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.“
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 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.“
Southwest Notes: Durant, Plumlee, Sochan, Jackson
In his first media session since the All-Star game, Rockets star Kevin Durant immediately faced questions about rumors that went viral on social media over the weekend. Durant, who was accused of using a burner Twitter account to disparage current and former teammates in group chats, dismissed the speculation without explicitly denying that the account belonged to him, per Sam Amick and William Guillory of The Athletic and Varun Shankar of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).
“I know you gotta ask these questions, but I’m not here to get into Twitter nonsense,” Durant said. “I’m just here to focus on the season, keep it pushing. But I get you all have to (ask).”
The account speculated to be Durant’s, which used the handle @GetHigher77, took shots at Suns guard Devin Booker, former Suns head coach Frank Vogel, Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr of the Warriors, and Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. of the Rockets, among others.
Asked if he’d spoken to his teammates about the rumors, Durant replied, “My teammates know what it is. We’ve been locked in the whole season. Enjoyed our break. Had a great practice today, looking forward to the road trip.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Although he officially signed a 10-day contract with the Spurs on Tuesday, it’s unclear when Mason Plumlee will be able to suit up for his new team. According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link), head coach Mitch Johnson said that Plumlee – who underwent groin surgery at the end of December – won’t be active for the team’s games in Austin on Thursday or Saturday.
- Asked on Wednesday at his introductory press conference as a Knick what went wrong for him in San Antonio, former No. 9 overall pick Jeremy Sochan suggested he got “no real opportunity” with the Spurs under Johnson, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). “It is what it is. It’s a deep team,” he said. “Maybe I didn’t see eye-to-eye with Coach. I’m just blessed to be somewhere to grow.”
- Chiding from teammate Scotty Pippen Jr. prompted Grizzlies forward GG Jackson II to adopt a more aggressive attitude on the court, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes in a subscriber-only story. In his third NBA season, Jackson has become a more efficient scorer and a reliable presence on defense, but it took a push from Pippen and other veterans to get him there. “I would see him in practice and he would be one of the most athletic guys in the gym, then he would get in the game and wouldn’t even dunk or he would only dunk on fast breaks,” Pippen said. “I’m excited every time I see him dunk and play physical because now guys are starting to get out of the way, or he’s dunking on them.”
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
More Details On Warriors’ Split With Jonathan Kuminga
In a thoroughly reported, in-depth story for ESPN.com, Anthony Slater takes a last look at the four-and-a-half year relationship between Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors, examining how the relationship between the two sides deteriorated and devolved into a series of “petty” gripes and grievances in its final months.
While it would be an oversimplification to say that Kuminga’s time in Golden State was doomed from the start, the decision to draft him with the seventh overall pick in 2021 instead of Franz Wagner became a “central tension point” throughout the organization, Slater writes.
With Steve Kerr preparing Team USA for the Olympics during the summer of 2021 and not overly involved in the pre-draft process, team sources tell ESPN that several members of Golden State’s coaching staff attended Wagner’s workout with the Warriors and came away feeling as if the eventual Magic forward would fit better into Kerr’s system than Kuminga would.
However, that wasn’t the consensus among the team’s decision-makers. Team owner Joe Lacob known to be among those who preferred Kuminga, according to Slater, who says the Kuminga pick became a “signature example” of Lacob’s involvement in personnel moves during the post-Kevin Durant years.
Some team sources who spoke to ESPN suggested that Lacob’s attachment to Kuminga in subsequent years – and his reluctance to include him in trade packages – was connected to his desire to be proven right about his initial belief in the forward. Others insist the Warriors’ decision not to trade Kuminga until last week was about much more than just Lacob’s preferences.
“Joe gets outsized blame,” one source told Slater. “Complex situation. There was a ton of indecision (from several people).”
