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New York Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
What's next for Steph Curry and the Warriors after quiet elimination in Minnesota?
MINNEAPOLIS — Steph Curry, already slumped in his chair in the visiting locker room at Target Center, sank lower and tilted his head back so his eyes pointed at the ceiling. The frustration was visible on his expressionless face, in his steely eyes. Hours earlier, the Golden State Warriors' unofficial mantra entering Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves had been borrowed from the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who shocked the world by rallying from a 3-0 deficit to beat the New York Yankees. Curry remembers it well. He was a junior in high school when Kevin Millar, with his Sox down 3-1, said the line that encapsulated the Warriors' mood: 'Don't let us win tonight.' Advertisement The coded meaning: The Warriors were feeling pretty good about Curry returning from his hamstring injury for Game 6. But when asked about his chances of playing if the series extended, Curry wasn't much in the mood to entertain what-ifs. It no longer mattered. Minnesota didn't let them win. Their season ended with a 121-110 loss to the Timberwolves, a gentleman's sweep to bruise their egos, with Curry in a tan sweatsuit. This pill the Warriors had to swallow went down like a tennis ball. They couldn't win one game to potentially get Curry back in the Western Conference semifinals. One game to keep this season alive and see what it could've become. 'The only solace you can really take was that we had a chance,' Curry told The Athletic. 'It's kind of the ultimate gut-punch because of that. Makes it worse. You just don't want to go out like that.' Five minutes after the final buzzer, Warriors controlling owner Joe Lacob slid into a courtside club down the tunnel of a celebrating Minneapolis arena, complimentary of the home team but more willing than others in his organization to voice what many believed. 'Disappointing,' Lacob said, settling into a 10-minute conversation with The Athletic. 'I really hoped we could extend the series and I'm …' This is where he paused, understanding his next statement would come off as a discredit to the Timberwolves, but he fired it off anyway. 'I am pretty positive that if we had Steph, we'd have won this series,' Lacob said. Curry said he liked his chances for Game 6 but, his voice tinged with defiance, reminded of the uncertainty of hamstrings: 'I have no idea because I haven't played live yet. Only reason that was a possibility was because we have three days. … If you play live, you can check off that box, and then you can go. But I never got to that.' Advertisement The revisionist history doesn't ultimately matter. What if Draymond Green didn't get suspended in Game 5 of the 2016 Finals? He did. They lost to Cleveland. Nine years later, Curry strained his hamstring. They lost to Minnesota. But Lacob's sentiment is notable when attempting to get a read on the front office's planned path forward. The lead decision makers — Lacob, general manager Mike Dunleavy, assistant general manager Kirk Lacob — don't plan a major shakeup, team sources said. They're plotting a retooled middle of the rotation below Curry, Jimmy Butler and Green, still believing that veteran core can contend. 'It's in some ways kind of a win to get here, to get (to) the second round,' Lacob said. 'Yeah, we lost four games to one. Not good. But to a team that is playing very well. They took the Lakers out four to one also with two of the greatest players in the world on their team. We didn't have one of ours. So we can all sit here and make what-ifs, judgments, but I can't be really upset with what happened, given that we just didn't have our biggest force.' The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process. The story of the greatest players in NBA history. The Warriors went 23-7 with Butler and Curry in the lineup and beat the second-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round. They maintain a belief that the pairing could've reached the conference finals and possibly beyond if given the healthy opportunity. But the consolation prize of believing they were good enough to compete with any team only amplifies the urgency for the Warriors to make the necessary adjustments to build on this season. Ordinarily, when a team feels close, Curry said, major changes don't feel so necessary. But he's been through this enough times to know standing pat isn't prudent. Butler's contract lines up with Curry's. They both have two seasons left. 'On the surface, that's why he signed for two more years — our belief we can make it work,' Curry said of Butler. 