Kerr doesn’t expect Dray’s return to impact Warriors’ trade strategy originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The upcoming reintegration of Draymond Green to the Warriors rotation will not shake up Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Co.’s strategy as the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline emerges.
The Warriors, who are in desperate need of a defensive revitalization, recently have been linked with Toronto Raptors All-Star Pascal Siakam and reportedly are “loath” to the idea of trading rising forward Jonathan Kuminga, with the 21-year-old being the topic of several Warriors trade rumors.
Steve Kerr, after being asked by reporters on Tuesday about how Green’s impending return could impact the Warriors’ trade deadline approach, signaled that he and Golden State’s front office have had plenty of time to assess the team’s needs.
“Yeah, we’ve had plenty of time to assess the team – this year and the last couple of years,” Kerr said. “I don’t think that is going to be an issue.”
Green, who officially was reinstated from his indefinite suspension on Jan. 6, joins a Golden State teams that is 12th in the Western Conference at 17-19, losing five of their last seven games.
Upon Green’s suspension, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. stated that the star forward’s disciplinary absence wouldn’t impact roster decisions made by the team.
Dunleavy then described how the Warriors’ performance through the stretch of games without Green would determine the franchise’s direction ahead of the trade deadline.
In Green’s 13-game absence, the Warriors failed to gain ground in the Western Conference, winning just seven of their 13 games played.
In addition to Kuminga, former NBA All-Star Andrew Wiggins also has been linked to recent trade rumors.
Wiggins, 28, is in the midst of a career-worst season, averaging 11.9 points and shooting just 29.7 percent from behind the arc.
With the reintroduction of four-time NBA champion Green, the questions around how Dunleavy and Kerr will approach the trade deadline will continue to pile up with pressure for the Warriors to win at a season-high.
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