Warriors GM Dunleavy Talks Curry, Kerr, Kuminga, Porzingis
If Milwaukee had been willing to make a deal at last month’s trade deadline, the Warriors likely would’ve given up several of their future first-round picks – and swaps – to acquire star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, speaking to Tim Kawakami on his TK Show podcast (Spotify link) on Tuesday, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. pointed to the health issues currently afflicting his top players as an example of why surrendering significant future draft capital carries significant risk.
“I think going back to the Jimmy (Butler) trade last year, that’s why we loved the trade so much, because we’re getting a great player and we’re only giving up that year’s pick. There’s nothing out in the future,” Dunleavy said, according to Kawakami. “…I think we’re always being disciplined about using those picks, considering them in trades, things like that. But when you’re put in a situation like this, where your best players are out and you’re struggling to win games, I think you appreciate having that draft capital moving forward.”
In addition to missing Butler (torn ACL) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness), the Warriors are currently playing without their top scorer, Stephen Curry, who has been out since January 30 due to a knee issue. Asked by Kawakami if there’s any possibility that Curry gets shut down for the rest of the season, Dunleavy didn’t rule it out, but said it would be “very surprising” if that happens.
“I’m not a doctor and things can go a certain way,” he said. “I don’t want the headline to be, ‘Steph may be done for the year’ because I’m not ruling it out. But just because he’s not playing right now, I just have to acknowledge that, ‘Yeah, sure, there’s a chance.’ But we don’t expect that.”
Here are a few more of Dunleavy’s most notable quotes from his appearance on The TK Show:
On whether he expects Steve Kerr to be the Warriors’ head coach in 2026/27:
“I don’t see why not. I think Steve’s mentioned wanting to get to the end of the season and figure it out. I think things, for him, are going well. We’ll figure all that out when it comes. I think it’s been interesting, like the focus for us internally between myself, (team owner) Joe (Lacob), the players, Steve, has really been on like getting this thing right the rest of the season. So we haven’t put a whole bunch of thought into it.
“But you know, obviously, on a personal level, (I) love having Steve here. Yeah, I would project that he’s our coach next year. But again, we’re going down to absolute certainties, and a lot of it’s in his court, so we’ll have to see.”
On whether the Warriors seriously considered hanging onto Jonathan Kuminga through last month’s trade deadline:
“I think you guys know, it’s been put out there about (Kuminga’s) trade demand, and I think any time a player wants that, I want to try to accommodate. You want people who want to be here. And for that reason, we felt it was the right time to move on. I think JK’s happy about it, I think we’re in the right spot for it, it was just kind of the right thing to do at the time.”
On whether he’s satisfied with the information-gathering process that led to the Warriors acquiring Porzingis (who has been limited to a single outing since the trade due to health issues):
“That’s a great question, it’s a fair question. I think it’s really, really complicated. This is a unique situation. I’d say from our end, I feel good about, from the information we had, I feel good about our evaluation of what that was on the medical side. And for that reason, that’s why we made the trade.”
Injury Notes: Booker, Highsmith, Zion, Jovic, Warriors
The Suns, who went just 4-7 in February as they dealt with injuries affecting multiple starters and rotation players, will get some reinforcements on Tuesday in Sacramento.
As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays (via Twitter), star guard Devin Booker is no longer listed on Phoenix’s injury report after missing the past four games due to a right hip strain. While the Suns split those four games without Booker available, they were clearly missing their leading scorer, having ranked 29th in the NBA in offensive rating during that stretch.
Recently signed swingman Haywood Highsmith also isn’t included on the Suns’ latest injury report, Rankin notes, which suggests he should be ready to make his season debut. Highsmith underwent surgery to address a torn meniscus in his right knee last August and experienced a setback in his rehab in October. He was traded from Miami to Brooklyn last offseason, was waived by the Nets last month, and signed with the Suns as he ramped up to return to action.