'And we've proven that the last three months. Just gotta figure out what is going to get us to the next level as a whole. One guy can't win it. Two guys can't win it. It's gotta be a team.' Advertisement There are no early indications that the Warriors will be at the front of the line of the yet-to-materialize Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, league sources said. As they enter the summer, team sources said, the internal plan and conversation is about how to best reform the role players around the Curry and Butler duo, not chase another star. Jonathan Kuminga is the most notable swing piece. The Warriors are expected to extend his $10.2 million qualifying offer, which will make him a restricted free agent in July, giving them a level of leverage as the sides figure out his future. Kuminga has had a turbulent four seasons with the franchise, punctuated by a roller coaster last few weeks. Coach Steve Kerr pulled him from the rotation in the Houston series, putting his lack of fit and questionable future with the franchise into the spotlight. Then after Curry's injury, Kuminga re-entered the picture again and dropped these point totals the final four games against Minnesota: 18, 30, 23, 26. 'I was listening to the guys behind me tonight give running commentary — T'Wolves fans,' Lacob said. '(Kuminga)'s the guy they talked about all night long. He's the only guy that could really guard (Anthony Edwards) out there. Did a pretty damn good job. He had a tough situation with the DNPs from the last series, and to bounce back from that, I give him a lot of credit. I'm a big fan of his.' Lacob's loyalty to Kuminga is well-known. He was an influential voice in the 2021 NBA Draft choice and has remained a proponent of Kuminga through the highs and lows. It's nearly impossible to believe Lacob would let Kuminga sign an offer sheet elsewhere and walk away for nothing. A reunion between the sides is still on the table, league sources said. But both sides are expected to explore sign-and-trade scenarios, those sources said, which would open up the market and theoretically give Kuminga the contract and fresh start he'd desire while bringing the Warriors back rotation players of immediate value. The Warriors' decision-makers believe they need more positional size across the board — center and otherwise. But it's mid-May. Nothing about Kuminga's future is decided. Dunleavy's front office and Kuminga's agent, Aaron Turner, will need to work through the various options. If he were to return, there's been talk about Kerr giving the four-man combination of Curry, Kuminga, Green and Butler more of an early-season runway, and Butler has discussed working with Kuminga this summer. Advertisement 'There are certainly things he has to improve on, but he's 22 years old,' Lacob said. 'He's got a hell of a lot of potential, and I would think he would be a part of our future plans. Now we'll have to see how the market all shakes out. We have a lot of evaluating to do. Not me necessarily. But everybody — from coaching staff to basketball operations. We'll kind of sit around and talk about how we want to construct the team for next year and what the situation is with respect to him.' Brandin Podziemski is another critical player as the Warriors move forward. He had his best game of the series Wednesday, finishing with 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting with six rebounds and four assists. Much of his production came too late, after the Warriors were climbing up a steep hill, but it was a sign of life for a player who'd struggled mightily in the previous three games. 'There were times in this series where he was hesitant to shoot,' Kerr said. 'I thought he could have gotten 10 or 11 3s off tonight, and we needed those. I told him that after the game. I said, 'When we get back here next year, you are not gonna turn down a single shot.'' Podziemski, the 19th pick in the 2023 draft, is the Warriors' most established young player. He played his way into the rotation as a rookie, supplanting Klay Thompson. After a slow start to his second season, he turned it on in a secondary role after the Butler trade. His versatility as a 6-5 guard, his basketball IQ and his willingness to grind make him a valuable player. But the Warriors might need more from him. They certainly did in this series. He looked overwhelmed for most of these playoffs, the first of his career, raising questions about whether he's a potent enough scorer to warrant his role. 'It's part of the playoffs,' Kerr said. 