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Steve Kerr: “The days are full, the schedule is full, and so I check in with Kristaps occasionally to see how he’s doing. But we’re moving forward, and that’s all we can do. I like our young bigs, Graham [Ike] and Charles [Bassey]. We’re excited about playing those guys, and the opportunity that they’re going to receive, but everything else is not my jurisdiction. That’s Mike’s [Dunleavy] and the front office’s, and I just come to practice and I look forward to coaching the guys every day. We’re competing and seeing what we can put together.”
Anthony Slater on Kristaps Porzingis: Clearly, this is something as you mentioned that that Mike Dunleavy's called around the league and explored. And as you (Brian Windhorst) laid out, I think there was this immediate reaction of this combo report that said guy contemplating his future retirement potentially on the table. Also, Warriors trying to trade him. And there was a confusion of how. But yeah, it's an expiring deal with the Warriors have draft picks. They could take on future salary for a tradable first.
On the Sunday before training camp, Porzingis called the Warriors and alerted general manager Mike Dunleavy that he was still dealing with the lingering impact of a health issue that has bothered him for nearly two years and told them he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence.
After missing the first two weeks of training camp and the entire preseason, Porzingis drove up from Los Angeles to San Francisco last Tuesday, league sources said, to meet with Dunleavy and Rick Celebrini, the franchise's lead medical decision-maker. In the aftermath, the team announced that they would keep the details of the meeting private, but expressed an expectation that Porzingis would remain around the team as he tried to improve his health and eventually resume his career. But that hasn't been the case. Porzingis hasn't returned to the facility, league sources said, beginning another indefinite leave of absence where he is mostly maintaining contact with only Dunleavy and Celebrini. The Warriors listed him as out for the season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night and the reasoning as "not with team" instead of an illness.
Dunleavy was confident that Butler would appreciate Kerr, Curry, the winning atmosphere and the relaxed climate both have cultivated. Dunleavy figured Butler would vibe with Green off the court and click on the defensive end. Dunleavy assumed that Butler's toughness, approach and superior ability would win over everyone.
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Nick Friedell: Warriors announce that Kristaps Porzingis will remain out indefinitely because of a health issue. Porzingis met with Mike Dunleavy and Rick Celebrini on Tuesday at Chase Center and will remain around the team.
Nick Friedell: Mike Dunleavy said Steph Curry was "incredibly generous" in taking less money. Dunleavy is hopeful that Curry will be able to finish his career with the Warriors now. Dunleavy said Steph was never asked to take less money. "It was a good middle ground for everybody."
Oh No He Didn't: Anthony Slater on how involved Steph is in personnel decisions: "He's heard, his voice matters. Mike Dunleavy will call him at various points. And obviously, anytime Steph Curry calls, Mike Dunleavy, Joe Lacob, they will pick up, and they'll hear what he has to say. But he doesn't want to be too involved, he never has wanted to be too involved. He called LeBron James this summer as a recruiter, he'll do that, but I'll give you an example. A couple of years ago, the Warriors were deep in trade talks for several players. They ended up trading for Jimmy Butler, but Steph Curry very much values his place as a leader in the locker room. And he doesn't wanna be viewed as moving chest pieces around. He was very friendly with Andrew Wiggins. They had to trade Andrew Wiggins to get any of those trades done. So Steph Curry, I think always is wanted a separation between front office and him. And that's how he's always kept it"
All the power, as it usually does, resides in Stephen Curry’s hands. Saturday, Aug. 29, marks the first day the 38-year-old superstar can sign a max extension with the Golden State Warriors. As he prepares for his 18th season, Curry is entering the final year of his current contract, worth nearly $63 million. The Warriors have made no secret, through general manager Mike Dunleavy’s repeated public statements over the last year, that they would like to get another deal done with Curry before the new season begins. They know he’s the franchise, and they know what he represents to the organization and the Bay Area as a whole.
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Dunleavy also said the Warriors are hopeful Draymond Green will also remain with the organization until he retires. Green recently re-signed with the Warriors on a one-year deal after Golden State failed to recruit LeBron James. Dunleavy appreciated Green’s flexibility and reiterated that as Golden State seeks to keep its two future Hall of Famers together until the end. “Draymond’s been an incredible partner for our organization, both on and off the court, for his career,” Dunleavy said. “This summer was no different with his ability to opt out of the deal; it gave us some wiggle room, some financial flexibility. And we worked together on that, and I don’t think there was ever a doubt he’d be back, but he’s always been about the team … he’s no different than Steph in the sense of we hope he retires a Warrior. We want to make that happen, he wants to make it happen, so we’ll see where things go. Our No. 1 priority right now, Draymond will say this, Steph will say this, everybody here will say this, is to win.”
Speculation continues from both fans and the media that Stephen Curry may become so frustrated that he eventually asks out during the final year or two of his career. But that’s still hard to envision given that he has been so consistent in both his messaging about wanting to stay with the Warriors and in expressing his love for the Bay Area. According to one team source, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the organization’s internal discussions, it’s not like Curry isn’t aware of what Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy and the rest of the front office are trying to accomplish. The conversation between the star and the team has been ongoing — for years.
Draymond Green: "I've also seen that Mike Dunleavy and Joe Lacob have gotten a lot of criticism for their lack of risk taking over the last few years, playing it for the post-Steph era. And listen, there's always going to be backlash when you're not winning. It happens to everyone. That's just what comes with the territory. But I don't think going to trade for Jimmy Butler would be considered lack of taking risks, especially signing him to a two-year $121 million extension. I don't think that would be considered a lack of taking risk. I also don't believe that trading for Dennis Schroeder, trying to make something happen, is a lack of taking risk."
Behind the scenes, however, Golden State continues to signal a reluctance to use Butler's contract when he's injured for a move like that. Consider the strong relationships with Butler held by Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy and coach Steve Kerr. Butler and Kerr are frequently in San Diego in the offseason and known to cross paths.