Warriors Notes: Kuminga, Melton, DeMarco, Hield
Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has played fewer than 10 minutes in the past eight games in which he has been active, not seeing the court at all in seven of those contests. Asked after Monday’s win over Brooklyn about Kuminga’s potential path back into Golden State’s regular rotation, head coach Steve Kerr suggested there’s no easy answer.
“It’s tough because he’s not really a short-minute player,” Kerr said (Twitter link via Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle). “I played a bunch of guys eight, 10 minutes. JK is a guy who needs his rhythm. He’s not like a Gui (Santos) or Pat (Spencer) who’s going to come in and just fly around and play with great energy for four minutes and come out. He needs some rhythm.
“He always has to stay ready. There’s a pathway there, but right now, it’s not there. But things change quickly in the NBA.”
Although Kuminga got off to a solid start this fall after a protracted restricted free agency battle with the Warriors, he quickly fell out of the starting lineup before being removed from the rotation entirely. It seems more likely than ever at this point that he and the team are headed for a mid-season split.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- While Kuminga won’t become trade-eligible until January 15, veteran guard Gary Payton II became eligible to be dealt as of Monday, and guard De’Anthony Melton and center Al Horford will follow suit this Thursday, per our list of unique trade eligibility dates for 2025/26.
- Of course, there’s no indication that the Warriors have any interest in trading Melton. In fact, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area suggests the 27-year-old looks capable of being a defensive closer who can finish games for Golden State. Through Melton’s first nine appearances following an ACL tear, the team has a remarkable +17.4 net rating and 105.5 defensive rating during his 171 minutes of action. The veteran guard still isn’t playing back-to-backs, but he has gotten up to 24 minutes in each of his past two outings. “I talked to him yesterday in Toronto and he said his body’s feeling really good,” Kerr said on Monday. “It’s a good sign. Hopefully, we’ll get to a point this season where he’s able to play back-to-backs but for now we’re being cautious.”
- Monday’s game in Brooklyn was Chris DeMarco‘s last as a Warriors assistant before he takes over as the head coach of the WNBA’s New York Liberty (Twitter link). “What a strange day for him to come to his new arena, go to his new office, come back to our locker room, help us play and try to win…and then that’s it,” Kerr said (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). “He’s staying here. Its surreal.”
- Warriors sharpshooter Buddy Hield is averaging a career-low 17.6 minutes per game this season and has been in and out of the rotation as of late. Hield – who was traded at the deadline in 2017, 2022, and 2024 – knows he’ll be involved in trade speculation again this season and he’s ready for it, Gordon writes for The San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required). “I feel like everybody’s trying to be fake GM … trying to see what’s best for their team,” Hield said. “I know whatever comes, comes. I can’t control that. I’m happy to be in this league. It’s a great league. If something like that happens, I’ll be ready.”
Warriors Notes: Frontcourt, Horford, Kuminga, DeMarco
After opening the regular season with 12 of 17 games on the road, the Warriors returned to San Francisco for the start of a five-game home stand on Friday. Ahead of last night’s matchup with Portland, Monte Poole of NBC Bay Area suggested that these five games could be an early-season tipping point for a team looking to climb up the standings, adding that a home loss to the Trail Blazers, Jazz, or Pelicans during the home stand would represent a “troubling setback” for Golden State.
Sure enough, the Warriors dropped Friday’s game to the slumping and banged-up Blazers to open their home stand. They were outrebounded 52-32 by Portland and allowed the Blazers to rack up 127 points, led by 26 from two-way player Caleb Love. Head coach Steve Kerr suggested after the game that he needs to try something new to address his club’s rebounding problems, per Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link).
“We may have to play two bigs more often,” Kerr said. “Al (Horford), QP (Quinten Post) or Trayce (Jackson-Davis) with Draymond (Green). We’ll have to look at that.”
Star wing Jimmy Butler, meanwhile, was critical of the Warriors’ defensive effort, telling Slater and other reporters (Twitter video link) that the team has to do “way better” on that end of the court.
