The Warriors reportedly attempted to get in the mix for several bigger-name players this offseason, but were ultimately unsuccessful. Now, their ambitions to improve the roster will likely have to wait until the trade deadline, as general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. alluded to recently, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.
“We have multiple ways to get better during the season, which is something we’ve done the last few years,” Dunleavy said in a press conference last week. “Whether it’s adding (Jimmy) Butler adding (Kristaps) Porzingis you can go as far back as adding Andrew Wiggins. I’d say we’re pretty good about improving our team in the middle of the year.”
The most important thing, according to Dunleavy, is starting the season healthy and competitive. Butler and Moses Moody are both expected to miss significant time, but if the team can buy themselves enough room to be in the mix after the trade deadline and once those players return, the team’s outlook could change quickly.
“If people see us as running back a 37-win team, I would say we’ve added to that team from the way it started last year with a player like Porzingis,” Dunleavy said. “And then most importantly, we get into the season and we see how our guys come back from injuries like Moses and Jimmy.”
We have more from around the Pacific Division:
- Despite the drama and uncertainty surrounding the Lakers‘ proposed sale, when it comes to the players, the team appears to be moving forward with a “business as usual” approach, reports Dan Woike of The Athletic, with contributions from Sam Amick (subscriber link). However, several of Woike’s sources added that there’s a belief that the team will not be able to continue building out the basketball operations department until the matter is settled, with pro scouts being a prime area of concern.
- Warriors lottery pick Yaxel Lendeborg is known for his outgoing personality and his jack-of-all-trades game, but he says he wasn’t prepared for the emotions that would hit him before his Summer League debut, Nick Friedell writes for The Athletic. “When we were going to the game in Vegas, I was about to cry on the bus,” Lendeborg said.. “… Three or four tears kind of like dripped from the eye, but I was on a bus with a bunch of guys. They don’t even know me. They barely know me, so I can’t just be crying for no reason.” After a winding basketball journey that eventually led him to a national championship with Michigan, the 23-year-old rookie was named Summer League MVP, but despite his self-made status, he claims his public perception doesn’t exactly match his own mindset. “I’ve never been a confident kid. So, actually having this time to believe in myself — it means a lot to me, and I’m trying my best to not lose that no matter what goes on,” he said.
- The Suns are gearing up to host the 2027 All-Star Game, and one of the ways they’re doing so is by installing a 226-foot-by-41-foot LED display outside the arena, a multimillion-dollar installation that will be the largest of any professional basketball team in the US, David Brandt writes for AP News. “(Suns owner Mat Ishbia) has tasked us with making it the best ever,” CEO Josh Bartelstein said of the All-Star Game. “The best ever is in all the details. For every fan that comes in town, all the players, the different teams, we care about every detail. You’re going to see that once the All-Star Game comes here in February.”