Warriors Owner Lacob Discusses Kuminga, Porzingis, Kerr, More
In an interesting interview with Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, Warriors owner Joe Lacob discussed a number of topics, including Jonathan Kuminga, Kristaps Porzingis, his expectations for the rest of the season, the future of head coach Steve Kerr, Draymond Green, tanking, and more.
As Kawakami writes, Lacob was one of Kuminga’s biggest supporters in Golden State, but he said the decision to trade the former lottery pick (and Buddy Hield) to Atlanta for Porzingis wasn’t a difficult one.
“Not hard; everyone assumes a lot about that,” Lacob said. “Look, I liked him as a player, I like him as a person. … And at times, he showed a lot of potential for us. Just never quite really worked entirely. And he got injured at inopportune times.
“I think we all knew we had to do something. But we weren’t going to give him away, either. Because he is a talent, and a lot of people think that, too. It just worked out — we got something that we thought was worth doing. Otherwise, we would’ve kept him.”
Of course, Kuminga demanded a trade on January 15 following a prolonged contract standoff with the team in the offseason, so the two sides weren’t exactly on great terms prior to parting ways. Lacob expressed skepticism that the Warriors could have received more value in return for the 23-year-old forward if they had moved him a year or two ago.
“I don’t think so,” Lacob said. “People say I loved him as a player, I was protecting him, I was whatever. That’s just not true. I did like him. I like all our players. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be acquiring them if we didn’t all like them. But you know, it just didn’t work. It looked like it was going to work. It was off and on a lot.”
Here are a few more highlights from Kawakami’s conversation with Lacob, which is worth checking out in full for Warriors fans.
On being encouraged by Porzingis’ Warriors debut on Thursday:
“He showed you a little bit about what he can do and why we got him. He’s always been one of my favorite players, to be honest, just in terms of his skill set, his size. You know, [general manger] Mike Dunleavy [Jr.] and the guys always laugh because I’m always yelling for more size. And we finally got it. He’s 7-foot-3, so I’m happy with that. We’ve got two real seven-footers on the team now [along with Quinten Post]. I like what I saw. Let’s get him ready, get him back to playing, get his timing back, and get used to our players. I think it’s encouraging.”
On whether there’s any clarity about Kerr’s future (his contract expires this offseason):
“I think Steve has answered that question; there’s nothing more I can say. He has said we’re going to wait until after the season. That’s 100% accurate. We’ve discussed it. No point in talking about it now. He’s got a job to do. Let’s just let people focus — I mean, why would you do that now? Let’s just focus on the season. Really, it’s up to him. What does he want to do? And he doesn’t know, I don’t think. So we’ll have that discussion later.”
On what Lacob thinks of Kerr’s job performance in 2025/26:
“I don’t look at it in one season. I look at it — he’s been our coach for 12 years. I think you can make the assumption that I think a lot of Steve Kerr. He’s a great coach. He’s been very successful. He’s won us four championships. Been to six Finals. He is a great human being, I really really, really respect him, admire him. But it depends what he wants to do and how he feels at the end of the season, and where we’re at. We’ll take all of it, put it into a bowl and figure it out. And I’m not really very worried about it, and I don’t think he’s very worried about it, either.“
Stephen Curry Out At Least Five More Games Due To Knee Injury
Superstar guard Stephen Curry underwent an MRI on Wednesday night, which confirmed he has patellofemoral pain syndrome in his right knee and revealed no structural damage, according to the Warriors (Twitter link).
Curry will miss at least five more games, as he will be reevaluated in 10 days, per the team.
The injury update on Curry, who has been sidelined for Golden State’s last five games due to the right knee issue, was first reported by Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of ESPN.
Head coach Steve Kerr said yesterday that Curry was unable to scrimmage on Wednesday as he continues to deal with pain in his right knee. According to Slater and Charania, Curry’s knee has been bothering him after individual workouts.
“It’s just lingering soreness.” Kerr said before Thursday’s game against the Boston Celtics. “We were hoping he’d be ready for tonight, but it wasn’t the case. He just needs more time.”
As Law Murray of The Athletic tweets, the two-time MVP will be ineligible for major postseason awards due to the nagging injury, which is also known as runner’s knee. Curry has already missed 15 games this season and his continued absence will put him up to at least 20 — players can only miss 17 games to remain eligible for All-NBA and other honors.
