Getty James Wiseman #33 high-fives Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors in front of Anthony Edwards #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center on January 25, 2021 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors remain the NBA Title contenders they’ve been all season, but they will head into the playoffs with one noticeable deficiency on the roster.
Dubs general manager Bob Myers appeared on 95.7 The Game Wednesday, March 24, and explained why the team did not pursue a big man via a trade or the buyout market when doing so could have offered interior depth and support to center Kevon Looney. Myers further explained his lack of action in the context of nagging injuries to Draymond Green and James Wiseman that have persisted for much, if not all, of this season.
“I can say this, there wasn’t some great big man that was available,” Myers said. “We canvassed and looked around and tried to figure that out. We’re somewhat limited in tradeable assets. We have four veterans making a good chunk of money, and then Looney and then our rookie scale guys. So you don’t have a lot of tradeable salary, which people listening may or may not care about, but salaries have to match in a trade.”
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Myers Said Injury Setbacks to Green, Wiseman Were Not Foreseeable
Getty/Jason MillerDraymond Green of the Golden State Warriors reacts during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.
Myers said his decision might have been different had he been able to foresee the prolonged back injury to Green, which started as a calf problem, or the multiple setbacks to Wiseman’s injured knee over the course of this season.
Green, who missed 30 games due to his injury, is now back. Though, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported March 19 that Wiseman is suffering from a new bout of swelling in his knee and will remain sidelined indefinitely.
“There wasn’t a viable, ‘Hey, this one makes sense, let’s not do it,'” Myers said of available candidates to add to the Dubs’ front line in the trade and buyout markets. “If I had known that [Green] would be back when he was or that [Wiseman] would suffer setbacks, who knows? Any team could say that. But at the time, thinking [Wiseman] is coming back, thinking [Green] is coming back a little bit earlier, probably fed into that. I don’t think there was one thing that was there that was really very good that we didn’t do. I would push back a little bit. Not trying to be defensive, but there wasn’t an obvious, ‘There’s a great big guy, let’s go get him.'”
Warriors Were Urged to Add Robin Lopez Via Buyout Market
GettyRobin Lopez of the Orlando Magic posts up Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies during a game at Amway Center on February 5, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Robin Lopez may not have been a perfect fit, or even a “great big guy,” but the Dubs were urged by several NBA analysts to pursue the Orlando Magic center via the buyout market. Standing at 7-feet tall, Lopez could have brought a level of defense and rim protection, rebounding and some offensive skill to the Warriors’ front line.
Bill Simmons of The Ringer suggested on the February 3 episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast that the Warriors were likely to take a hard look at Lopez, who is averaging 7.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game over the course of 29 appearances this season.
“I would watch out for Robin Lopez with them, because [head coach Steve] Kerr drafted him, he’s a good chemistry guy, fits in, [adds] some size and … seems like a buyout guy,” Simmons said.
Myers, for his part, acknowledged that Golden State may have made a mistake in failing to add Lopez, or some other front line player to help along the Dubs’ interior. He added, however, that an injury-plagued year has made gauging the roster difficult — a set of circumstances that stayed his hand from making any potentially rash moves.
“We don’t get everything perfectly right. I never have. Never have said I have. I don’t think any roster is perfect. It’s hard to know a roster when we have had health problems,” Myers continued. “Again, that probably falls flat. … But you can’t expect a great amount of rhythm or continuity when [Green, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson] have played 11 minutes the whole season.”