In today’s Dub Hub:
- Draymond Green guarantees a Warriors championship after offseason workout with Jimmy Butler.
- Gary Payton II helps launch a new skateboard league, per ESPN.
- Former NBA guard Jeremy Lin officially announces his retirement from basketball.
It’s still the offseason, and the Golden State Warriors have yet to sign a single player, yet Draymond Green is already talking titles.
The Warriors forward was spotted working out in Los Angeles with teammate Jimmy Butler, a session that was later shared on Butler’s Instagram. Green ended the video in classic Draymond fashion with a bold guarantee: the Warriors are winning the championship this year.
It’s a message that comes as Golden State enters a pivotal season. Stephen Curry is heading into his 17th year and Butler is set for his first full season with the team. Green’s declaration sets the tone for the year, and even Curry couldn’t resist cosigning the moment.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Tuesday, September 2nd:
Warriors News:
NBA Summer Forecast 2025-26: Who could exceed, fall short of predictions? | ESPN
This pick is a bet on the evolution of the Stephen Curry–Jimmy Butler III partnership. Amid all the Butler drama from last season, Golden State went 22-5 in the 27 games Curry and Butler played together. Yes, there’s plenty of age and injury risk (including the eventual additions of Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II, all of whom seem set to join Golden State once the Kuminga situation is sorted out).
But as long as Curry, Butler and Draymond Green are relatively healthy, this feels like a good bet to go over.
Gary Payton II gets into the action game as skateboard league founder | ESPN
“Growing up, I always wanted to be a skateboarder. The skate park was right next to the basketball court,” he said. “I’d skate there with my friends and they’d skate the park and I’d hoop.”
When his partners proposed the league, “I was like, ‘Why hasn’t there been a professional league like the NFL, NBA or NHL for skateboarding?'” Payton said. “‘Let’s change the sports game and the skateboard game.'”
Steph Curry’s ‘alternate universe’ as youth basketball coach still a possibility | NBC Sports Bay Area
Coaching high school basketball also is something he says would have been an incredibly fulfilling life. What about coaching, at any level, in the future? Never say never.
“I mean, anything is possible,” Curry said. “Who knows what the future holds. But the idea of yeah, that alternate universe, I would have been happy as hell to be a high school coach, knowing how important that presence is for kids. Everybody has a role to play. I took a different path.”
First in 40: The Story of the 2014-15 Warriors | Ep. 4 – Golden
Steph Curry earns a spot in the NBA’s Top 100 plays from last season
NBA News:
Timing perfect again for Dwight Howard as he soars into Hall of Fame | NBA
But most of all, and the reason he’ll be inducted Saturday into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Howard took advantage of the situation before the door slammed shut. He wasn’t a farce, unlike some highly touted talents. Instead, he was a force, especially on defense, where he distanced himself from the peers of his generation.
Eight-time All-NBA, three-time Kia Defensive Player of the Year, a five-time rebounding champion, a two-time blocked shot leader — all accomplished by the time he turned 28.
Ranking the NBA’s top 40 wings, plus Suns owner’s amazing tweet | The Athletic
I think it’s pretty obvious to have LeBron, KD and Kawhi — the youngest of the three at 34 — in their own tier. I did contemplate including Butler in that tier because of how impactful he’s been for years, but decided to not quite put him with the three sure-fire Hall of Famers. Brown will have a massive season ahead of him with Tatum recovering from his Achilles injury. It will also be interesting to see how PG comes back from missing so much time last year.
Jeremy Lin announces his retirement from basketball
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
Should the Warriors just offer Jonathan Kuminga more money?
So why don’t they simply offer him more money, or at least the security he’s craving? Keep the financial terms, but tack on a third year and remove the team options. Would it really be so bad to re-sign Kuminga for three years and $70 million without any way out? The Dubs aren’t going to have financial flexibility anytime soon anyway, so the only one really hurt by an overpay is Joe Lacob, who is probably the highest on Kuminga of anyone in the front office.
Follow @unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