Curry, who made 11 All-NBA teams in the 12 years leading up to this season, would have been a strong contender for that distinction again. The four-time champion remains highly productive at age 37 (he turns 38 next month), averaging 27.2 PPG, 4.8 APG, 3.5 RPG and 1.1 SPG on .468/.391/.931 shooting in 39 games (31.3 MPG).
In other Warriors news, trade acquisition Kristaps Porzingis is expected to make his debut for Golden State on Thursday, Slater tweets. The 30-year-old big man will be on a restriction of approximately 15-to-20 minutes and will come off the bench.
Porzingis went through Wednesday’s practice and impressed his former Celtics teammate.
“Looked great,” Al Horford said (Twitter video link via Slater). “Thought his timing was good, overall energy.”
Warriors Notes: Stephen Curry, Porzingis, Seth Curry, Schedule
Stephen Curry won’t be available when the Warriors resume their season Thursday against Boston, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic (Twitter link). Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters that Curry wasn’t able to participate in Wednesday’s practice and would be reevaluated by the training staff later in the day.
Curry has been sidelined since January 30 with patellofemoral pain syndrome, which is also known as runner’s knee. He was forced to withdraw from the All-Star Game, but there was hope that the week off might provide enough healing to get him back on the court.
Kerr said Curry may have to undergo another MRI to determine what’s causing the lingering pain in his knee, Friedell adds (Twitter link). Curry told Kerr that something in the knee still doesn’t feel right and he wasn’t ready to try a full workout.
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Kristaps Porzingis was able to participate in a scrimmage on Wednesday, which means his Golden State debut could come against the Celtics, notes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). Porzingis played an important role on Boston’s 2024 championship team, but he was traded to Atlanta last summer in a cost-cutting move. “It’s gonna be weird, especially first game back against Boston,” he said. “It’s gonna be cool, seeing all the guys again.”
- The final two months of the season will help shape the Warriors’ roster for the future, Friedell observes in a full story. Porzingis will be a free agent this summer, but the team might be interested in a long-term deal if he proves to be a good fit. De’Anthony Melton is expected to decline his $3.5MM player option for next season and test the open market, according to Friedell, and Al Horford faces a decision on a nearly $6MM player option. Brandin Podziemski will be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the offseason, while Gui Santos and Pat Spencer are headed for restricted free agency.
- Seth Curry will be reevaluated in two weeks for a sciatic nerve-related injury, the Warriors announced (via Twitter). The team stated that he “continues to make good progress” and was able to intensify his on-court workouts over the past week, including live play. Curry, 35, has only been available for two games since joining the team on December 1.
- The Warriors have the seventh-easiest remaining schedule in the West and may be able to take advantage of some tanking teams over the rest of the season, observes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required). He notes that 10 of their 27 games after the All-Star break are against teams that are “incentivized to lose.”
Injury Notes: Giddey, Zubac, Toppin, Porzingis, Young
Bulls point guard Josh Giddey has been out since January 28 with a left hamstring strain, but he went through a full practice on Wednesday and expects to make his return on Thursday vs. Toronto, tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network.
It will be Giddey’s first game since Chicago overhauled its backcourt by trading Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Dalen Terry and waiving Jevon Carter while bringing in Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Jaden Ivey, and Rob Dillingham.
We have more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Pacers center Ivica Zubac was a limited participant in Tuesday’s practice and both he and forward Obi Toppin (foot surgery) are making “steady” progress in their injury recoveries, head coach Rick Carlisle said on Tuesday. However, neither player is all that close to seeing the floor. As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star writes, head coach Rick Carlisle said “it’s gonna be a while” before either Zubac or Toppin returns.
- Kristaps Porzingis practiced with the Warriors on Tuesday and “looked good,” according to head coach Steve Kerr, who said on decision on the big man’s availability for Thursday’s matchup with Boston will be made after Wednesday’s scrimmage (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of The Athletic).
- Point guard Trae Young, who has yet to make his Wizards debut after being traded to Washington over a month ago, didn’t practice on Wednesday and still hasn’t been cleared for contact, per head coach Brian Keefe (Twitter link via Josh Robbins of The Athletic). Young has been listed on the injury report as recovering from a right MCL sprain and a quad contusion.
