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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.
When Lendeborg was asked whether he had heard from Steph Curry, Draymond Green, or any of the other Warriors veterans since being drafted, he said, “Yeah. Steph actually welcomed both of us in the group chat, the night of the draft. when [Lajae Jones] got drafted [and] I got drafted. “And I reached out to [Curry] yesterday, and I asked him a quick question. And then I reached out to Draymond, as well. Haven’t gotten that response back yet from Draymond yet,” Lendeborg added with a laugh. This prompted Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. to say, “Don’t worry. He doesn’t respond to me, either.”
In his post-draft press conference, Dunleavy downplayed the conversation around the No. 11 overall selection, which turned out to be Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg. Initially, Dunleavy joked that he and Lacob simply disagreed over which was the best golf course in San Francisco.
“As far as the discussion with Joe and I, I think at that point there was probably some talks about trades and things like that, but ultimately we were in all in agreement to land on taking Yaxel," Dunleavy told reporters. "From our standpoint, we knew we were going to pick Yaxel at 11, he was the guy. But you just want to flush him out, make sure you're not missing anything that falls in your lap or makes a ton of sense. So that's what we were doing. And I think Joe was like, 'Come on, just let's go ahead and pick the guy.’ I said, 'Joe, we have time. They give you five minutes.' He was just getting a little anxious about us taking Yaxel. “The good thing was, because we were on the clock, nobody could swoop in and take him ahead of us. So I was willing to be patient with it.”
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Stephen Curry becomes contract extension-eligible at the end of August and the Warriors are confident — no matter how their offseason retooling turns out — that they will strike a deal that sets Curry up to retire as a Warrior. Golden State can present a two-year extension worth nearly $140 million … similar to the extension Jaylen Brown can command starting late in July from Boston. "I'm sure those conversations [will] happen and you can predict where they'll be going," Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said Friday at a news conference to welcome back Kerr. "I don't see under any scenario where we don't want to figure out a way to have him finish here."
Nick Friedell: Mike Dunleavy on Draymond Green: "The ball's in his court" as far as player option goes. Dunleavy sounds optimistic that Draymond will be here to start next season. He said there's a feeling on both sides that Draymond finishes his career with the Warriors.
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Anthony Slater: Mike Dunleavy said the Warriors will look at all options with the 11th pick. Using it in a “strong draft” or: “If there’s offers for the pick to move up, move back, trade for a veteran player that can help us.”
What went into Kerr's decision to return to the Warriors? He still wants to coach. That was the first box to check in this multilayered process. Kerr stepped away from the grind for about a week, had an important meeting with Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy, went on a golf trip and came back invigorated about the idea of remaining in the mix. Kerr is 60. There are lucrative media opportunities available to him that wouldn't require near the time or mental exertion, but the ground-zero NBA competitiveness is in Kerr's blood. It's why he never loved front office work, fell in love with coaching and isn't ready to leave it. So he isn't.
Kerr had multiple meetings with controlling owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy in the last two weeks, discussing everything from offensive philosophy to the long-term outlook of the roster to the bigger picture direction of the franchise and, eventually, the contract terms it would require to bring Kerr back. "It was never going to be about money," one team source said. "We had to make the best basketball decision."