Warriors Notes: Giannis, Front Office, Kerr, More
The Warriors are reportedly among the most serious suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Owner Joe Lacob is a huge fan of the 10-time All-Star, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, who hears from sources that Golden State is “ready to give up a whole lot” to acquire Antetokounmpo.
The Warriors are “aligned” in their belief that Giannis is the type of player worth going all-in for, Poole adds.
“If we’re talking about trading draft picks that will be going out when Steph (Curry) isn’t here,” Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. said last week, “it’s going to have to be a player that we think we’ll be getting back that is going to be here when those picks are going out. And that player’s going to have to be pretty impactful.
“It would take a good amount, positionally, play style, archetype, all that. I would leave it pretty broad and open. But if there’s a great player to be had, we’ve got everything in the war chest that we would be willing to use.”
Appearing on NBA Countdown on Friday (YouTube link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said he thinks the Warriors might have the best current trade package among the group of teams pursuing Antetokounmpo. However, that may not be the case in the offseason, when other suitors will have additional assets to include in offers.
“I think (the Warriors) have to be very aggressive,” Windhorst said. “They understand it — they are in the eye of this storm. Because if they are going to make this move, they’re going to have to close, I really believe, by next Thursday. Their offer cannot really improve by the summer.”
Here are a few more notes on the Warriors:
- If Golden State does trade for Antetokounmpo, the decision will have lasting implications for years to come, writes Nick Friedell of The Athletic. Organizational mainstays Curry and Draymond Green say they aren’t the type of players to push for deals, but they’re generally kept in the loop when moves are being considered. “We’ve got a great team in this locker room,” Green said. “If a move is made, a move is made. But that’s not our job, that’s not our place to sit and wait or worry about if a move is gonna be made. … We’re not chasing anything but greatness. And you don’t chase greatness by whining about a roster. You chase greatness by embracing the roster that you have, getting the best out of every single guy, and that’s what we’ve done for years and that’s what we’re gonna continue to do.”
- Head coach Steve Kerr doesn’t expect any deals to be completed until closer to the February 5 deadline, as Eden Collier of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “I talk to Mike (Dunleavy) pretty much every day, and he keeps me up to speed,” Kerr said on 95.7 The Game’s Steiny and Guru show. “But honestly, what he told me the other day was that everything’s going to go ’til the last second. There literally hasn’t been a single thing where he’s called me and said, ‘So-and-so offered this or that.’ Not one thing. … It’s all speculation at this point. It’s going to go down to the wire.”
- Multiple Warriors executives, including Dunleavy and assistant GM Larry Harris, were in New Zealand on Friday scouting NBL prospects Karim Lopez and Dash Daniels, tweets Olgun Uluc of ESPN. Both players are considered potential first-round picks.
- Kerr is on an expiring contact and he’s undecided on whether he’ll return to coach Golden State for a 13th season, he tells Anthony Slater of ESPN. “Let’s wait until the end of the year and see if everybody’s aligned,” Kerr said. “If we are, then we’ll keep going. If not, then we won’t. (It’ll depend) how the season ends, what the future looks like, all of that factors in. And they, meaning Joe and management, they’ve got a lot to think about. It’s a really interesting time for the organization.”
Warriors Notes: Trade Options, Kuminga, Curry, Horford
Although the Warriors appear willing to move several future first-round picks – and either Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green – in a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, there are no other players on the trade market at the moment who would prompt the team to act with that level of aggression, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN.
As Slater notes, Golden State has continually been linked to Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III, but Joe Dumars and his front office have “stonewalled” the Warriors’ efforts to land Murphy, conveying that they’re not interested in moving members of New Orleans’ young core.
