What’s a livelier topic — the 49ers’ off-season contortions or the Warriors scuttling around the .500 mark at the end days of the dynasty? I shouldn’t have been surprised that, with the Feb. 6 trade deadline right on the horizon, I got many more big- and medium-sized questions from readers about the Warriors than anything else — so many, that I’m splitting the mailbag into two sections.
Part 1 is all Warriors-related. Later this week, I’ll address 49ers, Giants, and other questions. As always, questions have been edited for length and clarity. OK, off we go…
How to make it work with Green
What kind of return do you think it would take for Stephen Curry to sign off on trading Draymond Green, either at the deadline or in the offseason? — @hansonwang.bsky.social.
I think the quick and slightly indirect response here is the accurate one: For Curry, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Joe Lacob, Steve Kerr, and all other Warriors stakeholders, Draymond is simply more valuable on the team than he is as a trade asset. He’s 34, getting dinged up pretty much every season now, always a potential eruption from a suspension, and signed up for two more seasons after this (the last one as a player option) for a combined $53.4 million.
Who would give up much for him with all that attached? I don’t think any team would. But Draymond’s still extremely important to any lingering Warriors hope that they can do damage in this postseason or the next one — who else can guard Anthony Davis or has proven he can lead a winning playoff series matched up against Nikola Jokic?
And there is zero chance Curry would want the Warriors to even consider sending Draymond off as a salary slashing. Draymond obviously has offensive limitations; and more now than ever. But he helps them win. They can’t replace him. They can’t get anything good back by trading him.
So it’s up to the Warriors to maximize Draymond — by finding a reliable 3-point shooting center to join him in the front court. Maybe that’s rookie Quentin Post, maybe it’s not. But what they’ve been trying with non-shooting centers next to this version of Draymond hasn’t worked and probably shouldn’t be tried much more.
What are some potential maneuvers the Warriors can make at the deadline to prepare themselves for a bigger move in the offseason? — peterphan.bsky.social.
That would not be a headline-grabbing move, of course, but getting out of the repeater-tax category would save the Warriors upwards off $10 million — after they paid more than $170 million in taxes alone last off-season. No fan should cheer for an ownership group saving money, but given the active history of Joe Lacob’s tenure, getting out of the tax would give the Warriors extra maneuverability going into the July movement period.
The Warriors certainly will look to add a shooting center like Nikola Vucevic at the deadline, but if the price involves a future first-round pick, even a highly protected one, I don’t think they’ll do it — preferring to save all potential trade assets for July. Post’s development, up or down, over the next few weeks could affect this, too.
Trade everyone but Curry?
Is it time to pull the plug, trade everyone except Steph for picks and expiring contracts, and start a rebuild? Or are the Dubs almost good, and someone like Vucevic could get them in the top six? — @bernardmeisler.bsky.social.
Even if the Warriors wanted to blow it up except for Curry, I’m not sure they’d get a bounty of picks back for the rest of their roster. It’s not like NBA execs are staring at their games now and thinking, “Man, I’ve got to give up two first-round picks for either Moses Moody, Buddy Hield, or Brandin Podziemski.” But I also wouldn’t over-estimate the short-term gain from any veteran acquisition. Look at how long it’s taking Dennis Schroder to look even halfway comfortable with the Warriors. It might take Vucevic or anybody else just as long or longer. The best moment for a Warriors big trade is likely July, not now.
Should the Warriors try to be fun but mediocre? — @roryhr.com via BlueSky
You mean a Great Timeout sequel? It takes an owner as cynical as Chris Cohan for a team to aim for entertaining mediocrity. And that was before this market saw what was really possible with the Warriors. But I get your implied point: If the Warriors don’t reshape who they are by landing another true star, what we’re seeing now is what the Warriors might be for the duration of Curry’s career. Good, not great. Loads of fun when he’s on. Boring and bad when he’s not. And if they get stuck there, both the Warriors and Curry will have to make decisions about how long they’ll be happy while they’re stuck.
Was reading Marcus Thompson’s column on Zach LaVine, and Jordan Poole is mentioned tangentially. Got me thinking, in a sliding-doors world where Poole doesn’t get traded, would he be the shooting guard that the Dubs need now? His contract is better than LaVine’s, and he stays healthy. —@gobears1986.bsky.social.
