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All of this and more in the latest edition of NBA Daily.<\/p>\n
WARRIORS PLANNING FUTURE BEYOND STEPH?<\/p>\n
Stephen Curry\u2019s remarkable career with the Golden State Warriors could be heading towards a difficult conclusion after the franchise missed out on landing LeBron James in free agency, leaving fresh questions over the team\u2019s ability to contend for another championship.<\/p>\n
James ended months of speculation on Saturday morning by signing a two-year, $8 million ($A11 million) deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, with a player option for the second season. The move will see the four-time NBA champion enter his record-breaking 24th NBA season, with the possibility of extending his career into a 25th.<\/p>\n
Golden State was among the teams seriously pursuing James, with many believing the chance to pair him alongside Curry represented the Warriors\u2019 best opportunity to maximise the final years of their superstar\u2019s career.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Ty Lawson arrested for stealing $48 bottle of vodka in sad fall from grace<\/a><\/p>\n Instead, the Warriors were left empty-handed, adding to growing concerns about the direction of the franchise.<\/p>\n Warriors insider Tim Kawakami believes owner Joe Lacob has already begun shifting his focus towards life after Curry, rather than going all-in on one final championship run.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat Lacob wants to do, and this might get Warriors fans mad. He wants to build the next team after Steph Curry,\u201d Kawakami said on the TK Show.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how possible that is, but Lacob has a very keen interest in\u2026this organisation\u2019s going to show what it can do with Steph Curry and then after Steph Curry.\u201d<\/p>\n At 38 years old, Curry is still performing at an elite level, averaging 26.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds across 43 games last season while shooting 46.8% from the field, 39.3% from three-point range and 92.3% from the free-throw line.<\/p>\n However, injuries and a lack of roster depth contributed to another disappointing campaign. Golden State finished 37-45, ending the regular season in 10th place before defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in the Play-In Tournament and then falling to the Phoenix Suns.<\/p>\n The failure to land James only adds to the uncertainty surrounding the Warriors\u2019 future.<\/p>\n Curry admitted he had hoped the pair would finally<\/a> have the chance to play together after years of battling one another on the NBA\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why you don\u2019t envision anything until it happens,\u201d Curry said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of moving parts.\u201d<\/p>\n James\u2019 decision means Golden State will once again enter the season relying on its ageing core, something Curry acknowledged presents a difficult challenge after injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody derailed last year\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cThe through line, which is hard on anybody in this situation, especially with us keeping this thing together, is knowing that when Jimmy [Butler] got hurt and Moses [Moody] got hurt, the whole calculus of everything changes,\u201d Curry said.<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you get through their absence and still stay at a certain level? And then how that goes into this year. It\u2019s the same deal. So, I\u2019m a realist on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Before James made his decision, Curry had openly pitched the idea of the four-time<\/a> NBA champion joining him in the Bay Area.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Bay, we know how to win, it\u2019s beautiful weather, great golf, and I know he\u2019s into that,\u201d Curry said. <\/p>\n \u201cThe USA experience that we had, the battles that we\u2019ve had over the years, we just know how to play basketball and I think that he would enjoy just the idea of what it means to finish your career the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n LeBron James celebrates with USA’s #04 Stephen Curry at the end of the men’s semi-final basketball match between USA and Serbia during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris on August 8, 2024. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS \/ AFP)Source: AFP<\/p>\n Instead, James will suit up for a Philadelphia team now considered one of the favourites to win the NBA championship, while Curry and the Warriors face another season with questions over whether they can build one final contender around the franchise icon.<\/p>\n With James now in the Eastern Conference, the two legends are scheduled to meet just twice during the regular season, once in Philadelphia and once in San Francisco, in what could be two of the final chapters of one of the NBA\u2019s greatest rivalries.<\/p>\n TATUM\u2019S SUBTLE JAB AT FORMER TEAMMATE<\/p>\n Jayson Tatum has found himself at the centre of fresh speculation surrounding his relationship with former Boston Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown after comments made during a leadership speech quickly went viral.<\/p>\n Speaking to a group of children, Tatum reflected on what leadership means to him, stressing that true leaders are willing to admit they don\u2019t have all the answers.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing a leader doesn\u2019t mean you know it all, right? I don\u2019t know it all,\u201d Tatum said. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be the first person to say that. Being a leader is being comfortable with raising your hand like, I don\u2019t know. Can you explain that to me? I don\u2019t know X, Y, and Z. I want to learn. Being around somebody that feels like they know it all, I don\u2019t want to be around that person. I don\u2019t want to be the smartest person in the room. I want to learn from somebody else.\u201d<\/p>\n While the speech centred on leadership, it didn\u2019t take long for social media to connect Tatum\u2019s comments to Brown, who was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this off-season in exchange for Paul George and two first-round picks.<\/p>\n Former NBA guard Brandon Jennings was among those who believed the comments were directed at Brown.<\/p>\n \u201cMotivational message my a– lmaooo that\u2019s a shot at Jaylen Brown,\u201d<\/p>\n The reaction stemmed from comments made earlier this month by Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd, who claimed multiple NBA sources had described Brown as someone who wanted to be \u201cthe smartest guy in every room he\u2019s in.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe suddenly thinks he\u2019s the smartest guy in every room he\u2019s in,\u201d Cowherd said. <\/p>\n