The Warriors have also been connected to possible trade targets like Michael Porter Jr. of the Nets and Andrew Wiggins of the Heat, but team sources have thrown “cold water” on those concepts, according to Slater, who hears from one source that Golden State doesn’t intend to engage with Miami about a Wiggins reunion. Multiple reports on Wednesday indicated that the two teams had explored that possibility.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Since Butler went down with a season-ending ACL tear, Warriors team sources have referred to their trade deadline approach as more “future-focused,” Slater reports. That stance suggests the club will be less inclined to move Jonathan Kuminga in a deal for a marginal or short-term upgrade on the wing.
- Although Stephen Curry is kept in the loop by management when a trade is receiving serious consideration, he said on Wednesday that he trusts general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and doesn’t feel the need to constantly check in on the front office’s pursuit of roster upgrades. “Myself, Draymond, just knowing the conversations are happening all the time. I don’t ever get into hypotheticals. It’s a waste of time, it’s a waste of energy,” Curry said, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “It’s not my job to do that. Mike and the entire front office, I’m sure are making calls and I’m sure are taking looks, seeing what’s going on and then if there’s something material, something real, we have conversations about it. And decisions are made. So that’s our process, it’s always been that way.”
- After joining the Warriors as a free agent last fall, Al Horford battled health issues to open the season and got off to an up-and-down start. However, the big man has been consistently available since Christmas and has been inserted into the starting lineup within the past week. Head coach Steve Kerr said on Wednesday that he plans to stick with Horford as a starter for now. “Now that he can play 24 minutes, which is where his restriction is, I feel comfortable starting him and still being able to close with him,” Kerr explained, adding that he likes using Horford alongside Green in the frontcourt (Twitter video link via Slater).
- Horford is the starting center Golden State has always wanted, according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, who notes that the 40-year-old has helped shore up the Warriors’ defense while providing passing and shooting on offense. Horford has a positive plus/minus mark in each of his past seven outings and nine of his last 10.
Warriors Notes: Curry, Butler, Kuminga, Wiggins, Green, More
The Warriors had been delighted by the play of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, which is a significant factor in why the franchise has taken the news of Butler’s season-ending torn ACL so hard, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
As Stein writes, Curry declined to speak to the media after Tuesday’s loss to Toronto because he was still processing the ramifications of the injury, and head coach Steve Kerr admitted the superstar guard was “crushed” by the news following Thursday’s defeat to the Mavs in Dallas.
“It’s obviously a tough situation. First and foremost, you think about [Butler] and his recovery and his spirits, just trying to be there for him as a friend and teammate,” Curry said after Thursday’s game. “But basketball-wise, we have to make the necessary adjustments to try to keep a semblance of our identity that we were forming with him as a part of that push.
“These last two games have been difficult in making that adjustment, but I think emotionally we have to try and move on as fast as possible to not let things spiral the wrong direction. … It’s no secret this is difficult for everybody, trying to accept the reality of what’s going on.”
Golden State’s front office has given Butler “strong assurances” that the team wants him back next season as soon as he has recovered from the major knee injury, according to Stein, who reiterates that trading the 36-year-old forward is not currently part of the Warriors’ plans.
Here are a few more notes and rumors on the Warriors:
- As for what moves the Warriors will look to make ahead of the February 5 deadline, trying to find a workable Jonathan Kuminga trade is a high priority, sources tell Stein, but the team also continues to signal it’s OK with keeping him for the rest of the season if necessary in an attempt to rebuild his market value ahead of the offseason. Before Kuminga injured his ankle and knee in Thursday’s game, Stein hears the Warriors planned to increase his minutes in the lead-up to the deadline. The 23-year-old forward will miss Saturday’s game in Minnesota due to left knee soreness, tweets ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
- According to Stein, the Warriors are interested in a reunion with Andrew Wiggins and will explore the possibility of sending Kuminga to Miami in exchange for the former No. 1 overall pick. It’s worth noting that Wiggins ($28.2MM) makes more money than Kuminga ($22.5MM) and the Warriors are right up against their second-apron hard cap, so they’d have to add more salary to the deal to make it a legal framework.