“We’re just not guarding nobody, that’s all,” Butler said. “From what I can tell, I haven’t been here long, but that’s never been the formula here.”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- After playing 18 minutes in the first three quarter of Friday’s loss, Horford wasn’t on the court at all in the fourth. The Warriors announced after the game that the veteran big man was dealing with right hamstring tightness and will be considered day-to-day going forward (Twitter link via Slater).
- Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga has now missed Golden State’s past five games due to bilateral knee tendonitis. According to Slater (Twitter link), Kerr said ahead of Friday’s game that the team hopes Kuminga can practice and scrimmage on Sunday, which would go a long way toward determining whether he can make his return on Monday vs. Utah.
- Longtime Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco, who has agreed to become the head coach of the WNBA’s New York Liberty, will remain on Golden State’s bench for now, according to Slater (Twitter link), who says DeMarco will leave for his new job at some point before the end of the NBA season.
Chris DeMarco Leaving Warriors For WNBA’s Liberty
The New York Liberty of the WNBA are hiring Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as their new head coach, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (story via Alexa Philippou of ESPN.com).
DeMarco, who is also the current coach of the Bahamian men’s national team, had been with the Warriors since 2012, prior to Steve Kerr‘s arrival in 2014. Initially a member of Mark Jackson‘s staff, DeMarco has had a variety of roles since being hired by Golden State, working in the video room, as a scout, in player development positions, and as an assistant coach.
As Anthony Slater of ESPN tweets, DeMarco was a front-of-bench assistant this season and had a major hand in the Warriors’ defensive game-planning. He worked closely with Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole during their time with the team, per Philippou.
DeMarco was one of two current NBA assistants in the running for the Liberty job, along with Jama Mahlalela of the Raptors. Former Nets assistant Will Weaver was also among the finalists for the position, as was current Phoenix Mercury associate head coach Kristi Toliver, who was previously an assistant coach with the Wizards and Mavericks.
It’s unclear whether DeMarco will leave the Warriors immediately, given that WNBA training camps don’t open until April.
Warriors Notes: Horford, Kornet, Green, Markkanen, Lineups
The fact that Al Horford accepted a two-year, $11.7MM deal this summer to join the Warriors inspired some jealousy among multiple teams that had hoped to land the veteran center themselves, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“Horford was one of the best signings in the league over the summer, it broke our hearts because we wanted him badly,” an Eastern Conference executive told ESPN. “And they got him for $5 million.”
As Anthony Slater of ESPN reports, team sources say that Horford was Golden State’s “absolute 1A” target during the offseason. The team also had interest in Luke Kornet, but he signed a lucrative contract with San Antonio that was out of the Warriors’ price range, so the team was thrilled that the taxpayer mid-level exception was sufficient to land Horford.
“(General manager) Mike (Dunleavy Jr.)’s been looking for a player like him his entire time here,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “Not just a pick-and-pop guy, but a legitimate big, who can make Draymond (Green)‘s job easier, who can make Steph (Curry)‘s job easier. It’s really hard to find those guys.”
Horford is expected to be inactive on Friday on the second end of a back-to-back as part of a plan to limit his workload in his age-39 season, Windhorst notes.
We have more on the Warriors:
- Within an in-depth story about Horford’s arrival and the Warriors’ approach to roster-building, Slater points out that the organization continues to balance a long-term view with a win-now philosophy, as its decision to re-sign Jonathan Kuminga instead of signing-and-trading him showed. “That’s one of the beautiful things about having this organization,” Green said. “We’re not sitting here like, ‘Yo, give away everything because we don’t give a f–k about what this thing looks like in 10 years.’ We do. And so I think it’s only fair to Mike that he’s given a future, too. It’s important to do it the way that we’ve done it. We found a good balance to where we can compete and possibly win now and yet still have that flexibility and resources for the future.”
