Trades, free agency and Kuminga: Nothing is off the table for Warriors GM Dunleavy

SAN FRANCISCO – Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy did not rule out any possibilities Friday afternoon at Chase Center when assessing how his team will approach the offseason. 

With the star-studded but aging core of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler locked in for next season but all age 35 or older, the executive acknowledged that time is not on the Warriors’ side after the team was bounced in the second round of the playoffs. 

He said he would not hesitate to maneuver for another big name, if the price is right, in pursuit of a fifth title under coach Steve Kerr since 2015. That may not be simple, though, considering the team has limited cap space to work with.

We’re good giving up whatever it takes,”  Dunleavy, who completed his second year as GM, said. “It just depends how good we think that will make our team.”

Though Dunleavy did not mention any particular players by name, Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has signaled he may be open to a trade. 

Dunleavey noted that the NBA’s financial rules impose stiff penalties for spending over the expected $154 million salary cap limit and that management will need to take those rules into account, but also made a point to emphasize that owner Joe Lacob is far from a penny pincher. 

“I think we’ve seen with Joe and this ownership group, there’s an unbelievable willingness to win at all cost,” Dunleavy said.

He later added that the Warriors are not OK with “mortgaging the future” in a way that will leave the team vulnerable down the road. 

“I don’t want to get caught in a situation where we give up a ton, put all our chips in, and then 10 games into the season we have a catastrophic injury, there’s nowhere to go, and then we’re stuck for four or five years,” Dunleavy said. 

One of the most crucial decisions the team will make involves the polarizing Jonathan Kuminga, who is set to enter restricted free agency. 

The 22-year-old forward flashed rare scoring ability and athleticism the team desperately needed during swaths of the regular season and against Minnesota in the postseason, but also struggled to find his way into the rotation after the Jimmy Butler trade and a severe ankle injury. 

Do the Warriors want him back?

“I think it’s something we’re very interested in doing because, when I look at the things JK does well, in terms of getting to the rim, finishing, getting fouled, these are things we greatly need,” Dunleavy said. “We know he can bring those to the table. It’s not hypothetical.”

Aside from Kuminga, both Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II are set to be unrestricted free agents. Looney just completed his 10th season with the team, and Payton II has been an integral contributor for years. 

“I told them yesterday we’d love to have them back, and we’ve got to figure that out,” Dunleavy said. 

Both Dunleavy and Kerr, who also spoke Friday, stressed the importance of finding a way to move Green back to playing power forward and out of the full-time starting center spot. 

Being able to score is a top priority for whoever takes on that role. 

“We need, with the way Draymond and Jimmy can create and generally play near the rim, having somebody that they can finish near the rim or make a shot,” Dunleavy said. 

He expressed confidence in Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski, who solidified themselves as solid starters after the trade, but both struggled with consistency in the postseason.

It’s unusual for a young player to come into the playoffs and just run through seamlessly,” Dunleavy said. “I love the experience that both those guys had overall. I think they learned some things, and next time around they’ll be better.”

While he praised the young players, Dunleavy was unambiguous about where priorities lay for the team. 

After years of a two-timeline philosophy to develop a young core while competing with an older group, Dunleavy said that winning next year is all the team cares about. He would like to have players who can help the team after the Curry era, but that is secondary to the immediate future. 

“With the guys that we have, our focus is mostly 90 percent on next season,” Dunleavy said. “How do we make this group better?”

“If we have to get a bunch of 33-year-olds or 35-year-olds that we think can really help us win a championship … we will do that, cost permitting.”