In today’s Dub Hub:
- Steve Kerr says he’s leaning toward keeping Al Horford as the Warriors’ starting center moving forward.
- ESPN’s Anthony Slater reports on the Warriors’ interest in Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
- Rockets’ Steven Adams undergoes season-ending surgery on his left ankle, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The Golden State Warriors have been in scramble mode since Jimmy Butler’s season-ending ACL tear, but they’re beginning to steady themselves by relying more on their veterans.
Big man Al Horford has been a critical part of that shift. Following the Warriors’ 140–124 win over the Utah Jazz, head coach Steve Kerr said he is leaning toward keeping Horford as the team’s starting center.
Horford was expected to be a key piece for Golden State when he arrived, but injuries and a minutes restriction led to an inconsistent start to his season and limited his ability to establish an early rhythm. Lately, however, Horford’s role has stabilized — and so has his impact. He stuffed the stat sheet during his 24 minutes in last night’s win over Utah, finishing with nine points, eight assists, five rebounds, one steal, and three blocks while posting a +22 plus-minus, the second-highest mark on the team.
In the post-Butler world, Horford has provided exactly what the Warriors need from the five. His ability to stretch the floor has opened driving lanes for Golden State’s guards, while his positioning and communication have helped ease some of the defensive strain created by Butler’s absence. Kerr also specifically pointed to Horford’s fit next to Draymond Green as a major advantage. The Horford–Green pairing gives the Warriors two high IQ and versatile bigs in the front court — players who can switch defensively, make quick reads offensively, and keep the ball moving without sacrificing structure.
As the Warriors continue searching for consistency, leaning on proven veterans like Horford makes sense — at least until there’s more clarity on the roster following the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Thursday, January 29th:7th:
Warriors News:
What we learned as Steph Curry, Warriors come out firing in win vs. Jazz | NBC Sports Bay Area
As a bonus, it’s evident that Horford’s presence on defense makes Green better on that end.
Can Horford become Golden State’s permanent starting center? Yes, but with a caveat. He doesn’t play both sides of a back-to-back set. The most that can happen is he becomes the “primary” center.
The biggest questions for the Warriors ahead of the NBA trade deadline | ESPN
But the Bucks are in the driver’s seat of a car full of crowded motives, able to trade Antetokounmpo in the next week or wait until a fuller market might develop in the summer. If they opt to strike now, the Warriors — among the expected aggressive suitors — have arguably the most appealing pick package. The quicker Milwaukee acts, league executives believe, the better chance Golden State has to win the bidding war.
The Warriors can offer up to four first-rounders: 2026, 2028, 2032 unprotected and 2030 if it falls within the 1-20 range (top-20 protected owed to Washington as part of the Jordan Poole for Chris Paul trade). Because of Milwaukee’s outgoing picks, it could only command one additional pick swap.
Steph Curry on trade rumors regarding the Warriors: ‘I don’t ever get into hypotheticals’
NBA News:
A Giannis trade has never been more real | The Stein Line
Generating enough draft capital to satisfy the Bucks, mind you, would appear to be a significant hurdle for pretty much any interested team apart from Golden State. The Stein Line has learned that Milwaukee’s early communication to teams making Antetokounmpo trade inquiries has led several front offices to surmise that the Bucks might be trying to establish price points for each particular buyer now in order to more thoroughly conduct a trade auction during this summer.
“They’re asking for the moon,” one general manager told The Stein Line on Thursday morning. “All of your young players and all of your draft picks.”
Rockets’ center Steven Adams out for season after undergoing season-ending ankle surgery
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
Happy Birthday to Andre Iguodala: the irreplacable standard
Pretty good chance they won’t find him. Not because there aren’t great wings in the league, but because Iguodala’s greatness wasn’t just his skill set. It was his spirit, his timing, his willingness to sacrifice, his ability to lead without needing credit. That’s the standard. That’s what every trade, every signing, every draft pick has been chasing. And that’s what makes Iguodala’s legacy etched in stone, even as the Warriors struggle to find the next wing to carry that honor forward.
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