Two of Phoenix’s top wing defenders – Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture) and Jordan Goodwin (left calf strain) – remain out, so Highsmith should get a shot to earn rotation minutes now that he’s healthy.
We have more health-related updates from around the NBA:
- Pelicans forward Zion Williamson sat out on Sunday due to an ankle sprain, ending his career-high streak of 35 consecutive games played, but he’s listed as questionable to play on Tuesday vs. the Lakers and told Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter video link) he expects to suit up. Williamson will be motivated to appear in at least 16 of New Orleans’ final 20 games this season, since doing so would ensure he locks in at least 80% of his $42.2MM salary for 2026/27 (the remaining 20% could become guaranteed if he meets weight-related benchmarks).
- Heat forward/center Nikola Jovic will miss a fifth consecutive game on Tuesday due to a lower back injury, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Jovic says he doesn’t have any disk issues and doesn’t think the ailment is related to the stress reaction in his back that sidelined him for a significant portion of the 2022/23 season, but he admitted he’s struggling with the injury. “My back doesn’t feel good,” Jovic said. “The scan shows I got some inflammation, and one of my nerves doesn’t look great right now.”
- Warriors wing Moses Moody, who didn’t play in the fourth quarter of the team’s loss to the Clippers on Monday, jammed his wrist and injured his shoulder, according to head coach Steve Kerr, who said Moody will be evaluated further on Tuesday (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of ESPN).
- Kristaps Porzingis missed a fifth straight game with an illness on Monday and it’s unclear when the Warriors big man will return to action, Friedell writes for The Athletic. “It’s a little mysterious,” Kerr said of Porzingis’ illness. “We’re obviously working with him, and he can get some clarity, and he can kind of break through, and he can get to a point where he’s consistently healthy, but that’s something that the medical staff is working hard on with him. I’m not going to posit any medical theories anymore.”
Warriors Notes: Santos, Curry, Horford, Playoffs
Gui Santos has been given more ball-handling responsibility for the Warriors of late and it has sparked a new excitement in him, Nick Avila writes for NBC Sports Bay Area.
“Yeah, I’m loving it — not that I don’t like the other part,” Santos said. “I love to just be on the NBA floor, but when you’re on the NBA floor and you’ve got a little bit more freedom to find teammates and either go to the basket and do all that, that gives you so much more joy to play. So, I really love it, the momentum.”
The newly extended forward has increased his assist numbers to 4.6 per game over his last five, and his playing style has been infectious among his teammates. However, he knows that his role will change again once Stephen Curry returns.
After receiving his three-year extension, Santos hopes to be an inspiration for other Brazilian players looking to make it in the NBA, Dalton Johnson writes for NBC Sports Bay Area.
“I’m the only one here, so I’m the biggest example when you look at basketball and the NBA being the biggest level you can get to. Everybody is looking at me as an example,” Santos said. “For me, it’s just trying to be a great guy and show that the work ethic is the most important thing. That’s what got me here in this position.”
Head coach Steve Kerr praised Santos following the announcement of the deal.
“He’s been such an important player for us, but also just an incredible development story. Second-round pick and spent his entire first year in Santa Cruz,” Kerr said. “He’s become one of our most important players. We’re all so thrilled for him. He’s excited, it’s a great day.”
Curry reiterated that sentiment, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’ Eden Collier.
“He was so happy to just be on an NBA team at one point,” Curry said. “And now to being a big part of our rotation, really developing and becoming an impactful player on both ends of the floor and being rewarded with that type of security — coming where he came from, it’s a big deal, it’s a big celebration today for him.”
We have more from the Warriors:
- Reacting to the news that Curry will miss at least the next five games with his lingering knee injury, Johnson suggests for NBC Sports Bay Area that it might make sense to shut the star point guard down until the play-in tournament. Given the 4.5-game gap between the Warriors and No. 6 Lakers and the 7.5-game gap that separates Golden State from the No. 11 Grizzlies, caution should be the name of the game when it comes to bringing Curry back, Johnson argues. “It’s just something that you don’t want to have lingering because it can get worse,” Curry said when asked about the injury.