- As Slater details, that resistance to going all-in was on display last year when Green discouraged the Warriors from giving up a massive package of young players and draft picks in a trade for Jazz star Lauri Markkanen. “I’m a big fan of [Markkanen’s] game,” Green said. “But I think if you want to do something so huge you better be certain that this is THE move. You usually don’t win those things against (Jazz CEO) Danny Ainge. I look at history.”
- Assistant coaches Terry Stotts and Chris DeMarco convinced Kerr to use a bigger lineup of Curry, Green, Horford, Kuminga, and Jimmy Butler down the stretch on Thursday vs. Denver, according to Slater. The group helped erase a fourth-quarter deficit and secure the victory in overtime, posting a +47.1 net rating in eight minutes on the floor together. “Where we going to score?” Kerr said. “That was my biggest concern. Could we execute [offensively]? But [Stotts and DeMarco] reminded me we have Steph and Jimmy, and they’ll find a way to score. … It was really fun to watch a group that’s never played together close a game against one of the best teams in the league.”
Warriors Notes: Podziemski, Kuminga, Curry, Green, Moody, More
The Warriors viewed the Jazz‘s asking price in trade talks for Lauri Markkanen as one that would have made it a “bad deal” if they’d met it, sources tell Kendra Andrews of ESPN, which is why discussions between the two teams stalled. Those talks officially came to an end on Wednesday when Markkanen renegotiated and extended his contract with Utah, making him ineligible to be dealt until the 2025 offseason.
Confirming previous reporting from The Athletic, Andrews says the Warriors aren’t feeling any urgency to shift their focus to a new trade target now that Markkanen is off the board, citing team sources who say the club isn’t “hot on” any of the players currently available on the market.
The negotiations with Utah also showed that the Warriors intend to hang onto young players like Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga “very tightly,” Andrews writes, and would only be willing to move one or both of them in an “overwhelming” deal that made the team better in the long run.
For now, Podziemski, Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Trayce Jackson-Davis all appear poised to take on larger roles with the Warriors in 2024/25, though nothing will be handed to them, a source tell Andrews, meaning they’ll have to show that they deserve increased minutes and possibly starting spots. While Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are, of course, penciled in as starters, the other three spots in the starting five are considered “wide open” entering training camp, Andrews reports.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Curry and Green want to be consulted on the Warriors’ roster moves, but they’ve made it clear they don’t want to be “final decision-makers,” sources tell ESPN. “Steph has said, ‘Look, I do not want to be making those decisions. It puts me in a different spot than all of my teammates. I do not want that,'” one source said to Andrews. While the two stars are still adjusting to the fact that Klay Thompson is no longer on the roster, they’re excited about the moves Golden State has made this offseason, Andrews adds.
- With Thompson and Chris Paul exiting Golden State this summer, adding scoring was the team’s top priority, which was the impetus for the addition of Buddy Hield in particular. The Warriors also expect Kyle Anderson and De’Anthony Melton to contribute in that area while helping to solidify the defense, Andrews writes.
- The Warriors haven’t engaged in any serious rookie scale extension discussions with Kuminga or Moody yet, but general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. has expressed interest in exploring deals for both players. Andrews suggests Moody’s next deal could be in the range of $11-13MM per year.
- One front office source told Andrews that it was “actually really fun” to be able to operate below the tax aprons this offseason for the first time in years. That allowed the Warriors to use their full mid-level exception (on Melton) and acquire two players (Hield and Anderson) via sign-and-trade.
- “Diversifying” the coaching staff and bringing in fresh faces was a goal this offseason, which led to the additions of Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse. A source referred to head coach Steve Kerr and Stotts as “kindred spirits” and said Kerr appreciates the offensive acumen and communication skills the former Blazers head coach will bring to the club. Stackhouse, meanwhile, is expected to team up with assistant coach Chris DeMarco in focusing on the defensive side of the ball, says Andrews.