- The Warriors would be “negligent” not to make a pre-deadline deal to give Curry more help, contends Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.
- On his podcast (YouTube link), forward/center Draymond Green offered a reserved take on GM Mike Dunleavy Jr.‘s eyebrow-raising comments about Kuminga’s trade demand, as Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area relays.
- While Curry is frustrated and disappointed by Butler’s injury, he says his belief in his ability to lead the team to victories hasn’t been shaken, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “As long as I’m out there, I’m always confident we can win,” Curry said. “It’s how I play. It’s how we want to play, and until proven otherwise, you have to carry that mentality.”
Knicks Notes: Brunson, Meeting, Trade Deadline, Brown, More
Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson called a players-only meeting following Monday’s home loss to injury-depleted Dallas, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
According to Shelburne’s sources, Brunson reiterated that the onus was on the players — not the coaching staff — to find solutions for their struggles over the past few weeks. New York has lost nine of its past 11 games. While the team is still 25-18 and holds the No. 3 seed in the East, it only has a one-and-a-half game lead on the No. 7 Cavs.
Shelburne’s report isn’t surprising, considering what the players said after the game. The Knicks trailed by 28 points at halftime, eventually losing by 17 in a game that was never really competitive.
“We all need to do some soul searching,” Hart said. “Right now we’re playing embarrassing basketball. We’re not executing on the offensive end. Defensively, we’ve been abysmal. We’ve been terrible defensively all year.”
For his part, team captain Brunson expressed confidence in the team’s ability to rediscover the play that resulted in a 23-9 start and an NBA Cup title.
“[Our soul searching] should have started a couple of weeks ago, but we’ve got to start tomorrow,” Brunson said, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscriber link). “We’ve got to figure this out.
“I have the utmost confidence in every person in this room, in this locker room. Just things haven’t gone our way. But we have the ability to do it.”
Here’s more from New York:
- Head coach Mike Brown didn’t mince words about the team’s performance on Monday, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. “They scored 75 points in the first half,” Brown said. “At halftime, we usually do the clips and talk about technical X’s and O’s, all that crap that coaches and teams do. There was nothing to be said at halftime except for ‘Lock in and do your f—ing job.’” Edwards believes the Knicks should “strongly” consider making major changes to the roster ahead of the trade deadline.
- Speaking of the deadline, Fred Katz of The Athletic evaluates five proposals from fans to determine whether the deals make sense for the Knicks or their trade partners. One of the theoretical trades would send Guerschon Yabusele and Pacome Dadiet to San Antonio for Jeremy Sochan in a cost-cutting move. Katz says he personally wouldn’t make the deal and thinks the Knicks are unlikely to as well, though he doesn’t rule it out entirely if they can’t find anything else of value for Yabusele and/or Dadiet.
- In an appearance on NBA Today, Shelburne said the Knicks were not happy with Brown for an incident that took place during Thursday’s loss at Golden State. Draymond Green fouled Karl-Anthony Towns on a post-up and was arguing with an official after the play. Brown, an ex-Warriors assistant who coached Green for six years, evidently found the exchange amusing and the two hugged near the sideline (YouTube link). “That hug did not land well with a lot of folks in New York,” Shelburne said. “In that locker room, in that organization — while you can understand he might have a bond with Draymond Green — I don’t think that landed well.”
- Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News passes along a few more quotes from Monday’s loss.
Pacific Notes: LeBron, Ayton, Melton, Green, Kings
For the first time in 22 seasons, Lakers superstar LeBron James was not named an All-Star starter, observes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
The news isn’t surprising, given James missed the first 14 games of 2025/26 due to sciatica and understandably had to work his way into shape and form when he did return, having missed training camp and the preseason with the injury. But it’s still noteworthy, given that the 41-year-old has made the All-Star game a record 21 times — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is second with 19 appearances.