- When Al Horford left the Celtics for the Warriors this offseason, the sense was that he was leaving a team in a gap year for a potential contender. So far, the opposite has been true in terms of the two teams’ relative success levels, and Horford’s integration with the team has required a bit of a learning curve, Gary Washburn writes for the Boston Globe. “I think that the difference is in different places you look for different things,” Horford said. “So in Boston, we ran a lot of pick-and-rolls, and then some isolations, and then we got to moving the ball. And here with the Warriors, we try to get the ball to Draymond (Green), or get the ball in the post, and then play more in the perimeter, play splits and cut to the basket and things like that. And then when Steph is on the court, obviously all that ties in together. So there’s some pick and roll, but then there’s a lot of off-the-ball movement.”
- Kerr is realistic about the Warriors’ chances of earning a top-six spot in the West to avoid the play-in tournament, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Joaquin Ruiz writes. “It’s a lot to make up with 22 games left,” Kerr said. “We don’t even talk about it. It’s not anything that is worth discussing because we just have to try to go out and win and see what happens.“
Stephen Curry To Be Reevaluated in 10 Days
Warriors guard Stephen Curry will be reevaluated in 10 days as he seeks to return from the right knee injury that has kept him sidelined since January 30, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reports (Twitter link). That means that Curry will miss at least five more games in addition to the 10 he has already missed.
It’s essentially the same update the Warriors provided on February 19 when they announced that an MRI on Curry’s troublesome knee revealed no structural damage but that he would miss at least five games and would be reevaluated in 10 days. Today marked 10 days since that announcement.
Curry is dealing with patellofemoral pain syndrome, colloquially known as runner’s knee. He has referred to it as an “unpredictable” issue.
Head coach Steve Kerr previously stated that the team has no interest in shutting Curry down for the season. Golden State is currently the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Curry is averaging 27.2 points and 4.8 assists per game this season despite averaging just 31.3 minutes per night, one of the lowest marks of his career. He’ll fall shy of the 65-game minimum for end-of-season awards, meaning he’ll miss out on All-NBA honors for just the second time in the past 13 years.
Curry will remain sidelined for at least the team’s upcoming games against the Clippers (Monday), Rockets (Thursday), Thunder (Saturday), Jazz (March 9), and Bulls (March 10).
Warriors Notes: Porzingis, Curry, Santos, Richard
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he made a “stupid mistake” while discussing Kristaps Porzingis‘ health issues during an appearance Friday on a local radio show, writes Evan Webeck of The California Post. Kerr explained on 95.7 FM that Porzingis, who missed a fourth straight game on Saturday, has been suffering this week from a contagious illness that’s causing him to lose “a lot” of fluids. The Warriors coach said it’s not related to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), the condition Porzingis said last October that he had been diagnosed with.
During that radio appearance, Kerr referred to Porzingis having POTS as “misinformation,” explaining that he was relaying what he’d been told by Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh, who formerly worked in Golden State’s front office and traded Porzingis to the Warriors at the deadline.
“I called (Saleh) and I said, ‘Is this POTS story real?’ He said it’s actually not POTS. That was some misinformation that was out there,” Kerr said on Friday. “I don’t know if anybody’s asked him about it. Bottom line is whatever was bothering him in Atlanta that was keeping him out has nothing to do with the illness last week. He was just sick.”
A day later, Kerr walked back the comments he made during that radio interview, telling reporters that Porzingis is being afflicted by a “medical issue way beyond my capabilities of explaining.”
“It was a stupid mistake by me to talk about something that I’m not qualified to talk about,” Kerr added. “So I regretted even trying to discuss the diagnosis. That was my mistake. I need to leave that to the professionals.”