Pacific Notes: Clippers, Porzingis, Christie, Suns
As the Clippers host the NBA world for All-Star weekend, their recent trade deadline moves make the future of the team difficult to gauge, Kelly Iko writes for Yahoo Sports.
The Clippers traded James Harden for the much younger – but oft-injured – Darius Garland, in addition to sending out starting center and defensive backbone Ivica Zubac, to bring back wing scorer Bennedict Mathurin, who has come off the bench to start his tenure in Los Angeles.
The moves, for a team that was one of the hottest in the league following a slow start to the season, require a recalibration of expectations, Iko writes. The team got younger with the moves, but lost two of their most consistent contributors. Garland is also sidelined with a toe sprain and has no set timeline for return.
“It’s not easy,” veteran Nicolas Batum said. “Especially when you trade away big pieces. But the thing we got back is pretty huge as well. You still gotta do your job, but it’s going to be an adjustment for sure.”
Coach Ty Lue said that despite the moves, the goals haven’t changed from his perspective.
“Our expectations are still to win and win at a high level,” Lue said. “Come out and compete every single night and play hard. No matter who’s on the floor.”
We have more from around the Pacific Division:
- Kristaps Porzingis has yet to suit up for a game with the Warriors due to a combination of Achilles tendinitis and an illness, but coach Steve Kerr said that he’s hoping the All-Star break helps give him time to get his body right, Anthony Slater of ESPN notes (Twitter video link). “Kristaps played today and was moving better than yesterday and seemed to be in a good rhythm,” Kerr said on Wednesday night, adding that the big man was playing half-court five-on-five. While there have been rumors that Porzingis will be able to play in Golden State’s first game after the All-Star break, Kerr wasn’t ready to lock that in. “We’ll just see how it plays out,” he said.
- With Wednesday’s 121-93 loss to the Jazz, the Kings have matched their longest losing streak in franchise history, Jason Anderson writes for the Sacramento Bee. It’s the first time the team has lost 14 straight since moving to Sacramento in 1985. For head coach Doug Christie, who experienced some of the franchise’s most memorable moments as a player, it’s particularly painful. “I’ve been here for the absolute best of the Sacramento Kings, the best record, and now you deal with this,” said Christie. “…One thing I know is that adversity does not define you, but it clarifies some things about you as an individual and us as a collective because when you face that you come together in brotherhood, you communicate, you compete at a high level and we will be better for it in the long run.” There was at least one bright spot in the loss, as second-year guard Devin Carter set his career-high in points (19).
- The Suns are heading into the All-Star break on something of a down note, winning just once in their last four games and being blown out by a Thunder team missing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in their last game before the break. However, head coach Jordan Ott holds a slightly different view of the team’s position, Duane Rankin writes for the Arizona Republic. “This is exciting,” Ott said of the team’s current seventh-place seeding. “What we’re playing for, the next 27 games, that’s exciting. You don’t want the result, but if that doesn’t motivate you, and I know it will, so that part, we’re going to take this as a positive.”
Warriors Rumors: Porzingis, Murphy, JJJ, Green, Kerr
Kristaps Porzingis is exactly the type of player the Warriors have wanted to add to their frontcourt for years, according to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, who says Golden State views the big man as a no-risk, potentially high-reward addition. Still, sending Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta for Porzingis was something of a fall-back option for the Warriors, who pursued Giannis Antetokounmpo and several other impact players leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline.
The Warriors’ interest in Trey Murphy III has been well chronicled, and Siegel suggests Golden State was prepared to offer Kuminga, an unprotected 2026 first-round pick, and a lightly protected 2028 first-rounder for the Pelicans wing. However, sources tell ClutchPoints that New Orleans had set an asking price of at least three first-round picks for Murphy and wasn’t enthusiastic about Kuminga as a long-term building block.
The Warriors also spoke to the Grizzlies about Jaren Jackson Jr., Siegel confirms, and would’ve done a package that included Kuminga, Hield, two first-round picks, and “some sort of swap.” But Siegel hears that Golden State was reluctant to include Moses Moody or far-off draft picks which Memphis would’ve valued more highly (since they’d likely land after Stephen Curry‘s retirement), so Utah was able to beat Golden State’s package for Jackson.
