Pacific Notes: Dunn, Curry, Clifford, K. Hayes, Hachimura, Smart
Kris Dunn‘s $5.7MM salary for next season is currently non-guaranteed, but will become fully guaranteed if the veteran guard makes an All-Defensive team or is still on the roster past June 30, 2026.
Justin Russo asked Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue what responsibility he felt to make sure players who have incentives in their contracts are eligible to reach them (Twitter video link). Dunn was ineligible for All-Defensive consideration last season despite making 74 regular season appearances because he didn’t play 20-plus minutes in enough games to qualify for major postseason awards.
“(His salary)’s gonna be guaranteed regardless. … As long as I’m here, I want KD,” Lue replied. “He means a lot to the team. Everything he brings: His unselfishness, who he stands for as a person. He’s just a winner; he does all the winning things. And so whether he makes (an All-Defensive team) or not, which I hope he does for him, he’ll be here (next season).”
Dunn, who turned 32 last week, is averaging 7.7 points, 3.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals on .480/.379/.773 shooting in 27.6 minutes per game in 2025/26. He has yet to miss a game this season and has already become eligible for an All-Defensive team, though whether he actually makes one is obviously up to the voters.
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- Stephen Curry was expected to scrimmage with the Warriors on Sunday morning, but that didn’t happen, according to Anthony Slater of ESPN (Twitter link). The Warriors said the star guard didn’t suffer any type of setback — he just wasn’t ready to advance to that stage of his recovery yet. Instead, Curry did on-court work and continued to rehab with Rick Celebrini, Slater adds. On a brighter note for the Warriors, Moses Moody (right wrist sprain) and Kristaps Porzingis (back) both returned to action on Monday in Dallas.
- Kings guard/forward Nique Clifford has been diagnosed with a mild midfoot sprain after undergoing an MRI, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link via James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com). The rookie first-round pick, who suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over Brooklyn, will miss at least one week, which is when he’ll be reevaluated. Killian Hayes also underwent an MRI after sustaining an injury on Sunday, and the imaging revealed inflammation in his left toe. The sixth-year guard is considered day-to-day, per the team.
- The Lakers were missing Rui Hachimura and Marcus Smart in Monday’s loss in Detroit. Hachimura, who is dealing with a right calf contusion, underwent an MRI, which came back clean, head coach JJ Redick told reporters, including Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter links). Smart, meanwhile, suffered a right ankle sprain and a right hip injury during Saturday’s win at Orlando. Both players are considered day-to-day, Redick said.
Warriors Notes: Porzingis, Curry, Injuries, Kuminga
The Warriors are the latest team to sign up for the Kristaps Porzingis experience, which has been tantalizing and frustrating during most of his NBA stops, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Porzingis can be a difference maker on the court with his combination of size and talent, but his susceptibility to injuries creates uncertainty over how often he’ll be available.
He left Friday’s game at Detroit with back soreness and is unavailable for tonight’s contest in Atlanta. The Hawks traded him to Golden State last month after going through a mostly disappointing stretch with Porzingis, who was acquired from Boston last summer but was only healthy for 17 games before being shipped out.
The latest injury forced Porzingis to leave Friday’s game in the second quarter after taking a couple of hits from Pistons big man Paul Reed.
“I kind of started feeling it from the first quarter,” Porzingis told ESPN’s Anthony Slater (Twitter video link). “It started to spasm up a bit. I tried to move and … while I was warm, but at one point I kind of felt a little spasm.”
This is the fourth time in Porzingis’ career that he has been sidelined with back issues, according to Poole, who adds that team officials declined to speculate about how long he might be out. He has appeared in just seven of 18 games since the February 5 trade.
There’s more on the Warriors:
- A scrimmage on Sunday morning in Atlanta will be the next step in Stephen Curry‘s comeback attempt, coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Saturday (Twitter video link from Slater). “I think tomorrow’s probably the big day, and we’ll know more at that point,” Kerr added. Curry, who has been sidelined since January 30 with runner’s knee, will be reevaluated on Tuesday when the team returns home from its road trip.