I think once Draymond punched Poole, the future was unalterable: Either Poole or Draymond had to be shipped out eventually, and it wasn’t going to be Draymond. Could the Warriors use a player with Poole’s exact talents right now? Yes, definitely. But his presence and push for more playing time was already irritating Klay Thompson a bit, and that was before the Draymond incident. None of that was very fair to Poole. But it was the reality.
Who are some other of the huge targets the Warriors could have this offseason? Everyone wants Giannis Antetokounmpo, but I highly doubt he’s traded. — @SFGPN via X.
Though Giannis has been the Warriors’ dream for years, I agree, I don’t think that’s happening. They’ll still try, though. I think the Warriors will check back on Lauri Markkanen — is he truly happy sticking it out through the entire Jazz rebuild? What about checking with the Pacers about Pascal Siakam? And here’s my wild-hare-you-never-know scenario for this mailbag: What if Jimmy Butler opts out of his $52.4 million deal for next season and is available in a deep discount sign-and-trade for, say, two years and $70 million?
The stretch-big questions
Is Quentin Post an NBA center or a forward? He doesn’t seem to have the strength and hops of a center. (Nice touch, though.) —@letsberational.bsky.social.
In the Warriors’ system and just about any system, Post is 100% a center and no other position. Sure, there are questions whether he can hold up against quicker, stronger centers … but it’s an even worse projection to think about Post trying to defend power forwards like Jayson Tatum or P.J. Washington.
If Post makes it in this league, he’ll do it as a stretch-5 — somebody who can take advantage of mismatches on the perimeter against slower centers or defenses blitzing Curry and also avoid being too large a liability on defense. So far, Post has met that standard. But it’s just been a handful of games, and he’s just started to appear on opposing teams’ scouting reports.
You mean Quentin the-Two-Timelines-Are-Back Post, right? — Peter Bergman via BlueSky.
It’s all merged now. You didn’t hear about the Post-Curry Timeline?
Kelly Olynyk for cheap do anything for you? — @tkgriffith.bsky.social.
I’ve never been too big on Olynyk, though at times he would’ve been a decent fit as a stretch-5 option for the Warriors. But at this point, it’d probably be more efficient for the Warriors just to give those minutes to Post and see if he rises or falls.
Differences between Dunleavy and Myers?
I’ve been wondering about the differences between picks during the Dunleavy vs. Bob Myers regimes? Seems as if the Warriors have veered towards older, more developed, and instinctual players under Dunleavy. Am I reading too much into this? — @evanoreilly.bsky.social.
Whew, this could be a whole column itself. But I think part of the contrast is that Myers had three lottery picks (and two in the top 7) tossed into his lap after two atypically bad Warriors seasons and decided to swing for the fences — specifically because the Warriors hadn’t been in the lottery for years and presumed they wouldn’t be returning much in the future.
If Myers had been in Dunleavy’s situation in 2023 with the 19th pick (Dunleavy took Podziemski, then traded for the pick that they used for Trayce Jackson-Davis in the second round), or last June with no first-round pick (they traded for the second-round pick that they used for Post), I think he might’ve done similar things. Which is what Myers did, for instance, in 2018 when he took Jacob Evans with the 28th pick.
But give this a few more years, as Dunleavy keeps assembling players. I think your sense is mostly right. Myers probably leaned more to the raw talent side than what we’re seeing from Dunleavy, who appreciates experience and toughness a little more.
Does Dennis Schroder not working out speak more to a swing-and-a-miss by Dunleavy, or more to the fact that Kerr has lost his fastball? — @JAM92_ via X.
It was an opportunity trade — De’Anthony Melton was hurt and his contract fit perfectly for a Schroder trade. It hasn’t worked out. But midseason trades often don’t work out. They’re hard. And Schroder has looked particularly thrown off by the new environment and new system. That’s not about the coaching. I think Kerr has gone out of his way to make Schroder feel as comfortable as possible. He’s tweaked things to get Schroder open shots and open floor. The rest is up to Schroder.
The Warriors are doing at least one ticket-holder event (All-Star practice) at Oracle Arena for All-Star weekend. Looking back … anything about the media digs you miss compared to Chase Center? — dubnation_fan808 on Threads
Yes! I miss almost everything about Oracle Arena from a media perspective. That building was creaky, no doubt, but it had so many great areas to meet up with sources, mingle with knowledgeable people, and cross paths with just about anybody — if you knew where they were headed and when they were heading there. Chase Center is nice, but it’s tight quarters. There are very few places to bump into interesting people, and we’re all poorer (and the gossip is definitely poorer) for it.