In today’s Dub Hub:
The NBA is set to release its full season schedule on Thursday, but several key matchups have already been revealed. Along with the Golden State Warriors facing the Los Angeles Lakers for the season opener on October 21st, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that the Warriors will host the Dallas Mavericks at the Chase Center on Christmas Day.
This will mark the Warriors’ 13th consecutive Christmas Day appearance. They hold a 6-6 record on the NBA’s marquee holiday showcase since 2013, with their most recent Christmas matchup ending in a 115–113 loss to the Lakers—a vintage duel where Steph Curry and LeBron James scored 38 and 31 points, respectively.
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2025’s Christmas Day matchup highlights another reunion with former Warrior Klay Thompson. The Splash Brother spent over a decade with Golden State, winning four championships, before joining the Mavericks during the 2024 offseason. This will mark his fourth visit to the Chase Center since leaving the team, with the Warriors holding a 2-1 record at home against the Mavs last season.
However, this year’s Dallas team is completely different than the one Thompson joined last summer. After the shocking midseason trade of Luka Doncic last year, the Mavs are now anchored by big man Anthony Davis alongside this year’s number one pick Cooper Flagg.
With both teams under pressure to win now, and the storylines surrounding Thompson, the Christmas Day matchup hopes to deliver another high-stakes game this holiday season.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Monday, August 11th:
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Warriors News:NBA free agents 2025: Where things stand with seven biggest names | ESPN
So, everything sits in the same spot it did 10 days ago. The Warriors have not upped their offer, and Kuminga has indicated to those close to him that the $7.9 million qualifying offer is more appealing to him than the Warriors’ current pitch. Something has to give before the Oct. 1 deadline.
But Golden State’s interest in Giddey is genuine. The Warriors were prepared to select Giddey with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, sources say, only for Oklahoma City to chose Giddey and steer the Warriors toward selecting Kuminga at No. 7 overall. It’s believed that both the Thunder and the Warriors had Giddey and Kuminga projected as the players to go sixth and seventh in some order entering that draft.
“Steph was unbelievable, he was just going crazy,” White said Tuesday on the “White Noise Podcast.” “In the beginning [of the Olympic tournament], Steph wasn’t himself. We were waiting for that Steph game to happen, and it happened in that Serbia game, and he carried it over to the gold medal game.
“In the [fourth quarter] of that game, Steph kicks it to [Kevin Durant] and [LeBron James] is open in the corner and he’s like, ‘Nah, back to you, Steph,’ it was unbelievable. To be on the good side of it, it was an unbelievable feeling. The whole bench is going crazy, like we can’t believe what we’re watching either.”
Moses Moody on What He’s Learned From Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay ThompsonSunday marked the one year anniversary of Steph Curry’s gold medal performance in the 2024 Paris OlympicsNBA News:NBA 2025 offseason concern-o-meter: Giannis’ future, LeBron’s next steps and more | The Athletic
In my opinion (no reporting here), the biggest thing holding hope for Giannis staying in Milwaukee is that I don’t fully believe he’s willing to embrace the potential PR hit of bailing. I don’t even necessarily think this is a marketing thing or about selling shoes or avoiding his jersey being burned on social media for clout (if people are still doing that). I think Giannis likes being universally liked and genuinely loves being in Milwaukee, and that’s a tough pill to risk swallowing in many facets. But his competitive drive might eventually override that if they can’t get him any closer to another title than the first round.
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2. Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks
Age in 2028: 21
This is another one that seems clear. Flagg’s versatility is his calling card. In fact, for all the hype that went into his freshman season at Duke, the one area where he showed the most growth was in his playmaking. That is to say we were more confident about his defense, passing, and overall versatility then we necessarily were his overall ability to go get a bucket on demand. While that self-creation is now accelerating at a rapid rate, what makes Flagg such an ideal mainstay for the next generation of USA Basketball is that he can impact the game without the ball in his hands. He’s naturally unselfish and a phenomenal weakside defender when he’s allowed to roam. Can you image what it would look like if he were allowed to knock balls off the rim defensively to himself and then start the break? We might not have to, as that’s something that should be on full display in L.A.
NBA to release complete season schedule on ThursdayIn case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:Warriors reportedly interested in Bulls guard
In theory, sending Giddey to the Warriors and Kuminga and the Bulls would solve both teams’ immediate problems. The Bulls don’t want to meet Giddey’s asking price of $30M per season, while the Warriors don’t want to send Kuminga to the Sacramento Kings in a complicated sign-and-trade for Malik Monk where they’d have to ditch one or more rotation players. They also apparently don’t want to give Kuminga a player option, a no-trade clause, guaranteed starting time, a good parking spot, free Big Face Coffee, or the opportunity to balance plates while riding a unicycle as halftime performer “Redder Panda.”
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