- Golden State had six players out and five others listed as questionable on its injury report for tonight’s game, per Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com (Twitter link). Among those considered questionable, Draymond Green, De’Anthony Melton and Malevy Leons have been cleared to play, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- In a pregame session with the media, Hawks coach Quin Snyder shared his advice for Jonathan Kuminga as he prepares for his first meeting with the Warriors since being sent to Atlanta in the Porzingis deal, relays Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Players get traded in this league. You can’t make it about you, and I don’t think he is,” Snyder said. “I think more than anything, he’s looking forward to being on the court, regardless of who the opponent is. The plan is for him to keep doing what he’s doing, no matter who we’re playing. He’s done that. Whether that means six shots or 13, or however many. It’s really not been about his offense. He’s given us a lift defensively and I think his energy has been really good. He’s been a boost for our team when he’s been able to play. And hopefully that’s what we’ll see tonight.”
Stephen Curry To Miss At Least Two More Games
Stephen Curry will miss the Warriors‘ games tonight at Atlanta and Monday at Dallas, but he’s expected to return to practice in the next few days, the team announced (via Twitter).
Curry was reevaluated on Saturday for patellofemoral pain syndrome, also known as runner’s knee, which has sidelined him since January 30. The team stated that he’s making “good progress” and has intensified his individual on-court workouts. Another reevaluation will take place when the team returns home Tuesday.
A recent report cited “cautious optimism” that Curry will return to the court by the end of March. He’s focused on improving his conditioning and making sure he can run and jump without aggravating his right knee.
The 38-year-old guard remains an All-Star-level player when he’s healthy, leading Golden State in scoring at 27.2 points per game while shooting 46.8% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range. The Warriors have a 23-16 record when he has played this season, but are just 10-21 without him and have fallen to 10th place in the West.
The team also provided an update on Moses Moody, who has missed the past nine games after spraining his right wrist on March 2. Moody is also making progress in individual on-court drills and will begin participating in live action soon. Like Curry, he will be reevaluated when the road trip ends.
Moody said on Friday that he’s been through some “high-intensity workouts” and is still feeling pain in his wrist.
Warriors Notes: Porzingis, Kerr, Curry, Melton, Moody, More
Veteran big man Kristaps Porzingis has begun to show in recent games why the Warriors traded for him ahead of last month’s deadline, writes Nick Friedell of The Athletic. After missing six consecutive games due to an illness, Porzingis has played five of the past seven contests, averaging 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.2 steals in just 22.8 minutes per game.
“Now I’m healthy, and now I’m actually feeling good,” Porzingis said. “I’m getting a real good feeling about basketball again, which is the most important. Because everything else kind of goes into second place when you’re not feeling perfect. It’s just natural I think to feel that way, and now when I’m actually getting my legs back, getting into good shape, it’s a good reminder why I love this. Just enjoying playing again.”
According to Friedell, Porzingis reiterated after Wednesday’s loss to Boston that he’s still working his way back into shape and is only at about 60 percent of his peak level of performance, but he has been consistently encouraged by the progress he’s made after each passing game.
“I think I’m already now where I can contribute decently,” Porzingis said. “But I think like four or five more games — I know I said that three games ago, but four or five more games, and then I feel like I’ll really be close and pretty good shape. Obviously, in the season it’s not ideal, but my overall feel, I see the trajectory now. So, for me, I’m kinda convinced that I’m headed in the right direction.”
For his part, head coach Steve Kerr could envision a scenario in which Porzingis stays with Golden State long term, per Dan Dempster of NBC Sports Bay Area. Kerr made the comments on 95.7 FM’s Willard and Dibs show on Tuesday.
“I think the whole point in trading for him a couple weeks back was that we get the end of this season to make a run to see what he can do, see what we can do with him and pair him with Steph (Curry),” Kerr explained. “And he’s an unrestricted free agent after this season, but he’s our guy, and we get to show him what we have to offer him. We get to know each other.