As Bontemps writes, the league’s coaches will have to select James as a reserve in order for him to extend the record streak, which dates back to 2005. To this point in his career, the only season when James didn’t make the All-Star game (or an All-NBA team, for that matter) was in 2003/04, when he won Rookie of the Year.
While James has played much better lately and has put up impressive statistics (22.6 points, 6.9 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals on .509/.328/.757 shooting), especially considering he’s the NBA’s oldest player, it seems fairly unlikely that the 6’9″ forward will be selected. He has missed 17 of Los Angeles’ 41 games, and there are lots of other worthy candidates in a stacked Western Conference.
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- Lakers center Deandre Ayton missed Saturday’s loss to Portland due to left knee soreness but he returned to action on Sunday and had a huge night in the victory over Toronto, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The former No. 1 overall pick recorded 25 points (on 10-of-10 shooting) 13 rebounds and no turnovers, becoming the first player in team history (since individual turnovers became an official statistic in 1977/78) to score 25-plus points on 100% shooting with zero turnovers, per ESPN Research. Ayton also became the third Laker to make 10-plus field goal attempts without missing a shot while grabbing at least 10 rebounds, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Mitch Kupchak, McMenamin adds.
- Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton will miss Monday’s game against Miami, which is the front end of a back-to-back, tweets ESPN’s Anthony Slater. While it’s a small sample size (373 minutes), Golden State has outscored its opponents by a staggering +19.6 points per 100 possessions when Melton is playing, compared to a -0.7 net rating in the 1701 minutes the 27-year-old has been off the court. Melton missed most of last season as well as the start of ’25/26 due to a torn ACL in his left knee. Forward/center Draymond Green will also miss Monday’s game after being downgraded to questionable and then out because of a right ankle sprain, notes Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link).
- Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee lists some surprising statistics from the Kings‘ four-game winning streak, which was snapped with Sunday’s loss to Portland.
Warriors’ Vets Say Kuminga Situation Not A Distraction
It was an eventful Thursday in the Bay Area, where the day began with forward Jonathan Kuminga issuing a trade demand and wrapped up with a 126-113 victory over a New York team missing star point guard Jalen Brunson. After the win, head coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors‘ veteran stars made it clear that they don’t view the Kuminga situation as a distraction.
“Jonathan’s a great young guy,” Kerr said, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “His teammates like him. He’s handling himself well. There won’t be a distraction.”
“Everyone around here can confidently say it won’t be a distraction because he is not a distraction,” forward Draymond Green told reporters, including ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
Two-time MVP Stephen Curry and six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler each conveyed a similar sentiment. Curry indicated that he’s focused on winning games and that the Kuminga situation will “resolve itself one way or the other.” Butler said his teammates “love JK,” adding that won’t change if he’s traded. Asked whether he wants to see the Warriors grant Kuminga’s trade request, Butler shut down the line of questioning, suggesting it wasn’t his place to weigh in.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey,” Butler said, per Slater. “It ain’t got nothing to do with me. I want JK to be happy. At the end of the day, that’s what I want. Whatever brings him his joy and his happiness, that’s what I want.”
Kuminga, the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, appeared to be on the verge of a breakout when he averaged 16.1 points per game and shot 52.9% from the field in 74 games in 2023/24. However, he missed significant time due to an ankle injury in ’24/25 and was held out of the rotation in several key games at the end of the season and in the postseason.
After a protracted restricted free agency standoff that saw him re-sign with the Warriors on a two-year, $46.8MM deal that includes a second-year team option, Kuminga opened this season in the starting lineup and played well, earning kudos from Kerr. But when the fifth-year forward and Golden State began to struggle and he dealt with another injury (this one affecting his knee), Kuminga was removed from the starting five and then taken out of the rotation altogether.
Although the 23-year-old hasn’t played in 14 consecutive games (and 17 of the past 18), Kerr insisted on Thursday that his relationship with Kuminga isn’t acrimonious, as Friedell relays.