'I lived it as a player. It is a mind game … It's really easy to lose your confidence. Teams throw different schemes at you. You have a bad game and everyone is talking about your shooting percentage. It feels like you're on an island. I've been there. Nobody cares in January if you have two games where you're 4 for 20. But in the playoffs, everybody's writing about it, everybody's talking about it. You feel exposed. That's a big part of playoff experience, understanding you have to keep firing and stay aggressive.' It wasn't a unanimous call, but the Warriors opted to keep him this past offseason instead of cashing in his noteworthy value on the trade market. Several teams called with appealing offers, league sources said. They were told no. Advertisement But the need for offensive punch was magnified this postseason. Some in the organization who landed on the side of exploring Podziemski's value see a need for more of a Jordan Poole-type of playmaker — a confident shooter and offensive creator who can share in the playmaking load with Curry and Butler. Both veterans will require rest and management next regular season. But Podziemski is 22, set to make $3.6 million next season and is laden with intangibles. That makes him worth keeping, especially if he grows more confident offensively. But it also makes him valuable around the league. Do they use him as one of the few commodities they possess or continue his development while he's on a team-friendly deal? 'I would hope our young players take yet another leap,' Lacob said. 'I get very upset when I read all this crap on the internet, these comments by people, you know, 'This guy's crap. That guy's crap. The drafts were terrible.' Bull—! Our drafts were not bad at all. These guys are very young. They've had to fit into a very difficult situation with experienced players. It's not like they can just go out and put up numbers. So I think we've drafted very well. We've got some good young players.' But the backbone of the organization remains what it has been for more than a decade. Kerr and Dunleavy are expected to remain in place. Butler is the new co-star. Green is expected to remain. Then the ecosystem still operates around Curry, entering his 17th NBA season next October as the man who still props it all up. 'I have a great coach and I have a great GM,' Lacob said. 'I have no problems with anything in respect to them. Mike made a fantastic trade. Before we made that trade, we were one game under .500 and it didn't look like we were going anywhere. We won a first-round series against a very good up-and-coming team with a lot of athleticism and size. I thought it was a hell of a win. Got us pretty tired probably for this series, and maybe that was just too much to overcome. In that first game (against Minnesota), Steph looked like he was going to cook, right? But what are we going to do? Stuff happens.' (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photos of Jimmy Butler, Steph Curry and Steve Kerr: Elsa, Tim Warner, Mike Ehrmann, Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
New York Times
05-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Warriors validate the Jimmy Butler trade with playoff series win over the Rockets
HOUSTON — In fairness to Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob, this was the farthest thing from a victory lap. He was standing still, for starters, playing the role of head cheerleader in the corner of the Toyota Center court where the players whose massive paychecks he covers were practically skipping back to the visitors' locker room to celebrate their Game 7 finish over the Houston Rockets. And secondly, he was asked to reflect on this latest moment of 'meaningful basketball,' as Steph Curry likes to call it, rather than the other way around. Advertisement But just as Lacob began to discuss the player whose arrival in February made this all possible, and whose very presence in its midst says so much about why this organization has been elite for so long now, the man himself ran right by without saying so much as a hello. 'Jimmy!' Lacob yelled at Jimmy Butler, as the Warriors small forward stopped and turned around. They hugged. They shook hands. It had been nearly three months since Butler came to town — with Lacob wisely deciding to listen to his general manager, Mike Dunleavy, when he insisted this deal was worth the risk — and the time had finally come to say the obvious part out loud. 'Sometimes you get them right,' he told The Athletic with a laugh. 'That's all I can say.' If the Warriors hadn't found a way to get out of the first round, then the entire conversation surrounding Butler and his Warriors' existence would have been different heading into the summer. Sure, it was nice that he helped them avoid missing the playoffs altogether by dominating their Play-In win over Memphis. But the entire premise of this partnership has been about this version of Golden State convincing the masses that it was a legitimate title contender. And regardless of what happens next against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round, it's indisputable that these Warriors were truly in the championship mix in Year 1 of the Butler experiment. This is why Lacob agreed to give Butler a two-year, $121 million extension that runs through the 2026-27 season, turning a blind eye to all the messiness that took place with him in Miami (and Minnesota before that) while counting on the Warriors' culture to help the 35-year-old get back on track. And that's