“I think ideally, for everybody, he would re-sign and come back healthy and be an important player for us for many years.”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Porzingis also reiterated his desire to play with Curry, as Florito Maniego of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “Oh man, this is the GOAT, you know what I mean,” Porzingis said after Monday’s win over Washington. “To play with somebody like that, it’s going to be unbelievable. Obviously, from playing against him, I know what type of a player he is. And (with) the gravity he brings, it just opens everything up for everybody else. So, hopefully he will be back with us soon.” Curry continues to be sidelined by a right knee injury, though there’s reportedly “cautious optimism” that the two-time MVP will be able to return this month.
- De’Anthony Melton is another potential free agent — he holds a minimum-salary player option for next season. The 27-year-old guard said he tries to stay present in the moment, given the back and knee injuries he’s dealt with in recent years, but he recently expressed on Willard and Dibs that he could see himself re-signing with Golden State. “I mean, of course. Of course,” Melton said (story via Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area). “I feel like I’ve expressed countless times how much I love Golden State, from the medical staff to the actual staff to the front office to the players that have been here. So I think that love is definitely out there. But at the end of the day, I just take it day by day and see how it goes.”
- After the Warriors lost for the sixth time in seven games on Wednesday, Kerr acknowledged the team is essentially locked into the play-in tournament, writes Anthony Slater of ESPN. The Warriors have fallen to the No. 10 seed in the West, but they’re trying to get back up to No. 8 for an easier path to the playoffs. “We’ve had our eyes on six for a while,” Kerr said. “That’s out of the question now. We’re not getting there. If we can string together some wins, try to get to eighth, that’d be ideal. Get two cracks at (getting in the playoffs). But we’re not getting to seven. We know that.”
- Kerr previously expressed optimism that Moses Moody would return to action during the team’s ongoing road trip, but he sounded skeptical about that possibility on Wednesday, Friedell tweets. There’s no official timeline for Moody’s return — he has missed the last eight games due to a right wrist sprain.
Shams: ‘Cautious Optimism’ Steph Curry Will Return In March
There’s “cautious optimism” in Golden State that Warriors star Stephen Curry will be able to return to action at some point before the end of March, ESPN’s Shams Charania said on Wednesday during a segment on NBA Today (Twitter video link).
Curry, who last played on January 30, has missed the past 18 games due to patellofemoral pain syndrome, also known as runner’s knee. However, both he and head coach Steve Kerr have expressed optimism about his ability to return before the end of the regular season. Charania’s latest update suggests it could happen within the next couple weeks.
“I’m told he had a strong on-court workout Tuesday afternoon in Boston,” Charania told ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “Starting to run, cut, move, take some slight contact, like the Stephen Curry that we know. The most important part though is that he’s not experiencing the swelling that he’s had over the last several weeks or a month ago, when he needed to get a PRP injection, from my understanding, due to those knee issues.”
As Anthony Slater of ESPN tweeted earlier today, Curry is still doing individual workouts and hasn’t progressed to team activities, but the fact that he’s ramping up his on-court work is a positive sign. According to Charania, the next steps for the 38-year-old will be to improve his conditioning and to make sure he’s comfortable running and jumping with that right knee.
While injuries have limited Curry to 39 games so far this season, he has continued to perform at an All-NBA level when he’s been available, averaging 27.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per night, with a .468/.391/.931 shooting line. He earned his 12th All-Star berth this winter and has led Golden State to a 23-16 record in games he’s played. The team has gone just 10-19 without him.
Despite losing 10 of their past 14 games, the Warriors still have a firm hold on a play-in spot. At 33-35, they have a 9.5-game cushion on the No. 11 Grizzlies. However, they’ve fallen behind the No. 8 Clippers in the standings and are ahead of the No. 10 Trail Blazers by just a half-game.
Warriors Notes: Curry, Kerr, Schedule, Yurtseven, Richard
Stephen Curry has been out since January 3o due to a knee injury, but Warriors head coach Steve Kerr remains confident his star guard will return before the end of the season, Kevin Borba of NBC Sports Bay Area relays.
