LOS ANGELES – Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy for the second straight year sat down Saturday to field questions on the NBA trade deadline and his team’s newest addition at Crypto.com Arena, home of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Last year, it was Jimmy Butler holding his new No. 10 Warriors jersey and posing for pictures. This year, Kristaps Porzingis held his new No. 7 Warriors jersey and posed for pictures.
In his opening statements, Dunleavy thanked Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield, the two players traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Porzingis, and shared his gratitude towards Trayce Jackson-Davis, whom the Warriors sent to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for a 2026 second-round draft pick. Along with showing his excitement in adding Porzingis, Dunleavy also mentioned “doing some stuff for the summer, looking into that, some things that will help us.”
Porzingis is on a $30.7 million expiring contract. He becomes an unrestricted free agent this upcoming summer.
Just how much does that and the other moves the Warriors made help prepare them for NBA free agency and the trade market in a few months?
“It’s slight,” Dunleavy said.
But Dunleavy emphasized that wasn’t the main intention of the deal.
“We love the player, Kristaps, we think he can help us with some of the stuff on court seeing his rim protection, his ability to score, get fouled, take care of the ball – all things that we’re looking to improve, particularly after losing Jimmy [Butler],” he continued.
Trading three players and bringing in one also opened two roster spots. The Warriors on Saturday converted point guard Pat Spencer from a two-way contract to a standard NBA contract for the rest of the season. Dunleavy now will scour the buyout market for the 15th and final spot on the Warriors’ roster.
The Warriors’ pursuit of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was public and well known. They didn’t get him, and neither did anybody else. In not acquiring Antetokounmpo, the Warriors held onto all their future first-round draft picks, which are seen around the league as highly valuable knowing Steph Curry’s career is winding down.
Curry turns 38 years old next month and still is playing at an elite level. The Warriors already were an old team coming into the season and only will be older with a 37-year-old Butler returning from a torn ACL about a year from now. Frustrations from the outside are running rampant, and the time is running out. Dunleavy, however, is sending a different message.
“We’re willing to do whatever it takes to improve this team, whether it’s young players, first-round picks – we always have been, we always will be as long as we’re in this win-now window,” Dunleavy said. “… Despite the idea that we’re not in the mix, that we’re fading, all this stuff, the reality is, up until Jimmy got hurt we were pretty good and I think we’re trending in the right direction.
“Now we’ve had to pivot a little bit. I think adding Kristaps can help, but, you know, this group is kind of what it is.”
Butler’s season-ending injury changed everything. The Warriors caught fire upon adding him at last season’s trade deadline, and after beating the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round over five games once Curry went out with a hamstring injury.
So much changed, including the possibility of another shot at a two-time NBA MVP, that the possibility of adding Antetokounmpo meant putting either Butler or Green on table because of their contracts. Green has spent his entire 14-year career with the Warriors, and Dunleavy vehemently denied Draymond was being shopped or in any trade conversations.
Oddly enough, Green himself on his own podcast that was released Saturday morning unveiled the curtains on conversations he had with Dunleavy. Green said Dunleavy told him the front office has spoken about what a Giannis package would look like, and he or Butler would have to be involved. Sources say Butler was assured he was not going to be moved.
Dunleavy called it “greatly exaggerated” to say Green “stayed with the Warriors past the deadline” and reporting otherwise was “a bit misleading.” When pressed in a follow-up to Dunleavy’s denial, he then shot back by saying, “You’re putting words in my mouth, so that’s an unbelievable assumption.”
This next season, Green has a $27.7 million player option. Butler will be paid $56.8 million, and Curry is making more than $62 million. The Warriors will hold Porzingis’ Bird Rights, and their plethora of draft picks can continue to be enticing to teams.
Maybe it’s another run at Antetokounmpo. Perhaps another player becomes an ideal target. Either way, Dunleavy isn’t shy about owner Joe Lacob’s competitiveness and willingness to spend, and believes the Warriors are in position to add another star.
“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.”
The trade deadline is done, shifting the focus back to the court. Just not all the focus. Make no mistake about it, planning for a fascinating summer and the possibility of the Warriors’ next big move already is underway.
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