Warriors Notes: Hield, DeMarco, Thompson, Anderson
The Warriors conducted their recruitment of Buddy Hield while the veteran sharpshooter was in Valencia, Spain, where he’s looking to secure an Olympic berth for the Bahamian national team. According to reporting from The Athletic, Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco – who is the head coach for the Bahamas – served as a “helpful ally” for Golden State’s front office in those recruiting efforts.
Hield’s decision to join the Warriors had been trending in that direction for a couple days before he made up his mind, per The Athletic. A late Wednesday call from Warriors head coach Steve Kerr helped seal the deal for Hield, who slept on it before finalizing his decision on Thursday.
As Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes within the same story, Hield, De’Anthony Melton, and Kyle Anderson are three veterans with varying skill sets who will help the Warriors solidify their rotation, but the club is still probably “a large move away from being considered any type of fringe contender.”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- When the Warriors negotiated the Klay Thompson sign-and-trade with the Mavericks, they had the option of taking back Josh Green or another one of Dallas’ mid-sized contracts (likely Maxi Kleber), but they preferred to use the Thompson trade exception to go shopping in free agency for a player they liked more, sources tell Slater of The Athletic.
- While Anderson averaged 22.6 minutes per game during the regular season for Minnesota last season, his playing time declined to 15.4 MPG in the playoffs. Slater suggests that – as long as the Warriors’ roster is healthy – the forward’s playing time in Golden State may end up closer to that postseason average.
- Thompson took to Instagram on Friday to send a heartfelt farewell to Warriors fans and his longtime franchise. “Oh Bay Area, there are not enough words and images to convey how I really feel about y’all,” he said as part of a longer statement. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for the best times of my life. It was such an honor to put that Dubs jersey on from day one. … Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy it happened. Until we meet again. Sea captain out.”
- Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic takes a closer look at the legacy Thompson leaves behind in the Bay Area following his 13 years and four championships with the Warriors.
Pacific Notes: Kerr, Milojevic, Bridges, Allen, Dinwiddie
Warriors coach Steve Kerr will miss tonight’s game at Utah so he can attend the funeral of former assistant coach Dejan Milojevic in Serbia, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Kenny Atkinson will run the team in Kerr’s absence. Assistant coaches Chris DeMarco and Ron Adams, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and basketball operations consultant Zaza Pachulia are also representing the team at the funeral.
Players admit there’s a surreal feeling to being back in Salt Lake City, where Milojevic suffered a heart attack at a team dinner following a January 16 game. He died in a hospital the following morning, and the team’s next two games were postponed. The Warriors welcomed members of Milojevic’s family to their practice facility on January 22, and his son, Nikola, spent time shooting and rebounding with Klay Thompson.
“Just to be able to tell him how much I loved his dad, all the great memories we built and made together, I just told him how grateful I am for his family and how proud of them he was,” Thompson said.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Suns were heavily rumored to be pursuing Hornets forward Miles Bridges, but general manager James Jones declined to confirm those trade talks, preferring to concentrate on the deals he actually made (video link from Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). “We explored everything,” Jones said, “but at the end of the day, we’re talking about Royce O’Neale and David Roddy. Two guys I think are going to be exceptionally well for us, but yeah, we talked about a lot of guys.”
- Jones also responded to a question about a potential extension with Grayson Allen this summer, indicating the Suns will be open to the possibility (video link from Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports). “We don’t want him to go anywhere, which is why he’s here,” Jones said. “There’s plenty of interest in Grayson Allen, but no one values him more than we do.”
- Lakers players are excited to welcome Spencer Dinwiddie to the team, per Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. The former Nets guard, who signed with L.A. on Saturday, is expected to participate in today’s practice and be in uniform for Tuesday’s game against Detroit. “He’s a big guard, a shot-maker,” Anthony Davis said. “We’ve seen what he did with Brooklyn, what he did with Dallas, making big plays for them. He’s a well-established player, a vet in this league.”
