Getty Richard Jefferson and Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Despite reports of the “everybody except Stephen Curry” mindset, the Golden State Warriors made no drastic move to break up their core.
The Warriors even nixed a deal that could have landed them versatile two-way guard Alex Caruso, who could have helped shore up their perimeter and point-of-attack defense.
KC Johnson of NBC Sports-Chicago reported that the Warriors shut it down before it could even take ground.
“In exploratory trade talks with the Golden State Warriors centered on Caruso, league sources said the Bulls inquired about Jonathan Kuminga‘s availability. That was rebuffed, and the Bulls made clear in talks with all teams that they didn’t want to trade Caruso, especially for a package on perhaps other young pieces like Moses Moody, so they’d need to be floored by an offer to do so,” Johnson wrote on February 8.
Caruso, a member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team last season, has only partially guaranteed money for next season, the final year of his $37 million, 4-year deal he signed with the Bulls in 2021.
Mike Dunleavy: “We explored a lot and frankly there wasn’t a lot out there that we thought could improve us significantly at an appropriate price.”
Jonathan Kuminga Was ‘Virtually’ Untouchable
Kuminga’s strong play lately enabled the third-year forward to join Curry as untouchable in any trade.
“Virtually,” Dunleavy said via The Athletic. “I mean, as untouchable as guys can be in this league. He’s certainly at that level. I didn’t see a scenario where Jonathan wouldn’t be on our team after this deadline.”
Kuminga has scored in double figures in 29 straight games since December 6 last year. The 21-year-old former lottery pick has turned the corner. During this span, he averaged 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 57.7% from the field. He’s become their best attacker, perfectly complementing Curry’s outside sniping.
In the end, the Warriors only did a minor deal at the trade deadline.
They traded end-of-rotation player Cory Joseph along with $5.8 million to the Indiana Pacers for a 2024 second-round pick to open up a roster spot. Converting two-way player Lester Quiñones, who has been solid during the five-game road trip, would save them $8 million in tax penalties, according to The Athletic’s John Hollinger.
Warriors Pick up 3rd Straight Win
Time and again, Warriors coach Steve Kerr championed his underperforming roster, believing they could be special despite what their record says.
He was proven right in their 5-game road trip as they won 4 of them, including 3 in a row.
Curry rebounded from a woeful 9-point outing in Philadelphia with 42 points as the Warriors routed the Indiana Pacers 131-109 after Thursday’s trade deadline.
They can feel the momentum building now after winning 5 of their last 6 games heading home for a Saturday showdown with the red-hot Phoenix Suns (31-21), who also own a 3-game winning streak.
“The challenge is to not get too far ahead of yourself, thinking you can just show up and win games,” Curry told reporters after the win. “We’ve got a long way to go to get some (playoff) security.”
The 24-25 Warriors are essentially tied with the 26-27 Utah Jazz for the final play-in spot in the West, just 1 game behind the 9th-place Los Angeles Lakers (27-26).
Curry had 27 in the first half as he hit his first 7 3-pointers after only making 1 of 4 against the 76ers the night earlier. He ended up with a season-high 11 3-pointers for his 5th 40-point game this season.