why, with the Warriors becoming just the seventh No. 7 seed to beat a No. 2 seed since 1984, the sight of Butler and Lacob reveling in a series win together for the first time was so important when it comes to their overall plan. Advertisement All of the Warriors' stakeholders need to truly believe in the collective ceiling of this group to avoid the sense that it might have been a mistake. That's the harsh reality of this roster, as the advanced ages of all their most important players mean there's no time like the present. Those 'We'll get 'em next year' speeches just don't land the same when your stars are all on the back end of their fourth decade. And while the Warriors' regular-season showing with Butler was nothing short of elite — a 23-8 record, the league's third-best net rating, No. 1 defense and the eighth-best offense — surviving this Rockets team that looked so capable of sending them home served as a confirmation that adding Butler was, in fact, the way to go. This Game 7 finish was yet another new achievement in an absurdly long list of them, a 103-89 win that was the NBA equivalent of a father winning the game of pick-up against his teenage son when everyone in the family thought those days had long since passed. The old man in the middle, 35-year-old Curry, figured out the Rockets' zone defense and somehow survived the tenacity, athleticism and length of young Amen Thompson (he finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and a plus-16 mark). His longtime Warriors partner, 35-year-old Draymond Green, picked the perfect time to showcase his generational defensive skills while also providing vital offense early on (eight of his 16 points were in the first quarter). Buddy Hield, the 32-year-old who was signed to a two-year deal last summer to fill the shooting duties of the departed Klay Thompson, practically earned all of the $21 million deal he was given in one evening's work (33 points; 9-of-11 on 3s). Butler, who's also 35, had 20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists. It didn't even matter to Lacob that Butler wasn't the star this time around. What mattered, and what Lacob acknowledged in our chat afterward, was that the Warriors' choice to strike that balance between desperation and calculation that led to adding him had clearly paid off. Advertisement 'Yeah, there were (concerns about Butler),' Lacob said. 'But you do your analysis, you make your choices, and, yeah, it was a little bit of a risk. But we've got to take risks in this life. And he's worth every freaking penny. That's all I can say. He's fantastic.' The Warriors were barreling toward irrelevance without Butler, with the chatter growing louder by the month that all their most important people might be pondering the notion of heading elsewhere. Warriors coach Steve Kerr was a popular pick in league circles to eventually replace Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. Green has acknowledged his concern about the possibility that he might have been traded. Curry, whose epic performance in the gold-medal game at the Paris Olympics last summer was a reminder that he was still truly great, had every reason to wonder if that would be the last meaningful game he might play in his career. 'We're still trying to do it,' Curry said. 'So you can tell there's such a care factor for every guy on this team that starts with me, Draymond, (Kevon) Looney, who has been here with us, and now obviously (with) Jimmy and his playoff experience. So I had to rely on that as long as this ride continues. 'You know you're figuring out the chessboard in between the series, and sticking with it, and not letting go of the rope (while) being able to turn the page from one game to the next and meet the moment. It's so much fun out here. I think that's what we talked about with our guys the most. There's no more fun that you can experience in basketball than a playoff series, especially if it goes the distance. So embrace it.' The feeling from Butler is mutual, to say the least. 'The way that everybody locked in (when he arrived), it made me feel welcome,' Butler said. 'And we took off. … We never wavered. The confidence never went anywhere. (It's a) really good group of hoopers. A really good group of people. So that's what I'm gonna take into this next round, is (that) we've got some guys. We play at an extremely high level, and on any given night we can beat anyone.' As Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said recently, Butler would likely have been in the MVP race if he had started the season with the Warriors and played as well as he had since arriving. The question now, for him and for them, is whether they can keep it going against a younger Timberwolves team that is even deeper and more experienced than the up-and-coming Rockets. 'It's nice,' Lacob said of beating the Rockets. 'But we have 12 more (wins) to go. That's all I can say. Four down, 12 to go.'