While Porzingis may not have been atop the Warriors’ wish list, the team is looking forward to seeing what he’ll bring to the table and there’s optimism that he’ll be ready to play in the first game after the All-Star break, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed today (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of The Athletic). Kerr told reporters that Porzingis did some three-on-three work on Tuesday and will play in short bursts once he’s activated.
For his part, Porzingis – who has been limited to 17 outings this season for injury/illness reasons – is optimistic about what the rest of the season holds for him and the Warriors.
“I think it’s a great, great opportunity to turn a new page,” Porziņgis said over the weekend, per Friedell. “From what I’ve seen, and the conversations I’ve had so far with the medical staff here, and the people that work here, I have to say I’m very surprised and very optimistic. I’m in really, really good hands, if not some of the best hands, and I think that will also add to what I already have in my mind. So, I look forward to really having a surprisingly good post All-Star break.”
We have more on the Warriors:
- Interestingly, during his post-deadline media session, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. strongly pushed back against the idea that the team discussed Draymond Green in trade talks. “His name was not in conversations other than the ones where teams called me to ask about him,” Dunleavy said, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater. “The idea that he ‘stayed with the Warriors past the deadline’ was greatly exaggerated. It was never a possibility of him not being here or remotely close.” Multiple reporters – and Green himself – have suggested that the longtime Warrior would’ve almost certainly been included in a package for Antetokounmpo, so perhaps Dunleavy’s comments reflect a belief that the Giannis scenario never gained any traction.
- Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area passes along several more of Dunleavy’s remarks from Saturday’s media session, including the GM’s assertion that the Warriors remain well positioned to trade for an impact player going forward. “We’ve got the goods to make deals,” Dunleavy said. “I think the only way we wouldn’t be in the mix is if we gave out assets, young players, all the things you need to get a great player. We still have all that. I think that’s one of the reasons the KP trade is really good for us, similar to Jimmy last year. We don’t feel like we gave up a ton. We still have the kind of firepower to move forward and do more deals.”
- Checking in on Kerr’s future in Golden State, Siegel reports that the Warriors would like to keep the veteran head coach in his role as long as he wants and that the hope has always been that he and Curry will retire together. While a January report indicated that Kerr’s assistants have been operating as if 2025/26 will be his last year, Siegel doesn’t get the sense that the coaching staff is expecting that outcome.
- Hield was one of Green’s “favorite teammates of all time” and “left a mark” on the franchise, the former Defensive Player of the Year said on Saturday’s episode of The Draymond Green Show (hat tip to Will Simonds of NBC Sports Bay Area). “To see him go, you feel the gap, you feel the hole, you feel it,” Green said. “It’s like I said before, it’s the s–ttiest part of the business.”
Warriors Notes: Green, Curry, Porzingis, Horford
Draymond Green had a conversation with Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. about potentially being traded to Milwaukee as part of a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal, writes Angelina Martin of NBC Sports Bay Area. Green revealed Saturday on his podcast that Dunleavy sought his input on a couple of trades he was considering and was straightforward about the possibility that Green could wind up with the Bucks.
“And we talked for quite a while, and then he’s like, ‘And by the way, on the honest front, obviously, we spoke about Giannis,'” Green relayed. “‘We talked about what picks we’d send them. We haven’t talked about, really, the players that would go into the deal, but obviously, if we were to do a deal with Giannis, you or Jimmy (Butler) would have to be in the trade just to make it work.'”
Green has heard his name in rumors before, but said he felt like he might actually get traded this time. He held a long session with reporters after Tuesday’s game, just in case it was his final appearance in a Warriors uniform.
Green added that the talk with Dunleavy left him with a lot of questions.
“Future, uncertain, getting traded to Milwaukee,” he said. “If I’m getting traded to Milwaukee, am I staying in Milwaukee? If I’m not staying in Milwaukee, where am I going? If I’m only going there for half a season, is my family coming? What the hell is going on?”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Stephen Curry will miss his third straight game tonight with a knee injury, and coach Steve Kerr suggested that he might be held out through the All-Star break, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link). Kerr said Curry is doubtful for Monday’s home contest with Memphis. The team’s final game before the break will be Wednesday against San Antonio.