Slater’s report putting a bow on the Kuminga era in Golden State is worth reading in full if you’re a Warriors fan. Here are a few more highlights:
- Kuminga and his agent Aaron Turner believed Kerr and the Warriors were constantly taking subtle “pokes” at the forward in media sessions, according to Slater. For example, after the 23-year-old received his first DNP-CD of the season in December, Kerr explained the move by saying, “Happens to everyone in the league, other than the stars.” Kuminga, who has long believed he can be a star if given the opportunity, viewed the remark as an unnecessary reminder that Kerr didn’t necessarily share that belief. “That’s the s–t I’m talking about,” Kuminga said. “Why’s he gotta say that?”
- Kerr frequently cited high-level role players like Shawn Marion and Aaron Gordon as comparables for Kuminga, while the forward believed he was better suited for more a featured offensive role and was frustrated that the team didn’t trust him and give him more on-ball opportunities. According to Slater, Kerr and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. pointed to Kuminga’s lower efficiency numbers in isolation and mid-range situations and accused Kuminga’s camp of having him work on “the wrong things” away from the team facility.
- During Kuminga’s long stretch of DNP-CDs in December and January of this season, he began packing up his belongings at his Bay Area home in preparation for a trade and also declined four opportunities to take the court, sources tell ESPN. As Slater explains, the Warriors asked Kuminga to check in during three garbage-time situations and wanted him to play in a January 2 game vs. Oklahoma City when Golden State was missing several regulars.
- Members of the Warriors’ coaching staff and front office viewed Kuminga’s refusal to play in those situations as a sign that he’d quit on the team, per Slater. Kuminga, in turn, believed the team had already quit on him and regarded the request for him to play in a nationally televised game against the defending champs after a month of inactivity as “a recipe to shame him.”
- While some Warriors players “expressed their annoyances” about the Kuminga saga, the 23-year-old considered Jimmy Butler a true mentor. Sources tell ESPN that Butler expressed a belief that there was a double standard within the organization in the way Kuminga was treated relative to other players.
Western Notes: Kerr, Braun, Barnes, Hinson
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr admits that tanking is a major concern for the league, but he doesn’t have any simple solutions, Nick Friedell of The Athletic writes.
“Ironically, the last few years, it seems like it has not been at the forefront like it is this year because of the play-in (tournament),” Kerr said. “More teams felt like they were in it. This year, it’s pronounced just because of the circumstances and where a lot of teams are — injuries, starting rebuilds, that sort of thing. I know the league is really concerned about it, as they should be. It’s not good for the fans, for the league itself. They’re considering everything. It’s a really tough issue.”
Kerr also sees the issue from the perspective of teams jockeying for lottery positions, knowing that one of the top picks in the 2026 draft could be a franchise-altering player.
“The bottom line is you kinda have to get lucky in the lottery,” Kerr said. “It’s what makes this issue so tricky, is that great players — Steph (Curry) and Tim Duncan, Wemby (Victor Wembanyama) — they’re not only team-changing, but they’re franchise-changing, for even beyond the scope of those guys’ careers. And so there’s only a handful of players that can do that, that are that valuable. And so teams are all clamoring for them. Sometimes, you don’t know who they are. Steph was the seventh pick. Giannis (Antetokounmpo) was the (15th) pick. So it’s not always the first couple guys, but more often than not, the first pick has an opportunity to be that guy, and that’s what creates this issue.”
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Nuggets guard Christian Braun has appeared in four games since returning from a left ankle sprain. Braun missed nearly two months of action previously before an aborted attempt to come back last month from the same ailment. He played in only three January games before the ankle issue grounded him again and realizes now he wasn’t at full strength last month. “I think the biggest (factor) was, ‘Can I jump in the air?’” he told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “Obviously, they do all their tests (on an injury) and they do a really good job, but truthfully, I couldn’t jump. And if everybody has seen me play, I jump off my left leg a ton. So I’m just navigating, like, ‘Before I come back this next time, I need to make sure I can jump. I can run full speed and I can jump.’ It sounds really elementary and really basic, but that’s the truth. The explosion just wasn’t there.”
- Commissioner Adam Silver selected Brandon Ingram to replace Stephen Curry in the All-Star Game. Spurs forward Harrison Barnes felt teammates Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox were more worthy candidates. “We’re No. 2 in the West,” Barnes told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News. “Teams below us have two All-Stars. I don’t know a case where if you’re talking about having an impact on winning, either of them shouldn’t be selected and/or at least under consideration.”