Warriors Notes: J. Green, Looney, D. Green, Iguodala
JaMychal Green‘s role has been limited for most of the season, but he was ready to step into the Warriors‘ starting lineup Thursday when Kevon Looney was suffering from an illness, writes C.J. Holmes of The San Francisco Chronicle. Coach Steve Kerr learned about the seriousness of Looney’s condition roughly two hours before game time. He turned to Green to provide size and outside shooting, and the veteran big man responded by scoring 15 points in 13 minutes and hitting 3-of-6 shots from beyond the arc.
“They always tell me to stay ready and that my time will come,” Green said. “The first series, even though I was kind of struggling a little, we had a team meeting and (Stephen Curry), he said some powerful words and it kind of got me locked in. I let go of everything and made it all about the team.”
Green hasn’t seen the playing time he expected when he signed a one-year, $2.63MM contract with Golden State last summer. Health scares contributed to his frustrating season, as he missed five games after entering health and safety protocols in December, then sat out nine more with an infection in his lower right leg. He’ll be back on the open market in July, but first he wants to contribute to another Warriors’ title run.
“He’s been doing this his whole career, he’s been spacing the floor,” teammate Donte DiVincenzo said. “He’s been hitting bodies, getting rebounds, dunking on people. When he gets in the game, he already knows what to do.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Looney has recovered from his illness and will be ready for a larger role in tonight’s Game 3, tweets Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “It was pretty bad,” Looney told reporters, adding that he likely wouldn’t have played at all Thursday if it had been a regular season game. Looney, who hasn’t missed a game during the past two seasons, wound up logging nearly 12 minutes with six points and eight rebounds.
- Assistant coach Chris DeMarco sparked a better performance from Draymond Green in Game 2 by showing him film of his defensive mistakes in the series opener, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “At times you get in these locker rooms and you have stars and coaches won’t always challenge,” Green said. “Chris DeMarco will challenge anybody, from Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, myself, Steve (Kerr). He’ll challenge anyone. He’s not afraid to hear his voice and he’s not afraid to have tough conversations. He’s not afraid of confrontation.”
- Andre Iguodala will be able to return to practice next week, the Warriors announced (via Twitter). Iguodala hasn’t played since fracturing his left wrist in mid-March.
Two Warriors Assistant Coaches Now In COVID-19 Protocols
Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco has joined Mike Brown in the NBA’s health and safety coronavirus protocols, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter link). It was first announced that Brown had entered COVID-19 protocols on Thursday.
Shelburne notes that Golden State will be missing Brown, DeMarco and Kenny Atkinson, the team’s top three assistants behind head coach Steve Kerr, ahead of its Christmas Day game tonight in Phoenix against the Suns.
Atkinson, who suffered a leg injury in October, recently returned to the Warriors’ bench, but still isn’t traveling with the team for road games, per Shelburne and Anthony Slater of The Athletic (via Twitter).
The matchup represents a contest between the two top teams, by record, in the entire NBA. The Suns are 26-5 on the year and have won their last five straight games. The Warriors are 26-6 and have won two consecutive contests. Each team has defeated the other once so far this season.
And-Ones: Wiseman, Barrett, Dedmon, Barbosa, DeMarco
The latest 2020 mock draft has Memphis freshman center James Wiseman going to the Knicks with the No. 1 pick. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has Georgia guard Anthony Edwards going to the Cavaliers at No. 2 and North Carolina guard Cole Anthony heading to the Suns at No. 3.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Top pick Zion Williamson and his former college teammate R.J. Barrett could face each other in the Las Vegas summer league opener, the Associated Press reports. The Pelicans’ summer squad will face the Knicks on July 5.
- Dewayne Dedmon, Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gay are among the underrated free agents heading to the market, Ameer Tyree of the Sporting News writes.
- Former NBA guard Leandro Barbosa will return to the Brazilian league and re-sign with Minas Storm, Sportando reports.
- Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco has agreed to become the head coach of the Bahamas Basketball Federation’s national team, according to a report from ESPN’s Marc Spears. The Bahamas did not qualify for the FIBA World Cup this summer but it does have some NBA talent, including Deandre Ayton and Buddy Hield.