- Kristaps Porzingis, who was acquired from Atlanta on Thursday, will continue working out in San Francisco with a goal of debuting when the All-Star break ends, Slater adds (Twitter link). Porzingis is dealing with an Achilles issue and hasn’t played since January 7. He was surprised to be traded to Golden State, but called it “a great opportunity to turn a new page,” per Nick Friedell of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- In an interview with Friedell, Al Horford admits there was a lot of “tension” affecting the team in the days leading up to the trade deadline. “I feel like our guys, everybody tried to be professional and good, but I know that gets thrown around a lot, be professional and good, but there’s a human aspect to it, that it’s always difficult to deal with,” Horford said. “On some teams, you deal with it more than others, and this team we were all kind of up in the air. So it was very stressful here the last few days.”
Warriors Notes: Curry, Porzingis, Horford, Kerr, Green
Warriors star Stephen Curry tells Anthony Slater of ESPN his right knee injury is “trending in the right direction,” but he’ll miss his third straight game on Saturday and it doesn’t sound like his return is imminent.
“It’s a matter of learning as I go what works rehab-wise,” Curry said. “Because it’s still painful. You have to try to get rid of all the inflammation and pain. It’s something we still have to monitor and injury-manage, but it’s something where, if I come back too early, it could flare up.”
The 37-year-old guard also addressed the trade addition of big man Kristaps Porzingis, who has been limited to 17 games this season due to multiple ailments.
“I’m learning some Latvian,” Curry said when asked about Porzingis. “I’m just hoping that he’s healthy, first and foremost, so that he can do what he can do on the floor. Him and Al [Horford] won a championship together. Different context, but there’s a familiarity and skill set and size and presence that we’ve been looking for a while.”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Horford was pleasantly surprised to learn he’d be playing with his former Celtics teammate again, and he’s optimistic about the veteran center’s fit with Golden State, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “It was special, it was just really fun,” Horford said of playing with Porzingis in Boston. “We all know everything he can do. He can shoot the three, can post up, draw fouls, kind of play the mid-range offensively. He’s just very potent. Defensively, protects the rim. I’m just looking forward for him to be here and help us, because I feel like he’ll be a big help for us.”
- Head coach Steve Kerr said the team’s medical and performance staff, led by Rick Celebrini, vetted Porzingis’ health prior to completing the trade, Johnson adds. “I don’t think we would have made the trade if we didn’t think he could be healthy and consistent in terms of being in the lineup, so that’s the plan,” Kerr said. “Obviously he’s got to get here and Rick has got to work with him, but Rick and the staff did their due diligence. There’s a hope that we can really help him get right. When he’s right, he’s a hell of a player. We’re looking at a guy who really fits what we need: Size, space, shooting, rim protection. Every team needs that, but we’ve always needed that since I’ve been here. We’ve never really had a player like him.”
- Kerr concedes Golden State may not be a title contender in the wake of Jimmy Butler‘s torn ACL, but he still thinks the team has the potential to do damage in the playoffs, Slater writes in another story for ESPN. “We still have a good team,” Kerr said. “A very good team. Even without Jimmy, we can make a playoff run. The ceiling is absolutely lower. I’m not going to sit here and lie.”
- Former Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green likes Porzingis’ fit with the Warriors, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. The longtime forward/center also admitted to being nervous about being involved in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo. “It got nerve-wracking towards the end,” Green said after Thursday’s comeback win over Phoenix. “But yeah, it is what it is. Move forward. It’s not something I want to get used to, though.”
Warriors Deal Kuminga, Hield To Hawks For Porzingis
February 5: The trade is official, the Warriors announced (via Twitter) The Hawks confirmed the deal as well in a press release.
February 4: The Warriors will trade Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). It’s a straight player exchange with no draft picks involved, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
The deal ends Kuminga’s long saga with Golden State, which was highlighted by occasional moments of brilliance mixed with frustration over not being able to land a consistent starting role or regular playing time during his five seasons with the team. He was hoping for an exit during restricted free agency last summer, but he didn’t receive an offer sheet and the Warriors shut down any idea of a sign-and-trade despite interest from Sacramento and Phoenix.
Kuminga received several contract offers from Golden State during the process, but he was reluctant to agree to anything that included a team option. He relented shortly before the start of training camp and accepted a deal with a $22.5MM salary for this season and a $24.3MM team option for 2026/27 that will now be controlled by Atlanta.