“Well, we expect him back,” Kerr said to NBC’s Bob Costas during the broadcast of the Warriors-Knicks contest on Sunday. “He’s trending in the right direction. It’s been a tricky injury. I think he’ll be back for sure. We just don’t know if it’s going to be a week or two or whatever. It’s a day-to-day process.”
Curry has been working out and will be reevaluated on March 21. He’ll miss at least the next three games.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Despite an injury-marred season, Curry isn’t seriously considering the idea of retiring in the near future, Nick Friedell of The Athletic relays. Curry made his comments during an interview with The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II. “I think your body is the first point of information,” he said. “Just what it takes to get ready for a game is a lot different now than it was a decade ago. When I’m out there on the court right now, I still get lost in the fun. It’s still my happy place. All the work is worth it because I get to go out there and hoop at the highest level. The competition, the camaraderie, the chasing something that matters — that still gets me going. And I don’t see that stopping anytime soon.”
- Kerr has called for shortening the regular season numerous times and he was at it again this weekend, according to SNY’s Ian Begley (Twitter link). “I’m well aware fewer games would mean less revenue which means everybody takes a pay cut and I’m willing to stick my neck out and say I’m all for that because I think the quality of the product is the most important thing,” he said. “So I don’t say these things flippantly. I say these things because I mean them.” Kerr would like to see the schedule reduced by 10 games. “We have incredible people in this league and great fans. I just want to make sure we give our fans the very, very best product we can and try to satisfy all of our corporate partners,” Kerr said. “And I just think there’s probably a way to do that without just completely — I don’t know, ignoring some of the obvious (schedule-related injury) issues we’ve established.”
- Big man Omer Yurtseven says the NBA game is much more free-flowing than in the European leagues due to the layout of the court and rules preventing defenders from hanging out in the paint. “In Europe, it’s much more chaotic,” Yurtseven said, per Eurohoops.net. “They will just shrink, be able to recover it back, because the three-point line is closer, because there is no three-second rule in defense. Those kinds of things affect everything.” Yurtseven, signed to a 10-day contract over the weekend, went scoreless in 13 minutes in a three-point loss to the Knicks but did pull down four rebounds.
- Kerr was mad at himself for lambasting rookie Will Richard during Sunday’s nationally televised game. Kerr ripped Richard for committing a silly turnover in the second quarter. “I kind of regret losing my composure a little bit there,” Kerr said, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “It’s my job to keep the guys going, especially when we’re without so many players.”
Stephen Curry Hasn’t Given Up On Playing This Season
It’s been more than six weeks since Stephen Curry has been able to play basketball, but he remains determined not to give up on this season, writes Nick Friedell of The Athletic. After the reeling Warriors lost Sunday night at New York, Curry talked to Friedell about the runner’s knee condition that he’s experiencing and addressed whether he has considered being shut down.
“That’s not who we are,” he said. “If we have stuff to play for, we play. So, I’m working to get back.”
Curry has been out of action since the injury forced him to leave a game against Detroit on January 30. He was recently able to resume individual workouts, but no date has been set for a potential return. The team announced last Wednesday that Curry’s absence would stretch for at least 10 more days.
Curry, who turned 38 over the weekend, acknowledged that many fans are advising him to take the safe approach and rest his knee in preparation for next season.
“I know we’re depleted, but the idea of my injury is just getting information by the day of, ‘Can I play safely? Be myself out there and not put myself in danger short term or long term?’ And then, we still have stuff to play for,” Curry said. “We’d love to see guys in a playoff series and take a swing. Hopefully, see this team that’s currently constructed healthy for a stretch to learn as much as we can and compete. That’s who we are.”
Curry accompanied the Warriors on their current road trip, which has five more stops over the next seven days, including tonight’s game at Washington. Even at 32-35, there’s little danger of falling out of the play-in race, which lessens the urgency to get Curry back on the court right away. However, there is a concern about dropping behind Portland into 10th place, which would mean having to win two games on the road to advance to the playoffs.