Porzingis has only made one 17-minute appearance for the Warriors since the trade, but Webeck states that he returned to practice on Friday and Kerr said he’s feeling better.
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Stephen Curry said he’s not quite ready to return in an interview during the telecast of Saturday’s game, relays Angelina Martin of NBC Sports Bay Area. He missed his 10th straight game due to runner’s knee. “It’s going to be a little longer, but, like I said, right now with this one, it’s just about each day,” Curry told ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “Can you stack good days, and I’ve done that, so hopefully they can unleash me on the court soon, and like I said, get back out there sooner than later.”
- Gui Santos, who signed a three-year extension on Saturday, said it’s a result of doing what the Warriors have asked of him, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. Santos has been able to work his way into the starting lineup after being drafted with the 55th pick in 2022. “I think the key word for that is patience,” he said. “Because when I got here, I was a point guard. Playing back in Brazil was like playing as a point guard, having the ball in my hand. Then I spent the whole year in the G League just learning how to fit in the system here. Because my goal always was playing in the NBA, playing for the Warriors. And I asked them what I got to do to do that, and they said, ‘We’re gonna give you the way. You got to play hard on defense, you got to be crashing the boards all the time, and you just got to find Steph — it’s easy.’ So I said, ‘All right, I’m doing that.’ I was just working at that in my first couple years.”
- The Warriors’ injury list grew longer when guard Will Richard was forced out of Saturday’s game with a sprained right ankle, the team announced (via Twitter).
Warriors Sign Gui Santos To Three-Year Extension
Third-year forward Gui Santos has signed a multiyear contract extension with the Warriors, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).
Santos signed a three-year, $15MM extension which features a player option in 2028/29, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports (via Twitter).
After playing a modest role for most of the season, Santos has been playing major minutes of late with Jimmy Butler sidelined due to a torn ACL. The Brazilian has thrived over his past 12 appearances, averaging 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game.
Santos has started 10 of those 12 games, including the team’s last nine, and has posted a shooting line of .588/.431/.692 over that stretch.
Overall, Santos has appeared in 48 games (16.0 MPG) this season for Golden State, averaging 6.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 1.7 APG on .531/.390/.680 shooting.
Santos would have been a restricted free agent in the offseason. Instead of waiting until the summer to negotiate a new deal, the 23-year-old opted to sign a long-term extension to stay with the franchise that selected him 55th overall in the 2022 draft.
Although Santos doesn’t have a ton of NBA experience, $5MM annually is still a team-friendly rate considering his recent contributions and his projected role for the rest of the season. When I took an in-depth look at Santos a few days ago in a Front Office article, I speculated that he might be able to get $6-9MM per year in restricted free agency.
Still, having that player option for ’28/29 was a nice compromise for Santos. He will be extension-eligible again two years from now (Feb. 28, 2028) and would be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2028 if he declines his third-year option.
Santos was one of several players around the league eligible for veteran contract extensions. The full list can be found right here.
Buyout Market Rumors: Anthony, Middleton, Ball, D-Lo, Boucher
Veteran guard Cole Anthony has remained in limbo since being acquired by the Suns at this month’s trade deadline, having continued to hold a spot on Phoenix’s 15-man roster despite being away from the team. Reporting prior to the All-Star break indicated Anthony would likely be waived, but that still hasn’t happened. According to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, head coach Jordan Ott suggested on Thursday that the delay may be related to depth concerns in the Suns’ backcourt.
“It’s still the same,” Ott said of Anthony’s situation. “There hasn’t been much change, but we have had injuries and that’s kind of where it’s at. That’s why there hasn’t been much change, but that’s why it’s not completely out. We’ll continue to just stay in touch with his people and move this thing forward.”
Friday is the first of four days off for the Suns, and Devin Booker (hip strain) appears likely to return after that break, either on Tuesday in Sacramento or Thursday vs. Chicago, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7. If Phoenix is confident in where Booker’s at in his recovery, it’s possible we could see Anthony let go on or before Sunday, which is the final day a player can be waived and retain his playoff eligibility for a new team.
