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Two large pieces of NBA trade business were conducted over the weekend, involving five teams and four marquee names — Luka Dončić, Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine — changing locations. The Golden State Warriors, perhaps the team most in need of a significant addition, sat it out.
Dončić and Davis were never available to them. Fox was always being directed to San Antonio. LaVine is the only of the four that was on their realistic radar and, to some in the organization, a preferred target over Jimmy Butler. But those that pull the ultimate levers at the top (Mike Dunleavy, Joe Lacob, Kirk Lacob) opted to let the sped-up LaVine option pass in pursuit of loftier ambitions.
Not long after, ESPN’s plugged-in Brian Windhorst reported that “Butler has communicated to the Warriors that he’s unwilling to sign an extension there and therefore trade talks to send him to Golden State have ended for now.”
The “for now” aspect of that report was pinpointed by team and league sources. There are still three days until the trade deadline, an eternity in this transaction window. The Warriors believe they are still firmly in the mix for Butler or another of the league’s star dominos that could topple as part of the Butler transaction or once it is resolved, team sources said.
Butler has long preferred Phoenix as his next destination, league sources confirmed, in part because of an awaiting extension offer that is longer and more lucrative than one the Warriors would be willing to make — if they even offer one at all. Miami’s unwillingness to give Butler a big extension is at the heart of the dispute that led to his availability. But the Phoenix Suns have been stuck because of Bradley Beal’s onerous contract and attached no-trade clause. If they can’t find Beal a new home prior to Thursday afternoon, they’ll be unable to add Butler while keeping Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, their ultimate goal.
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An inability to acquire Butler has many in the league speculating about Durant’s future in Phoenix. He hasn’t signed a contract extension beyond next season, giving him an extra level of control about his future.
That’s what made Friday night’s courtside scene in Chase Center notable.
Golden State owner Joe Lacob sits in the first row across from the Warriors’ bench and often hosts guests in the two seats next to him. Against the Suns, he had Rich Kleiman — Durant’s long-time agent and business partner — planted directly to his left. The two were seen conversing during the game and were spotted together at halftime and postgame in the Bridge Club, an exclusive lounge in the underbelly of the arena between the home and visiting locker rooms.
Kleiman and the Warriors’ decision-makers have a long history, dating back to Durant’s famous free agency process in the Hamptons back in the summer of 2016. Former general manager Bob Myers was a central figure in locking that deal down. Myers happened to be announcing Friday night’s Warriors-Suns game on ESPN and was spotted entering the Bridge Club postgame.
The Warriors, league sources said, have inquired about Durant’s availability, as Jake Fischer reported on Monday morning. But it’s unclear how open Durant would be to a Warriors reunion and whether the Suns, if backed into a corner, would even be willing to pull the trigger on a Durant move during this transaction cycle.
Much of this will be tied to Butler’s future, Miami’s motives, Beal’s burdensome contract and Durant’s reaction to it all. If the Warriors want to land a big fish in the next few days to pair with Stephen Curry, it appears their best leverage is patience and the looming Feb. 6 deadline. That, of course, comes with risk — the Suns could theoretically find a Beal suitor — and potential missed opportunities, like LaVine.
But Dunleavy laid out the team’s motives in his preseason press conference back in October, after he declined to unload the asset cupboard for Utah’s Lauri Markkanen because he felt it would’ve only made sense had the Warriors also added Paul George, who signed with the 76ers instead.
“There’s no point in going all-in to be slightly above average,” Dunleavy said.
The Warriors have maintained a willingness to take their star-hunting to the summer, if necessary, but Curry’s basketball clock is ticking (he turns 37 next month) and All-Stars are flying around the trade market at a greater rate than expected this week.
(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images))