- Blake Hinson‘s two-way contract with the Jazz is a two-year deal, per Spotrac contributor Keith Smith (Twitter link). The 26-year-old small forward is in the midst of a standout year in the G League, where he’s averaging 21.8 points and 5.8 rebounds with Portland’s affiliate, the Rip City Remix. Hinson signed his new contract on Monday.
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: 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.
Warriors Notes: Green, Kerr, Curry, Butler
Draymond Green wasn’t sure if Tuesday marked his final game with the Warriors, so he delivered comments worthy of a farewell address, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. Green made an unexpected appearance at the podium after the game ended to talk to reporters about what his time in Golden State has meant to him, just in case he gets moved by Thursday’s deadline.
“I think a lot of people want to know how I feel about it, like am I upset about it? I’m not at all,” Green said (Twitter video link). “If that’s what’s best for this organization, that’s what’s best for the organization. I’m not like, ‘Oh man, they f–ked me over or something like that. I don’t really feel that way. If you would have told me 13 and a half years ago, like, ‘Yo, I’m going to hand you this sheet of paper and you can sign it to be in a place for 13 and a half years, would you sign it?’ And I would have signed it faster than you can blink.
“So what do I have to sit and worry about? What do I have to be upset about? I’ve been here for 13 and a half years. That’s longer than probably 98 percent of NBA players have been in one place, this guy from Saginaw has been in a place for 13 and a half years.”
Green’s name has popped up recently in trade rumors, particularly in the Warriors’ negotiations with the Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo. There’s an assumption that Milwaukee wouldn’t keep him, so if the two teams reach an agreement, it would likely become a three-team deal or he’ll be moved elsewhere in a separate trade. Green holds a $27.7MM player option for next season, so he’ll have a say in determining his future regardless of whether he’s traded or not.
On Tuesday, he was focused on the incredible career he’s had with the Warriors and the legacy of being a four-time NBA champion.
“I don’t know that it ends at 13 and a half, but if it does, what a f–king run it has been,” Green continued. “I’ll take the fine for it. What a f–king run it has been. So that’s just how I feel. I don’t sleep well after games. So if I lose sleep tonight, I promise y’all it’s not because I think I’m betrayed. I just don’t really sleep well after the game.
“But I’m blessed, I’m lucky, I’m grateful. … I don’t know that it ends or whatnot. I don’t. We’ll all see. But if it does, it does. All good things must come to an end at some point. That’s kind of my sentiment and how I feel.”
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Meeting with reporters before Tuesday’s game, Steve Kerr said this is the first time since he took over as head coach that Green’s name has “really been mentioned” in trade discussions, per Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle (subscription required). “This has definitely been more difficult than most,” Kerr added. “Last year’s (trade deadline) was very difficult as well. We’ve had a lot of years where nobody was really overly concerned about anything, but these last two years, there’s been a lot of chatter and it puts guys on edge for sure.” Green said the idea of leaving Golden State “got real” for him when Kerr asked how his wife is handling the trade speculation.
- Stephen Curry, who’s considered to be the Warriors’ lone untouchable player in Antetokounmpo trade talks, told Howard Beck of The Ringer that he wants to finish his career as a one-team player. “I never would see myself be in a situation where I’m chasing another championship anywhere else but here,” Curry said. “There’s a certain mentality that we’re all trying to figure this out together. But it doesn’t pacify the desire to win.”
- Curry was profoundly affected by the torn ACL that knocked Jimmy Butler out for the rest of the season, Beck adds. “I don’t think I’ve stopped thinking about it since he got hurt, to be honest,” Curry said. “Just the human nature part of it comes in, where you feel like things change drastically. … Me and Coach and Draymond talk about it a good amount, the way our contracts are aligned, the fact that last year, we had such a clear identity and we were so close to getting over the hump.”
Warriors Notes: Giannis, Front Office, Kerr, More
The Warriors are reportedly among the most serious suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Team 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 general manager 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 draft 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.”