That agreement also featured a trade kicker, which would be worth roughly $1.3MM at this point, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
Over the past few weeks, several teams expressed interest in trading for Kuminga, who has only been available for 20 games this season, but the Warriors were hesitant to take back long-term money in any deal. Instead they get Porzingis, whose $30.7MM expiring contract will give them financial flexibility for the offseason.
Golden State may be interested in a longer arrangement with the 30-year-old big man, as Charania reports that they’ve viewed Porzingis as a potential target for the past two months in their search for another stretch five. Porzingis is a career 36.6% shooter from long distance and played a vital role on Boston’s championship team two years ago, though he has been limited to 17 games this season and is currently sidelined with an illness, which has been a recurring issue for the past year.
After missing an extended stretch of time down the stretch and in the playoffs last season, Porzingis was diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). He said in the fall that he was confident about managing the condition, but he has had repeated absences due to illness this season.
Hield, 33, gives Atlanta another outside shooter after sending Vit Krejci to Portland earlier this week. He’s under contract for $9.7MM next season, but only $3MM of that is guaranteed until the day after the draft.
The Hawks could decide to waive both players and have $25MM in cap space this summer, according to Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Twitter link). He adds that they could also use Kuminga’s Non-Bird rights to give him a new contract worth up to $116MM over four years — they likely wouldn’t have to go that high if the plan is to re-sign the forward.
Parting with Kuminga likely signals the end of the Warriors’ pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo before the trade deadline. Marc Stein of The Stein Line notes (via Twitter) that he was a central part of Golden State’s offer, which likely reduces the Bucks‘ options to Miami and Minnesota if they’re determined to move him on Thursday.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reports that the Warriors contacted Milwaukee several times this week with an offer for Antetokounmpo centered around Kuminga, Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski and multiple first-round picks. After receiving a “clear indication” that the Bucks wouldn’t accept that deal, they pivoted to their pursuit of Porzingis.
Warriors Notes: JJJ, Kuminga, Giannis, Butler, Green
The Warriors made two trades prior to Thursday’s deadline, sending Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to Atlanta for Kristaps Porzingis, then dealing Trayce Jackson-Davis to Toronto for the Lakers’ 2026 second-round pick. Porzingis and Giannis Antetokounmpo weren’t the only noteworthy big men Golden State had been eyeing, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter video link).
“A couple weeks ago, the Warriors had some pretty extensive conversations with the Memphis Grizzlies about Jaren Jackson Jr.,” Shelburne said on NBA Today. “ … I think the Warriors were talking about (trading) two first-round picks (for Jackson)…but then Giannis was maybe available and so they tabled those conversations because they needed those picks in the Giannis trade, and then Utah came in with three-first round picks (for Jackson).”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Golden State selected Kuminga seventh overall in the 2021 draft. In a statement to ESPN’s Anthony Slater (Twitter link), head coach Steve Kerr discussed the challenges Kuminga faced during his four-and-a-half years with the team. “It was a tough situation for everybody, given how raw he was when he got here and given we were still playing for championships,” Kerr said. “He needed the runway to make more mistakes. He needed the experience of being in the NBA and understanding what it was about. For him, it was very tough not being allowed to make those mistakes. For us as a staff, it was tricky trying to develop him while we were trying to win. I think it’s as simple as that. Everybody liked him. I liked him. He’s a really good guy. Very personable. Well-liked in the locker room. Just a tough fit.”
- The Warriors were relieved to move on from the drama created by Kuminga’s tenure, writes Nick Friedell of The Athletic. They’re also “somewhat optimistic” they’ll be able to revisit Giannis trade talks with the Bucks in the summer, according to Friedell.
- Jimmy Butler will undergo surgery to repair the torn ACL in his right knee on February 9, the team announced today (Twitter link via Friedell). The six-time All-Star forward suffered the injury on Jan. 19.
- Veteran forward/center Draymond Green will remain with the Warriors past the deadline, Slater confirms. The team thinks Porzingis — assuming he’s healthy — will be a good fit alongside Green in the frontcourt, Slater writes. Green was part of Golden State’s offer for Antetokounmpo, but there was never any momentum on a deal, Slater adds.