“Our relationship is fine,” Kerr said. “There’s not a whole lot I can say about the other stuff. Just is what it is, a difficult situation for everybody. Part of this league, part of the job. So we just keep moving forward, but tough situation. I don’t really have much to add.”
As we outlined on Thursday, the Kings remain very much in the mix for Kuminga, though they’re not willing to offer as strong a package as they did during the offseason. The Lakers and Mavericks are among the other teams rumored to have some level of interest. Golden State has until February 5 to make a deal, and if Kuminga does get moved, Green is optimistic about his teammate’s ability to “reach his full potential” with his new team.
“Wherever that is in this league, it’s not always how we envision it,” Green said, per Friedell. “I’ve been so lucky and fortunate to play in one place for 14 years. How rare is that though? The reality is it’s more likely that it happens the opposite way than the way it’s going for myself or Steph, Klay (Thompson). 13, 14 years in one spot, it just doesn’t happen.
“So for a guy like that who’s drafted (with) the seventh pick, you expect it all to go the way you want it to go, the way you think it should go. And sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way. But that doesn’t make him any worse of a player. That doesn’t make this any worse of an organization. Sometimes things just don’t work out.
“… But I know how talented he is, I know how good of a teammate he is, I know how good of a person he is. And usually when you have those three things going for you, it works out in the end. So I have zero doubt that no matter what happens with him, whether it’s here or anywhere else, it’s going to work out for him in the end because he works his tail off and he’s a great person and a great teammate. And things work for those guys.”
Warriors Notes: Butler, Green, MPJ, Melton, Horford
Jimmy Butler‘s work with the second unit has sparked the Warriors to an 8-3 record over their last 11 games, Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle writes in a subscriber-only story. Coach Steve Kerr reworked his rotation to give Butler more time with the reserves, and that group has been consistently winning its minutes while Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are off the court. The latest example came Friday night as Butler teamed with four bench players for a 13-0 run in the third quarter that broke open a tied game with Sacramento.
“The way he controls the game is elite,” De’Anthony Melton said of Butler. “I’m reading when to cut, spacing, when to move, certain spots he likes (the ball). Sometimes he has a certain matchup where he doesn’t want (an action). … He can either get a bucket or a foul usually more times than not. Sometimes, it’s not being in his way and giving him an outlet, too, when two people collapse and you’ve got to be ready to shoot.”
Kerr said Butler is more aggressive in those situations, adding that he often “defers” to Curry when they’re playing together. Butler called it getting “the ball where it’s supposed to go,” but regardless, his offensive skills are more on display when he’s the alpha on the court.
“It’s like a drastic change in style but it’s still a beautiful game when he’s getting everybody organized,” Curry said. “You saw him getting downhill, kicking out to shooters, knocking down big shots. He puts so much pressure on the defense even if he’s not the one shooting.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Kerr recently talked to Green about his high turnover rate, which has been an issue during the first half of the season, Gordon adds in a separate story. Kerr still trusts the veteran big man to run the offense, but wants him to do it more judiciously. “The league has changed,” Green said. “Teams feast off those turnovers. So you try to take less chances than I was taking. I heard it. Took it to heart.”
- Green made an unusual comment about high-scoring Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. on his podcast, per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link). After praising Porter’s performance this season, Green said it will be interesting to see what Brooklyn does with him over the “next nine days.”
- Stability in the rotation has also contributed to Golden State’s recent success, observes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. In particular, the Warriors are benefiting from the health of Melton and Al Horford, who are both playing regularly after missing time earlier in the season. “We’re in a good groove with our rotation, and helps to have the same lineups out there,” Kerr said. “To have Melt and Al both healthy and playing well, it feels like the version of the team that we expected when we signed those guys over the summer. The depth (is great) and we’re just getting into a good groove.”
