Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević died on Wednesday, January 17 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the team announced.
Milojević, 46, suffered a heart attack at a private team dinner ahead of their scheduled road game against the Utah Jazz.
The NBA has already postponed the Wednesday match to a later date.
We are absolutely devastated by Dejan Milojević’s sudden passing.
This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him.
We grieve…
“We are absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said in a statement. “This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriros and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him.
“In addition to being a terrific basketball coach, Dejan was one of the most positive and beautiful human beings I have ever known, someone who brought joy and light to every single day with his passion and energy. We grieve with and for his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa. Their loss is unfathomable.”
The Serbian coach joined Kerr’s coaching staff in 2021 following his Montenegrin League championship run earlier that year. Prior to that, he spent eight seasons coaching in Belgrade and was also an assistant coach for the Serbian national team in 2019.
While coaching in Serbia, Milojević also joined the coaching staff of several NBA Summer League teams (Atlanta Hawks in 2016, San Antonio Spurs in 2017 and Houston Rockets in 2018).
Milojević played 15 years in Europe before embarking on a coaching career. The 6-foot-7 Serbian coach worked with the Warriors’ big men under Kerr. He was part of the Warriors’ 2022 championship team.
Warriors Lose Out on Pascal Siakam to Pacers
The Warriors lost Pascal Siakam after the Toronto Raptors decided to trade him to the Indiana Pacers on January 17.
The Raptors acquired three first-round picks, Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and Kira Lewis (from New Orleans) for Siakam.
“Two of the first-round picks going to the Raptors are for 2024 — Indiana’s own selection and the lesser of a Utah/Houston/Oklahoma City pick — while the third is for 2026 (from Indiana), sources said,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski wrote.
The Warriors previously discussed Siakam with the Raptors but were unwilling to give up Jonathan Kuminga, whom the Raptors highly value.
Andrew Wiggins to Mavericks?
With Siakam now off the board, the Warriors could pivot to trading Andrew Wiggins, who also generated interest from the Pacers, elsewhere.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, Wiggins had been linked to the Dallas Mavericks, who also lost out in the Siakam sweepstakes.
“Dallas [had] been one of the teams engaged in acquiring Siakam, sources said. The Mavericks continue to be linked to various versatile forwards, from Andrew Wiggins to P.J. Washington to old friend Dorian Finney-Smith, according to league sources.,” Fischer wrote on. January 17.
Wiggins’ struggles this season has dimmed his trade value.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Warriors are struggling to find Wiggins a new home.
“Wiggins is seen by some observers as the most likely Warrior to be traded in the wake of Golden State’s 18-21 start. He’s in the first season of a four-year, $109 million deal — which is generally regarded as a quite reasonable contract in today’s NBA marketplace – but the challenge for the Warriors has been creating a market for him after Wiggins’ downturn in production over the past season and a half.
“Wiggins has started three games this month after moving to a reserve role for 11 games but is shooting a career-worst 29.5% from 3-point range,” Stein wrote in his substack newsletter on January 14.
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Warriors Assistant Coach Dejan Milojević Dead at 46