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lacob understands, respects KD's rejection of Warriors trade
Lacob understands, respects KD's rejection of Warriors trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area The Warriors' pursuit of former franchise superstar and current Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant was well-documented ahead of the thrilling Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline. And a deal seemingly was near before Golden State ultimately landed fellow star forward Jimmy Butler, as a trade for Durant never saw the light of day due to the 15-time NBA All-Star preferring to avoid a midseason move, for the sake of any new team he would've joined, as he explained Wednesday on Draymond Green's podcast. Warriors owner Joe Lacob on Wednesday also chimed in on the conversation in an appearance on The San Francisco Standard reporter Tim Kawakami's 'The TK Show' podcast. 'Well, I heard that, obviously,' Lacob told Kawakami about Durant declining a Bay Area reunion. 'But Jimmy Butler also said that he didn't want to be part of the Warriors. So, I think you have to take with a grain of salt when you hear something. Now, when you hear it directly from Mr. Durant … that's legit, it's coming from the horse's mouth. 'But there's always usually a motive for these things. Somebody wants to get paid or not paid, somebody wants to influence somebody to trade them [to] a certain place. It doesn't always mean it's black and white. And so, maybe someone like Kevin said – I heard … he didn't want to be traded in the middle of a season. … He decides his own fate. I understand, with respect to him.' Lacob understands Durant's decision and acknowledges that a star of his caliber writes their own story. Maybe the Warriors will make another push for Durant this summer, or maybe they won't. But it's up to Durant at the end of the day. Additionally, Lacob didn't confirm nor deny that Golden State didn't trade for Durant – who doesn't have a no-trade clause, unlike Suns teammate Bradley Beal – because of the former Warrior's declination. 'I don't think I should comment on another team's player any more than what has been speculated out there,' Lacob told Kawakami. 'You can conclude whatever you want.' Do with that what you will. Lacob did confirm, though, that, as many knew, Golden State was all-in on a big-time acquisition at the trade deadline. Butler evidently was and remains him. 'Obviously, we had some very large discussions,' Lacob told Kawakami. 'We at least had discussions to explore a number of players; it's been reported, I don't think inaccurately – it's accurate. And we were trying to do something significant. 'If we're going to do something, let's do something significant. And if we could do it, great. If not, we have to play it out and see what happens this summer.' 'It's easier, I think, generally, to do something in the summer than it is at the trade deadline. It's just more optionality.' The Warriors might again be big-game hunters during the looming offseason. However, those discussions are far away, as Golden State has won six of its first seven games with Butler and is back in contention for another Larry O'Brien Trophy. Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Lacob is confident Butler's Warriors tenure won't go sideways
Why Lacob is confident Butler's Warriors tenure won't go sideways originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area Jimmy Butler has been no stranger to drama throughout the course of his 14-year NBA career, but the veteran forward appears to be happy with the Warriors since arriving via trade before the Feb. 6 deadline. Golden State owner Joe Lacob doesn't anticipate that honeymoon stage ending any time soon, either, despite Butler's tendency to shake things up, for lack of a better term. The CEO told Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard how his team decided to go through with a blockbuster trade with the Miami Heat for Butler, and it included plenty of research. 'I mean, I don't know. I don't know for sure, anything, but I feel pretty confident,' Lacob told Kawakami on 'The TK Show' when asked if he's sure Butler won't cause issues with the Warriors. 