Pacific Notes: Melton, Horford, Kuminga, Brooks, Sallis
It has been an up-and-down season so far for the Warriors, who haven’t been more than three games over .500 at any point in the first half and currently hold a 20-18 record. However, in the view of Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, the team should still be in good shape if it can consistently get the sort of contributions from “X-factors” that it did in Wednesday’s victory over Milwaukee.
While Stephen Curry was the only member of the starting lineup with a positive net rating on the night, all five reserves used by head coach Steve Kerr achieved that feat. Brandin Podziemski was a +19, Gui Santos was a +12, De’Anthony Melton scored 22 points, and Al Horford contributed eight points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks.
The contributions by Melton and Horford were especially welcome, since the two offseason veteran additions were limited by injuries during the fall and have only recently started producing more consistently as part of the Warriors’ second unit. Draymond Green referred to the duo as “guys that connect our lineups,” while Curry also highlighted their importance.
“Those two guys weren’t available much or at all early in the year, and they’re both trying to find their legs, their rhythm,” Curry said. “But you can see how much of a difference they can make off the bench.”
Here are a few more notes from around the Pacific:
- Green became the latest Warriors veteran to praise Jonathan Kuminga for how he has handled his removal from the rotation and his uncertain future, as Dan Dempster of NBC Sports Bay Area details. “Such a standup young man and great person and (he) will be a great player,” Green said, before going on to provide examples of Kuminga’s professionalism. Still, outside of Sacramento, league-wide trade interest in Kuminga has been “tepid,” Poole reports for NBC Sports Bay Area. Poole goes on to say that the relationship between the Warriors and the fifth-year forward remains “cordial” but that their differences don’t appear reconcilable.
- Suns forward Dillon Brooks broke into a smile when asked this week about Mat Ishbia‘s assertion that Brooks is “not going anywhere,” as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays (Twitter video link). Responding to a tweet suggesting a Brooks/Austin Reaves swap, the Suns’ owner said “don’t bother calling” because his team isn’t interested. “He’s been saying I’m going to be a longtime Phoenix Sun. I appreciate it,” said Brooks, who is under contract through 2026/27 and will be extension-eligible during the offseason.
- Hunter Sallis, an undrafted rookie out of Wake Forest who appeared in seven games while on a two-way contract with Philadelphia earlier this season, has joined the San Diego Clippers, the G League team announced (via Twitter). As Law Murray of The Athletic points out (via Twitter), Sallis is James Harden‘s cousin.
Latest On Anthony Davis
Although the Mavericks will continue fielding calls on Anthony Davis, team sources insist to Christian Clark and Sam Amick of The Athletic that the front office feels no urgency to move the star big man. As Clark and Amick explain, the Mavs have signaled that they’d like to see Davis play alongside Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg and can envision a scenario in which he stays in Dallas long-term.
A report earlier this week indicated that Davis’ preference would be to remain in Dallas and sign a contract extension with the Mavericks. However, AD’s representatives at Klutch Sports, led by CEO Rich Paul, aren’t convinced the Mavs are interested in extending their client and wouldn’t mind getting him to a team more likely to pursue a new contract agreement, league sources tell The Athletic.
While Davis and his camp haven’t requested a trade, Clark and Amick suggest that Paul has encouraged the Mavericks to be “more aggressive” in gauging the 32-year-old’s market rather than waiting for teams to call.
Here’s more from The Athletic’s latest report on where things stand with Davis:
- As previously reported, the Hawks and Raptors are among the teams with Davis on their radar, but it’s unclear how motivated either team will be to get a deal done with Dallas. Atlanta wouldn’t want to take on Davis’ contract without moving Trae Young, who doesn’t appeal to the Mavericks, Clark and Amick write, while a deal with Toronto would require the Mavs to take on significant multiyear money.
- As Amick wrote last week, the door isn’t completely closed on the idea of a trade sending Davis to Golden State. However, with the Warriors still “staunchly” opposed to giving up Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green in such a deal, there’s no feasible path to a salary-matching fit.
