NBA Notes: Warriors, possible targets Knicks, Sixers, LeBron James

Warriors

The Warriors missed out on Klay Thompson and DeMar DeRozan, so now the question is what comes next.

Joey Akeley of NBA On SI floated several possibilities for head of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr., including free agent guard Brandon Williams and veteran forward Georges Niang.

Williams could make some sense as a younger backup point guard. He’s only 26 and has reportedly drawn interest from Golden State, although his inconsistent outside shooting could complicate lineup combinations with Draymond Green.

Niang would bring something different. The veteran forward has long been a reliable floor-spacer and could give the Warriors another option at the three and four spots.

Golden State still has two standard roster spots open, so there is room to add.

The Warriors could also reshuffle their two-way contracts, with Graham Ike and Lajae Jones among the younger players who could push for spots.

None of these moves would qualify as splashy. At this point, though, the Warriors may simply be looking for useful pieces who fit.

Knicks

The Knicks still need another center. This much they know.

Joseph Randazzo of Knicks On SI suggests free agent Keshad Johnson could at least be worth a look in training camp.

Johnson, 24, is best known for winning last season’s Slam Dunk Contest, but there’s more to him than that. In limited NBA minutes with Miami, he showed flashes as a rebounder, defender and above-the-rim finisher.

New York already has Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond, but the depth behind them is thin after Mitchell Robinson’s departure.

Johnson isn’t likely to suddenly become a major rotation piece. But for a third-center job? You could do worse than bringing him in and seeing what happens.

76ers

The 76ers are built to win now with LeBron James. Three years from now could look considerably different.

Stephen Noh of Sporting News ranked Philadelphia 14th in his projection of NBA teams for the 2029-30 season, largely because James is unlikely to still be playing and Joel Embiid may no longer be part of the picture.

That would leave the Sixers potentially building around Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.

Not exactly a bad place to start. But it would also be an expensive core, and Philadelphia would have to continue finding young, affordable contributors around it.

So yes, the LeBron window is short. The post-LeBron plan may still be pretty interesting.

MORE HOOPS | NBA free agents by position