Coach Steve Kerr addressed Curry’s condition in a session with reporters before Sunday’s game, saying he “continues to trend in the right direction,” but uncertainty remains over how the knee will respond to treatment. Kerr added that he misses having his star player available.
“Of course,” he said. “I’m the luckiest coach in the league to coach him and to watch him play. Just an incredible athlete. The grace, the ability, the charisma; he’s just one of one. This is the longest stretch I can remember being without him since — I think it was 2020, when he missed basically the whole season. So, we miss him. We miss watching him.”
Warriors Notes: Steph, Moody, Cryer, Draymond
In a radio appearance on 95.7 FM’s Willard and Dibs show on Wednesday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr provided an injury update on Stephen Curry, who will miss at least five more games due to his ongoing right knee issue.
Kerr said Curry is “frustrated” and “dying to be out there,” but has not yet practiced, as Nick Avila of NBC Sports Bay Area relays.
“He’s getting shots up, but he’s not in a place yet where we’re saying he’s going to be practicing anytime in the next few days,” Kerr said. “It’s pretty methodical. As you guys know, (Warriors director of sports medicine and performance) Rick (Celebrini) is as good as they come and he’s going to be very cautious and make sure Steph gets the right build up and we go from there.”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Kerr is optimistic Moses Moody will return from his right wrist sprain at some point during Golden State’s upcoming road trip, tweets Nick Friedell of The Athletic. The Warriors play six road games from March 15-23, including a couple of back-to-backs. Moody, a fifth-year wing who is averaging a career-high 11.9 points per game while shooting a career-best 40.2% from long distance, will miss a fifth straight contest on Friday due to the injury.
- Although the Warriors have been in a rut of late without Curry and Jimmy Butler, dropping three straight games, two-way player LJ Cryer has been a bright spot over the past four contests, averaging 11.8 points and shooting 48.0% from three-point range in 18.8 minutes per game. Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area profiles the former Baylor and Houston guard, whose family is full of athletes. “Went from being one of the last guys on the bench coming into college to being the star,” Cryer said. “Sometimes you just got to wait your time and put in work behind the scenes. It’s kind of what’s happening now.”
- On his podcast, Draymond Green expressed regret for his actions in Tuesday’s loss to Chicago, per Florito Maniego of NBC Sports Bay Area. The veteran forward/center fouled Jalen Smith with one second left in regulation and the Warriors up two points. Smith converted both free throws to send the game to overtime. “Unfortunately, I feel like against the Bulls, I let my team down,” Green said. “Something that was completely in my control or our control, but s–t happens, and we got to move on. And we got the Timberwolves coming in (Friday), and you just got to figure it out.”
Warriors’ Stephen Curry (Knee) Out At Least 10 More Days
Warriors superstar Stephen Curry will miss at least 10 more days due to his right knee injury, according to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of ESPN.
Curry has missed 15 consecutive games due to patellofemoral pain syndrome, colloquially known as runner’s knee. Today’s update suggests he’ll miss at least five more contests.
Curry, who turns 38 years old on Saturday, has begun on-court work and is hoping to “intensify his workouts” in the coming days, sources tell Charania and Slater.
The Warriors put out a press release (Twitter link) confirming ESPN’s report.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the Warriors are 23-16 when Curry plays this season but have gone just 9-17 without their leading scorer. Golden State is currently 32-33, the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference.
The Warriors dropped back-to-back games (at Utah and vs. Chicago) over the past two days. While the players were “relatively upbeat” after Monday’s loss, they were “quiet” and “frustrated” in the locker room after blowing a late lead on Tuesday, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic.
“Both very winnable games,” head coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday after a 130-124 overtime loss to the Bulls at Chase Center. “Had the lead late tonight — obviously, one we should have had — but this is how the NBA is, especially when you’re beaten up. You’re not going to blow anybody out; games are gonna be tight; you got to finish, and we didn’t finish either of the last two nights.”
