{"id":170281,"date":"2026-02-09T11:46:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T11:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/170281\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T11:46:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T11:46:25","slug":"california-nba-contenders-at-crossroads-after-trade-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/170281\/","title":{"rendered":"California NBA contenders at crossroads after trade deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"

When the Los Angeles Lakers played the Golden State Warriors on Saturday without Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Steph Curry<\/a>, the most interesting drama happened off the court.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both teams\u2019 general managers\u00a0spoke to reporters before the Lakers\u2019 105\u201399 win. And with California\u2019s NBA darlings both on the verge of major change, a lot of eyebrow-raising things came out of those conversations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Where do we begin?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Golden State Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. talks to the media before the game against the Lakers on Feb 7. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

First of all, Warriors\u2019 GM Mike Dunleavy claimed Draymond Green wasn\u2019t involved in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>. \u201cDraymond was not being shopped or talked about in deals,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The problem?<\/p>\n

That assertion was contradicted by Green himself Saturday morning on his podcast, \u201cThe Draymond Green Show,\u201d when he said Dunleavy reached out to him before the trade deadline to say that he or Jimmy Butler would have to be included in a deal to match salaries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said Dunleavy reached out to him before the trade deadline to say that he or Jimmy Butler would have to be included in a deal to match salaries. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is said to me in that moment was there\u2019s a chance I may get traded for Giannis because\u00a0he didn\u2019t rule it out,\u201d Green said on his podcast. \u201cHe didn\u2019t say, \u2018We\u2019re not putting you in a deal.\u2019 So I took that as, all right, it\u2019ll probably be me.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, the Warriors not only missed out on acquiring Antetokounmpo \u2014 whom the Bucks decided not to trade despite Golden State opening up its treasure chest of first picks \u2014 but the organization is also trying to mop up the fallout that came out of those talks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other interesting things that came out of his availability? Dunleavy expressed optimism that Kristaps Porzingis \u2014 whom the Warriors acquired in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield \u2014 will be healthy even though he has only played in 17 games this season because of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and left Achilles tendonitis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

GM Rob Pelinka made it clear the Lakers are looking toward their future, when they\u2019ll have three first-round picks and a heap of expiring contracts this summer. Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel good about it,\u201d Dunleavy said, before adding, in\u00a0essence, that they had nothing to lose by taking that gamble. \u201cWe\u2019re sending out a player in a similar boat who struggled to stay on the floor.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

In other words, at least the Kuminga saga has finally come to an end.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dunleavy also made it clear that the Warriors are still open to putting everything on the line this summer to\u00a0give Steph Curry another chance at winning a title,\u00a0calling this a \u201cwin-now\u201d window.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As for this current roster? Dunleavy didn\u2019t pull any punches.<\/p>\n

LA\u2019s LeBron James is doing things on the court previously considered undoable for a 41-year-old. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pointed out to me today that over [the] last calendar year, we had the fourth-best record in the NBA from when Jimmy got traded to when Jimmy got hurt,\u201d Dunleavy said, referencing Butler suffering a torn\u00a0ACL last month<\/a>. \u201cDespite the idea that we\u2019re not in the mix, we\u2019re fading, all of this stuff, the reality is up until Jimmy got hurt, we were pretty good. And I think we were trending in the right direction. Now we\u2019ve had to pivot a little bit. I think adding Kristaps can help. But this group is kinda what it is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not a shining endorsement of the Warriors\u2019 roster. But if Porzingis can get and stay healthy, Golden State could make the playoffs. And if Butler weren\u2019t injured, they could\u2019ve really competed. But for now, the\u00a0Warriors will look ahead, when they\u2019ll once again try to use their stash of draft capital to make a big splash.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got the goods to make deals,\u2019 Dunleavy said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dunleavy said the Warriors are putting everything on the line to\u00a0give Steph Curry another chance at winning a title.\u00a0 Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

On the other side of\u00a0Crypto.com<\/a>\u00a0Arena, Lakers\u2019 president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka also spoke to reporters following the trade deadline. He addressed whether the Lakers were aggressive enough in pursuing deals, considering they have 26-year-old Luka Don\u010di\u0107 playing at an MVP-level, Austin Reaves looking like an All-Star, and LeBron James doing things at 41 years old<\/a> that were previously considered undoable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pelinka, whose only move before Thursday\u2019s deadline was to deal Gabe Vincent and a second-round pick for Luke Kennard, made it clear the Lakers are looking toward their future, when they\u2019ll have three first-round picks and a heap of expiring contracts this summer.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOne form of being aggressive is saying no to moves,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pelinka also revealed that the Lakers intend to restructure their front office, emulating back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In other words, change is going to come. A lot of change. For him, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Mark [Walter] bought the team, Jeanie [Buss] and I did a really deep dive with him on sort of the areas he wants to grow and move into and get aggressive,\u201d he acknowledged.<\/p>\n

Both organizations are at a turning point.<\/p>\n

The Lakers are trying to build around Don\u010di\u0107 while he\u2019s in his prime. And the Warriors are trying to stay relevant while 37-year-old Curry still looks like Curry. Neither team is a true contender this season.\u00a0
But both teams believe this summer, they can make the tweaks necessary to put their teams atop the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, while the basketball was fun Saturday (six Lakers players scored in double-digits, led by James\u2019 20-point, 10-assist and seven-rebound performance), the real intriguing stuff happened behind the scenes.\u00a0
We got a glimpse into how the two of the most important franchises in the league are thinking.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s clear that this summer is going to be\u00a0monumental.<\/p>\n

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