[UPDATE: Anthony has been waived.]
If Anthony is cut, it would open up a spot for the Suns to promote two-way player Jamaree Bouyea to the standard roster. The club could then back-fill Bouyea’s two-way slot before next Wednesday’s deadline for two-way signings.
Here are a few more rumors related to the NBA’s buyout market:
- In addition to Denver, the Spurs are among the teams with interest in Mavericks forward Khris Middleton, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Dallas has reportedly given Middleton the option of negotiating a buyout or sticking with the Mavs for the rest of the season — he figures to make that decision within the next 48 hours or so.
- Although the Warriors, Nuggets, and other teams has some interest in Lonzo Ball after he was waived earlier this month, concerns about the guard’s knee dissuaded those potential suitors from moving forward on a deal with the veteran point guard, Siegel reports, adding that nothing is imminent on that front.
- Although D’Angelo Russell wasn’t required to report to the Wizards after being included in the Anthony Davis trade and has been viewed as a potential buyout candidate, there has been little interest around the league in the point guard, per Siegel. Russell’s contract includes a $5.97MM player option for 2026/27 that Washington would probably want to eliminate – or at least significantly reduce – as part of any buyout agreement, whereas D-Lo presumably wouldn’t want to give up that guaranteed money without a favorable deal lined up elsewhere. According to Siegel, Russell could end up simply finishing the season with the Wizards.
- Many league personnel believe Chris Boucher would like to reunite with the Raptors after being waived by Utah earlier this month, but it’s unclear whether Toronto reciprocates that interest, says Siegel.
Pacific Notes: Murray, Melton, Leons, Garland
It has been a season to forget for Kings forward Keegan Murray. In addition to the fact that Sacramento holds the NBA’s worst record (13-47), Murray has spent the year battling various injuries. His season debut was delayed until November 20 after he underwent surgery on his left thumb. He later missed a pair of games in December due to a mild calf strain, then sat out for a month-and-a-half in January and February while recovering from a left ankle sprain.
Murray suffered another setback on Wednesday in Houston. In just his 23rd game of the season, Murray re-injured that same left ankle, rolling it in the first quarter and sitting out for the rest of the night, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
It remains to be seen whether Murray will face another multi-game absence as a result of his latest ailment, but the Kings have no reason to push him. The lottery-bound team views the fourth-year forward as one of its long-term cornerstones, having signed him last fall to a five-year, $140MM rookie scale extension that will go into effect this July.
We have more from out of the Pacific:
- Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton holds a $3.45MM player option for next season, but he seems less likely to exercise it with each passing day, according to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Melton, who had a season-high 28 points on Tuesday vs. New Orleans to increase his career-best scoring average to 12.7 PPG, has an incredible +15.7 net rating in his 688 minutes on the floor this season. Poole speculates that the versatile guard’s next contract could be in the range of $15-20MM annually. “It’s really fun to see him performing at this level after being out for a couple years,” head coach Steve Kerr said earlier this week. “He’s such a great guy, such a fantastic teammate. Hell of a player, and I’m really happy for him that he’s healthy and playing at a high level.”
- Forward Malevy Leons hasn’t played much for the Warriors since signing a two-way contract in December, but he proved in Wednesday’s win over Memphis that he’s capable of contributing when called upon. Leons registered nine points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes — all three marks were season highs. “I thought Malevy was awesome,” Kerr said, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Just the energy, defending without fouling, creating some problems for them at the defensive end of the floor and then making some nice plays on offense too. Was fun to watch him play.”