- The Bucks are among the teams to convey interest in Davis, league sources tell Clark and Amick. Milwaukee is probably a long shot though, since the club is short on appealing assets and also lacks sizable contracts for matching purposes.
- Many league insiders believe the Mavericks will have to wait until the offseason to find a deal they like for Davis, but there’s also a sense that the lack of dominant teams in the Eastern Conference could make one of those potential contenders more inclined to take a shot on Davis during the season, per Clark and Amick. “Every team in the East believes they’re an Anthony Davis away from making the (NBA) Finals,” a high-level source explained to The Athletic.
Warriors Notes: Kerr, Draymond, Kuminga, Curry, Melton
Appearing this week on The Tom Tolbert Show (YouTube link), Warriors head coach Steve Kerr provided some insight into the circumstances that led to the heated sidelines confrontation between him and veteran forward Draymond Green last Monday. In Kerr’s view, the entire back-and-forth was the result of a “misunderstanding,” as Angelina Martin of NBC Bay Area relays.
“Draymond was talking to the refs, and I had called a timeout because I thought we lost our focus,” Kerr explained. “And I wasn’t mad at him, but he was talking to the ref for a long time, and then I see five of our players over there trying to bring him back and he had been ejected the night before. So I started yelling his name, ‘Draymond! Draymond!’ Basically just telling him to, asking him to get to the huddle.
“He thought I was yelling at him because of a turnover he had just made, and so he says something snarky, I say something back snarky, and next thing you know, we’re yelling at each other. We’re at each other’s throats, and then it all comes to bear.
“But I should have been calmer at that time. Like, I know Draymond so well and there’s always a buildup to these things, and he’s such an emotional player and passionate player and he had been frustrated for a couple of days, and I recognized that, but I needed to recognize it and do something about it in the huddle. I needed to be the the the calming force, and so we went back and forth and I regretted not being the calming one in that conversation.”
Green went to the locker room following the altercation and didn’t play for the rest of that game. But he and Kerr both downplayed the incident after the game, with the Warriors’ longtime head coach later taking full responsibility and telling reporters a couple days after the fact that the situation had been resolved. Green has played his normal role since then.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- With several regulars sidelined, forward Jonathan Kuminga was supposed to play on Friday for the first time in two-plus weeks. However, Kuminga was a late addition to the injury report due to low back soreness and was ultimately held out of action despite being active. According to Kerr, Kuminga’s injury surfaced before the game and it’s unclear whether or not it will linger (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of The Athletic). After this missed opportunity, it seems increasingly plausible that the fifth-year forward won’t see the court again before he becomes trade-eligible on January 15.
- Kerr said after Friday’s loss that Green will return on Saturday vs. Utah after sitting out on Friday, and he’s hopeful Stephen Curry (ankle) will be back as well (Twitter link via Friedell). Jimmy Butler‘s availability will depend on how quickly his illness clears up, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be out long either.
- The Warriors essentially tanked Friday’s game against the defending champion Thunder, a 37-point loss, writes Monte Poole of NBC Bay Area. The team’s goal wasn’t to improve its draft position but to get a few veterans some much-needed rest ahead of more winnable games. “The schedule is what it is,” Kerr said. “When you have an older team, you have to navigate it as best you can. We’re trying to do that.”
- Veteran guard De’Anthony Melton, who re-signed with the Warriors this summer on a minimum-salary contract, told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Poole and Bonta Hill on the Dubs Talk podcast that he had no hard feelings about the team trading him away last season after he tore his ACL. “Given what my contract was, the mid-level, that’s a serviceable player,” Melton said. “You want someone like that who’s going to provide something good for your team. With me going down, and the dip the team took, I understood and I kind of saw it coming. And I think talking with (general manager) Mike (Dunleavy Jr.) and talking with Steve, they kind of helped me with that situation, too. So I had a feeling it was coming and I understood it. When it was on the horizon, I told them it’s OK. I said, ‘Honestly, I would trade me, too.'”