In today’s Dub Hub:
- Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. says Draymond Green was never part of Warriors’ trade conversations.
- Steve Kerr was “thrilled” to see Pat Spencer sign a standard NBA contract with the team.
- Blazers’ Damian Lillard to participate in this year’s three-point competition despite recovering from a torn achilles.
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, but the emotions and fallout from it are still lingering.
Speaking to reporters prior to Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors general
manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. pushed back on the idea that Draymond Green was ever seriously involved in trade discussions. Dunleavy called the speculation leading up to last week’s deadline “misleading” and made it clear the organization never came close to moving the veteran forward.
“I’d walk that back a little bit,” Dunleavy said during Saturday’s press conference. “His name was not in conversations. Other than the ones where teams call me and ask about him, which they do every year. So, there’s nothing new there. The idea that he stayed with the Warriors past the deadline was greatly exaggerated. It was never a possibility of him not being here, or remotely close, to be honest. And I’ve conveyed that to him, he knows that, but when stuff comes up in the media I think it feels different for the players. I think that’s the first time it happened with Draymond, so he’s dealing with it in a certain way, but the reality is nothing was close. And nothing was considered. Draymond was not being shopped or talked about in deals. So, it’s a little misleading, we’re kind of picking up the pieces here, but I think he’s in a great spot, and so are we moving forward.”
Despite the noise surrounding a chaotic deadline period, Green was always viewed as part of the team’s foundation moving forward, according to Dunleavy.
However, Green’s own account suggests the situation may not have felt quite so certain internally.
On a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, Green said a conversation with Dunleavy touched on the Warriors’ pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the salary mechanics that would have required either Green or Jimmy Butler to be part of a potential deal.
For now, the speculation is behind them. Green remains in place, and the Warriors reshaped their roster with the acquisition of Kristaps Porzingis. The focus now shifts to getting healthy after the All-Star break and making a playoff push with this new-look team.
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Monday, February 9th:
Warriors News:
Mike Dunleavy on Draymond Green trade rumors: ‘His name was not in conversations’ | The Athletic
“I think keeping the books clean is a factor,” Dunleavy said. “But at the same time, if a really good player came about, extended out contract wise that we really liked, we would have done that. So, I don’t want to cap it off and say we wouldn’t have.”
The NBA’s Tanking Trouble | The Stein Line
There were some fresh rumbles over the weekend that the Warriors might opt not to sign Lonzo Ball in the end after converting Pat Spencer from a two-way deal to a standard NBA contract.
Haynes reported that multiple teams are reviewing Ball’s medicals to determine whether to sign the veteran guard, who became a free agent after Cleveland dealt him to Utah to lower its luxury tax bill. And our Jake Fischer reported that Denver is one of those teams after the Jazz waived Ball.
Steve Kerr ‘thrilled’ to see Pat Spencer sign a standard NBA contract with the Warriors
NBA News:
Two-time champ Damian Lillard headlines NBA’s 3-point contest | ESPN
Lillard — who has not played this season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon — will participate in the 3-point contest on All-Star Saturday, the NBA announced.
Lillard is joining 2018 3-point contest champion Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns in the field, along with Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Denver’s Jamal Murray, Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis Jr. and Miami’s Norman Powell.
Former Nets’ guard Cam Thomas signs with the Bucks
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
Son of Warriors legend tapped for Slam Dunk Contest
That’s a weird element of this year’s contest: These guys don’t actually dunk in games. Richardson has four dunks. Bryant has dunked six times. Johnson has nine dunks, and 15 in 37 career games. Hayes dunks a lot, throwing it down 69 times this season before Saturday’s game and 67 times before Tuesday’s contest, and which of those numbers you find funniest says a lot about your age.
Follow @unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