- Darius Garland‘s Clippers debut doesn’t appear to be far off, and his teammates and coaches are looking forward to it. Head coach Tyronn Lue said Garland has “looked great” in practices, while guard Kris Dunn added that the newcomer has already been a great fit off the court, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. “We can’t wait. We’re doing good, we’ve shown some good stuff over the last two (games), but it’s also been tough for us,” forward Nicolas Batum said, referring to losses to the Lakers and Magic. “But that kinda showed us we need him. We can’t wait to have him back on the court with us.”
2026 NBA Free Agent Preview: Gui Santos
Jimmy Butler's ACL tear was a devastating blow to the Warriors' chances of making a deep playoff run. Key members of the team -- including Stephen Curry, general manger Mike Dunleavy Jr., head coach Steve Kerr and owner Joe Lacob -- have expressed cautious optimism about the remainder of the season while maintaining a pragmatic view of their expectations.
Butler is an outstanding player whose style (highly efficient inside the arc, draws a ton of fouls, high-IQ play-maker on both ends, low turnovers, doesn't want to shoot threes) is pretty unique, given the prevalence of outside shooting around the NBA. Obviously, it's extremely difficult to replace a player of his level of competitiveness, skill, talent, athleticism, and size.
Curry's own knee injury has further clouded Golden State's outlook. The Warriors are 23-16 in games the two-time MVP has played this season, but have gone 7-12 without their leading scorer.
While the sense of urgency in Golden State is understandably high given the ages of their stars, injuries also create opportunities. One of my favorite things about following the league is seeing unheralded players show they're capable of playing legitimate rotation roles when they're given real minutes.
One Warriors player fitting that bill as of late is Gui Santos, who will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Pacific Notes: Santos, Green, Ayton, Kings
Power forward Gui Santos has seen his role expand with the Warriors in recent weeks and it’s given a major confidence boost to the 2022 second-round pick, he said on 95.7 The Game’s Willard and Dibs show.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I’m feeling really good right now about the shooting, you know the confidence,” Santos said (story via Kevin Borba of NBC Sports Bay Area. “I think especially when you know that you’re going to play every night when you know that like your team trusts you, the staff trust you, that gives you way more confidence to go out there. You take shots with confidence, you take shots that you think like, ‘yes this shot is one shot that I got shoot it and I’m going to make it.’ And I feel good right now I’m in this position.”
In the month of February, Santos is averaging 29.7 minutes, 15.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He’ll be eligible for restricted free agency after the season.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- As with his past teams, Deandre Ayton is frustrating the Lakers with his inconsistent play. Ayton has a minimal offensive role but the team is trying to unlock his potential as a rebounder and defender. Coach JJ Redick also sees plays where the ball should go inside to Ayton. “There’s positive trends,” Redick said after practice Monday, per Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “We did watch some film today. There was some real positive trends defensively. I think his spirit and engagement and stuff has been really good. I think for all the guys, if he has a smaller player on him, that’s an advantage for us. Let’s just get him the ball. I think it’s just thematically across the team, we have to pass it to each other more and trust each other more. … In terms of him running and putting pressure on the rim and offensive rebounding, particularly against switches and smaller players, he could be better there.” Ayton is averaging career lows in points (13.0), rebounds (8.4) and minutes (28.1) per game.
- Jalen Green has missed a good portion of his first season with the Suns due to hamstring injuries. He’s now in a position to make a major impact with both Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks out due to injuries. “I think I bring a little bit of everything,” Green told Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. “Play faster, get some steals and get into the open lane. I think that’s where my biggest impact is, getting to the rim, the three and scoring.” Green is averaging 16.8 points over his last four games.
- The Kings‘ franchise-record losing streak of 16 games was finally snapped on Monday, as Russell Westbrook scored 25 points in a 123-114 road victory over Memphis. Precious Achiuwa matched his season-high with 20 points and also grabbed 12 rebounds. “We needed this,” Achiuwa told NBC Sports California, as Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee relays. “It’s been a bit of a rough path for us the past couple games. We’ve played really well a lot of those games. We were just unfortunate not to come out with a win, but tonight we’re glad. It feels good to win.”