SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors entered January with a 16-16 record. They went 8-8 in January, following an inspired Wednesday night win over the league-leading Thunder with a blowout 130-105 home loss to the Suns on Friday night, continuing their march to mediocrity. The Warriors enter February with a 24-24 record.
“It’s very indicative of our year,” Steph Curry said. “Emotional rollercoaster. Up, down, momentum, get slapped in the face. Back and forth. So it’s just frustrating. Could be better, could be worse.”
Prior to the loss, Steve Kerr was asked about the Warriors’ approach to next Thursday’s trade deadline. It is the front office’s final chance to significantly alter a roster that has continually proved over the last couple months that it isn’t good enough to be a realistic contender in a crowded conference.
“We’re not in a position where we can just say: ‘Nah, we’re good. Let’s stand pat,’” Kerr said. “That’s the reality of where we are. (General manager) Mike (Dunleavy)’s doing his due diligence, doing his job. If there’s something that makes sense, he’s going to do it. If not, I’m very comfortable going forward with this team.”
Curry was relayed Kerr’s assessment postgame and asked to give his.
“It’s not for me to make those decisions,” Curry said. “I want to win. So whatever it means to do that.”
Curry seemed intent on avoiding any headlines after some of his more recent trade and personnel related comments sparked national conversation. He deflected a question about whether he’d put pressure on the front office prior to the deadline.
“Y’all will never know about that,” Curry said. “We have conversations all the time. I want to win. It’s not my job. I’m not a coach, I’m not a GM, I’m not an owner. It’s pretty clear where I stand, trying to make the necessary adjustments to try to win.”
Steph Curry on the trade deadline choices ahead for the Warriors: “It’s not for me to make those decisions. I want to win. So whatever it means to do that.” pic.twitter.com/E4X6lPnhLN
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 1, 2025
The Warriors enter the weekend in the mix on a number of names. They’ve had conversations with the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls about Jimmy Butler and Zach LaVine. Their 2025 protected first-rounder has been floated around the league to see what it could fetch. In the last couple weeks, there has been a growing level of urgency to shake it up to at least some degree.
That generally leads to a level of tension and angst in a locker room with plenty of respected veterans, like Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II, who prefer to stay with the Warriors.
“You’re another year away from the ’22 (title), so it’s a little less of a … I think every trade deadline in a sense has been a little uneasy,” Curry said. “But the further you get away from winning, it becomes more of a sense of urgency. It’s the NBA. It’s nothing different than guys have experienced before. You have to be able to play through it, keep confidence, understand there’s only so many things you can control, just play basketball.”
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Answers will come prior to next Thursday night’s game in Los Angeles against the Lakers.
“Everybody understands the business,” Kerr said. “It’s the hardest part of this business, when you grow attached to people and then people move on. Whether it’s trade, free agency, coaches getting fired. You build these relationships that are really intimate because you’re going through the fire together with everybody and then all of the sudden people are gone. It’s bizarre.
“Then I think the hardest thing for the players is we ask them to be loyal and to give everything they have for the group, for the team because that’s the job, but then they might get shipped out,” Kerr continued. “It’s a really hard thing to reconcile as a player. But players have to reconcile it if they want to be productive and useful in their NBA career. Some guys, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, some guys are above all that. But the vast majority of these guys have to figure out that they are their own best asset and the way to be the best asset for yourself is to be valuable to your team and to be professional and to recognize that there’s a lot of stuff that can happen that’s no fun. That’s part of the job. It’s difficult but it’s something that the pros, the vets on the team, they understand that and they deal with it.”
Steve Kerr on the trade deadline: “We’re not in a position where we can say, ‘Nah, we’re good. Let’s stand pat.’ That’s the reality of where we are.”
Here’s Kerr on several deadline topics pic.twitter.com/kpjUjs8wD5
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 1, 2025
(Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
