SAN FRANCISCO — With a flurry of activity around the league over the weekend, Steve Kerr wants you to know he didn’t mean the Warriors were definitely going to stand pat at Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
“What I said was we’re 24-24, so we can’t stand here and say ‘Oh we’re good, we’ll stand pat,’ ” Kerr said Monday, clarifying his comments following Friday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns. “But it’s not tough to envision. It’s actually very easy to envision that. All it takes is there aren’t any good deals out there.”
General manager Mike Dunleavy is working the phones, Kerr said, but so far it’s been a trade deadline that’s been among the craziest in league history and it has transpired without the Warriors’ involvement.
The Saturday night blockbuster that made Luka Doncic a Laker and sent Anthony Davis to Dallas sent shockwaves through league circles, and the Sacramento Kings poured fuel on the flames a day later when they shipped star guard De’Aaron Fox to team up with Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.
When he took the podium before the Warriors hosted the Magic on Monday night, however, Kerr was not in the mood to add to the conversation.
“What do I think of (the trades)?” he said, when asked for his reaction, before taking a long pause to gather his thoughts. “Uh, it’s a trade involving two other teams and other players that don’t play for the Warriors, so I will not comment on that. Sorry.”
Jamahl Mosley, the coach of the 24-26 Magic, said the pair of blockbusters “shook up the league,” and it does seem like anything is possible in the world where a 25-year-old franchise cornerstone is available on the trade market.
Jimmy Butler? LeBron James? Kevin Durant?
As the Warriors seek to find a superstar sidekick for Steph Curry, they have been connected to all three, with a Durant reunion the latest rumor to surface Monday afternoon. Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer was the first to report that the Warriors had gauged the Suns’ interest in a deal, and the possibility was later confirmed by Sports Illustrated and The Athletic.
Despite his six-year run with Davis coming to an end, James is expected to remain in Los Angeles past the deadline, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, who also reported Golden State inquired about the all-time great at last year’s trade deadline, before James possessed his current no-trade clause.
While Butler’s relationship with his current team, the Miami Heat, is more tenuous than ever, the wheels seemingly stalled on any potential deal involving the Warriors when the do-it-all wing reportedly wouldn’t commit to signing an extension.
In fact, the speedbumps in the Butler talks have rival executives believing it makes the Suns more likely to listen to offers on Durant, according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, who reported the Warriors’ interest in a reunion was “indeed serious.”
Durant, a two-time champion in three seasons with the Warriors from 2016-18, is under contract for $51.2 million this season and $54.7 million in 2025-26, when he will be 37. The Suns would certainly demand a hefty return for the 14-time All-Star averaging 26.9 points per game this season.
“As I said the other night, if there’s something that makes sense that can make us better, Mike’s going to do it,” Kerr said. “My point the other night was if you’re .500, you don’t reserve the right to say ‘No we’re going to stand pat, we’re fine.’ We’re not fine. We’re .500, in 10th or 11th place in the West. You’ve gotta look at everything, but you don’t chase bad deals either. If there’s nothing, there’s nothing there and we move forward.”