NBA Rumors: Warriors, Georges Niang, Heat, Nick Richards, Clippers

Warriors

The Warriors’ next move could be another familiar name, at least to the organization.

NBA insider Jake Fischer reports that he and Marc Stein continue to hear a reunion with Georges Niang is “in the Warriors’ offseason plans.”

Reunion requires a little explaining. Niang has never actually played for the Warriors, but he did spend time with their G League affiliate during the 2017-18 season.

The 33-year-old forward missed all of last season, largely because of a foot injury suffered before training camp. Before that, Niang had established himself as one of the league’s more dependable floor-spacing forwards, shooting 39.9 percent from 3-point range over nine NBA seasons.

Golden State just agreed to a one-year deal with Brandon Williams, who is expected to occupy the 14th spot on the standard roster. That leaves one opening if the Warriors follow through on plans to carry 15 players.

Given Niang’s lost season, a minimum deal with limited guarantees could make sense for both sides.

Heat

The Heat have two standard roster spots remaining, and Nick Richards continues to look like one of the leading candidates for one of them.

Marc Stein of The Stein Line described Richards as a “prime candidate” for Miami while adding that Gabe Vincent and Keshad Johnson are also under consideration.

Vincent and Johnson have both previously played for the Heat, so Miami certainly knows what it’s getting there.

The Heat also have an open two-way spot. Of those three players, Johnson is the only one still eligible for a two-way contract, giving Miami some additional flexibility as it finishes constructing the roster.

Clippers

ESPN’s Zach Kram gave the Clippers an “incomplete” for their offseason, which seems about right considering their biggest transaction technically remains unfinished.

The blockbuster trade sending Kawhi Leonard to Toronto remains in limbo while the NBA completes its investigation into possible salary-cap circumvention.

ESPN nevertheless evaluated Los Angeles under the assumption that the deal eventually goes through.

One player to watch: big man Yanic Konan Niederhauser, whom Kram identified as the Clippers’ biggest X factor for the coming season.

Until the Leonard situation is resolved, though, everything surrounding the Clippers comes with at least a small asterisk.