Several players were sidelined on Tuesday, Friedell writes, including De’Anthony Melton. Golden State limited Melton’s minutes on Monday because the team planned to play him on both ends of the back-to-back for the first time in 2025/26, but that didn’t come to fruition after he tweaked his adductor.
Center Kristaps Porzingis made his third appearance as a Warrior on Tuesday, finishing with 17 points (on 5-of-13 shooting), four rebounds and four blocks in 20 minutes. He acknowledged he’s not in peak shape right now but is optimistic his conditioning will improve if he can stay on the court consistently, Fridell writes.
Porzingis also discussed Curry’s ongoing absence after Tuesday’s game, Friedell adds.
“I want to play with Steph,” Porzingis said. “Who doesn’t? I know he’s doing everything he can to be back with us as soon as possible. And obviously, it’s a completely different team with him here. Hopefully, I get that chance soon.”
Warriors Notes: Curry, Green, Porzingis, Kawhi, Moody
The Warriors entered Thursday’s game in Houston having gone 23-16 with Stephen Curry available and just 8-14 in games he has missed. However, the shorthanded club, playing without Curry for a 12th straight game due to his knee injury, pulled out a surprising overtime win over the Rockets, as ESPN’s Anthony Slater writes, after the two-time MVP texted Draymond Green some words of encouragement before the game.
“Keep going,” Curry told his teammate, according to Green. “I know it’s tough, but promise you, I’m coming back.”
Head coach Steve Kerr referred to it as the “best game of the season” for Brandin Podziemski, who scored a team-high 26 points and grabbed five offensive rebounds in 40 minutes of action, and said Golden State got a “vintage” performance from Green. Two-way player LJ Cryer, who had played eight total minutes in three games and had been out for several weeks due to a hamstring injury, also came up big with 12 points in 20 minutes off the bench, Nick Friedell of The Athletic notes.
While Curry’s return still isn’t imminent and there’s no specific timeline for when he’ll be back, Green said he knows the star guard is doing everything he can to play again in the coming weeks.
“My confidence level is high, ultimately, because I know (Curry)’s going to put in all the work and do everything he can to get back,” Green said. “If his body allows him to get back, I know he will come back. He’s not wanting to just shut it down. For us, just got to stay afloat. Nobody’s expecting us to go on a 10-game win streak, but you just got to stay afloat. Tonight’s a big step towards that.”
We have more on the Warriors:
- Kristaps Porzingis has been able to do more on the court in recent days and the Warriors are hopeful that will trend will continue, Friedell writes for The Athletic. Porzingis is on Golden State’s three-game road trip and told The Athletic he’s feeling better after missing the last six games due to an illness, but Kerr was noncommittal on a timeline for the big man. “He’s gonna get a workout today, and we’ll just take it day by day from there,” Kerr said. ESPN’s Slater and Ramona Shelburne took a more in-depth look at the “mysterious” illness that has affected Porzingis over the past year and limited him to one appearance since the Warriors acquired him from Atlanta last month.
- Within that story on Porzingis, Slater and Shelburne cite league sources who say the Warriors were among the teams to inquire on Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard prior to last month’s deadline. Leonard ultimately stayed in Los Angeles even though L.A. traded James Harden and Ivica Zubac.
- Fifth-year Warriors wing Moses Moody sat out on Thursday due to a right wrist sprain, but he shouldn’t require an extended absence. Kerr referred to Moody last night as day-to-day, tweets Slater.
- During a radio appearance this week on 95.7 The Game, Kerr responded to criticism about the way the Warriors have developed young players in recent years, as Florito Maniego of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “I think we’ve really addressed that over the last four or five years,” Kerr said. “We felt like there were some improvements we could make, and we changed some things organizationally. We brought in a couple of people to put them in charge of player development. I think we’ve done a pretty good job with that over the last few years. … I think part of the frustration of our fans probably stems from the fact that we have the three lottery picks coming at a time when we were winning a championship. And it’s just hard to play 19-year-olds on championship teams. The development that comes is going to be different than it would come on a team that’s in the lottery, where you just put a guy out there for 35 minutes and let him make his mistakes.”