Kurtenbach: The Warriors were wise to keep Kelly Oubre

There was no big splash, only a minor ripple or two for the Warriors at the NBA trade deadline Thursday.

And that’s the best-case scenario for the Dubs.

Golden State saved some money on the luxury tax by trading away two players who weren’t playing for them anymore, and they held onto Kelly Oubre, whose name was frequently tossed around in trade rumors leading up to the deadline.

It remains to be seen if Oubre is part of Golden State’s long-term plans — if he wants to sign on for a sixth-man role next season — but in the here and now, the Warriors made the right move not to trade him ahead of his unrestricted free agency this summer.

There was a nasty rumor going around, reported by the New York Times’ Marc Stein, that the Warriors — for the tenth time in the last six or seven years — were interested in Philadelphia wing Danny Green, ostensively in a swap for Oubre. My understanding was that interest was merely an effort by the Dubs to land worthwhile draft picks, in conjunction with the easier-to-sign Green, for the possibly departing Oubre. Philadelphia wasn’t that interested in seriously sweetening the pot and the talks died.

There was interest in Oubre from other teams, too, but only at a discount. Teams were trying to squeeze the Warriors, to see if they’d take cents on the dollar for a player who might leave as an unrestricted free agent.

The Dubs didn’t bite. That was wise.

Now, the Warriors aren’t committed to giving Oubre a new contract this summer, but they haven’t ruled it out, either. If Oubre had been traded away on Thursday, there would have been no way for Golden State to re-sign him this summer given their status in the luxury tax, so it was the smart move to roll the dice with the wing instead of taking a lesser player and likely worthless draft picks.

Yes, they might be left with nothing, but in this situation, two second-round picks in the hand are not as good as a starter-caliber wing in the bush. Especially when you’re in the playoff hunt.

Yes, the Warriors are still doing that.

And because of that, the Warriors’ only goal for the trade deadline was to not be taken. Good teams don’t lose at the deadline — teams like the Rockets, who gave away Victor Oladipo for next to nothing, do. Of course, the Warriors had their chances to look like fools, but they held off. They didn’t act desperate because they aren’t.

And remember: Oubre was always a rental player. The Warriors were content to let the Andre Iguodala trade exception expire. It wasn’t until Klay Thompson was injured that Golden State committed to using it and acquired Oubre. If they lose him this summer, it’s not ideal, but it’s not the end of the world. And the Warriors, like any other team that would have acquired him this week, are using the final weeks of the season to evaluate if he’s a good long-term fit and value for them.

Now, the Warriors did make some moves, and they were… fine. Sorry, it’s hard to think of any interesting way to describe them.

Brad Wanamaker is now a Charlotte Hornet. It’s a shame that they couldn’t land LaMelo Ball in the deal, but it is kind of cool to receive cash from Michael Jordan. Ultimately, while there’s no virtue in being cheap, there’s also no justifiable reason for Warriors CEO Joe Lacob to be paying oodles of luxury tax on a player who has no role on the team anymore.

The same goes for Marquese Chriss, who is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a broken leg but was traded to San Antonio Thursday. Golden State picked up a roster spot, some money, and the draft rights to a 2015 second-round pick who is playing in Korea in exchange. It’s a solid bit of business.

Chriss is a pending free agent — he could come back to Golden State this summer — and, again, they’ll save on luxury tax, so the only real loss is that the big man had been the best member of the Warriors’ television broadcast team this season. No, I’m not being sarcastic. He was great.

After all that, not much, if anything has changed.

Golden State will continue to try to burn the candle at both ends — trying to win games and develop youngsters — for the rest of this season. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. But that mystery keeps us engaged and that’s worth something, too.