loyalty into the next decision. [Read more 🡒]