'I've talked to him since, a little bit, directly, and [general manager] Mike [Dunleavy] certainly has, and [Butler] seems really happy. And sure, can these things change? I guess. Jimmy has a little bit of a reputation for that. But, these are always two-way streets, so there's always reasons for these things. … 'Let's just say we did our homework, and we feel very confident that in this situation, this team, these players, our GM, that I think Jimmy will remain very happy. And of course, we're all happy if we win, and right now we've been winning. So hopefully, if we're right about what we project here, this should be a very happy marriage.' Butler made three All-Star games, two All-Defensive teams and one All-NBA team with the Bulls, where he played with Dunleavy, after Chicago selected him No. 30 overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. But he was traded away despite his rise to stardom after clashing with the team's younger players and then-coach Fred Hoiberg. The Bulls dealt Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves in June 2017, but his time there was brief as he again ran into locker-room issues — including an infamous feud with Karl-Anthony Towns — and requested a trade. Minnesota sent Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he played for one season before signing with the Heat in 2019. It appeared to be a match made in heaven for Butler in Miami — until this season. After telling reporters he no longer believed he could be happy playing in Miami, the Heat on Jan. 3 suspended Butler for seven games for conduct detrimental to the team. He requested a trade, returned for one game, then was suspended two more times — the last instance indefinitely after he walked out of a practice. Ahead of the NBA trade deadline, it was reported that Butler didn't want to play for the Warriors. But now that he's in Golden State and out of Miami, all sides appear more than content, and Lacob doesn't pay much mind to those rumors despite Butler's turbulent past. 'I think that there's a lot of agent speak out there,' Lacob told Kawakami. 'Let's just put it that way. And there's a variety of reasons for that. Pretty much if you hear it in the media or on TV or wherever, I wouldn't take everything at face value, is the bottom line. And as it turns out, Jimmy was more than happy to come to the Warriors, as you have now seen. And we can all speculate about all that, but I mean, yeah. Did I take it at some level? Did we understand, maybe consider that as an issue? Perhaps, but I don't think we took it as set in stone, and as it turned out, we were right.' Butler's impact on the Warriors has been undeniable, with Golden State jumping out to a 6-1 record since the six-time All-Star's arrival. And as Lacob said, as long as the Warriors keep winning, the good times are likely to keep rolling. Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
CBS News
28-01-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Golden State Warriors to retire Andre Iguodala's No. 9 jersey
The Golden State Warriors announced Tuesday that they will retire the jersey number of Andre Iguodala, who played a pivotal role in the team's dynasty of four NBA championships. In a statement Tuesday, the team said Iguodala will have his jersey retired following their game against the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 23. He will be the seventh player in team history to have his name in the rafters at Chase Center, joining Al Attles, Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain, Tom Meschery, Chris Mullin and Nate Thurmond. The Warriors will retire Andre Iguodala's #9 jersey on Sunday, February 23, following the team's game against the Mavericks at Chase Center (12:30 p.m. tipoff), making him just the seventh player in Warriors franchise history to have his jersey number retired by the organization: — Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) January 28, 2025 "Andre will go down as one of the smartest, shrewdest and most unique and successful players to ever wear a Warriors uniform," co-executive chairman and CEO Joe Lacob said in a statement. Acquired by the Warriors in a three-team deal in 2013, Iguodala helped secure the Warriors first NBA Championship in 40 years in 2015 and was named the Finals MVP. Iguodala went on to win back-to-back titles with Golden State in 2017 and 2018. Following a stint with the Miami Heat, Iguodala returned to the Warriors in 2021 and won his fourth NBA championship with the team in 2022. During eight seasons with Golden State, he reached the playoffs each time and reached the NBA Finals six times. Iguodala retired following a 19 year-career in 2023, in which he also played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets. "He was the perfect player and person at the perfect time for our team, and the sacrifice he made in coming off the bench in 2014 sent a message that he came here to help us do one thing: win. The proof is in the rafters, and his number belongs alongside the banners he helped us raise," Lacob went on to say. Iguodala is the first player from the dynasty to have his number retired. Lacob has previously said that Kevin Durant, who was part of the 2017 and 2018 championship teams and the team that reached the 2019 NBA Finals, should have his number retired. "No player will ever wear No. 35 for the Warriors again," Lacob said after Durant left for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. Splash Brothers Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, along with Draymond Green, are widely expected to receive similar honors once they retire.
