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PHOENIX — On Wednesday night, Warriors players scrolled on their phones, searching for a sense of certainty. They found out that three of their teammates were traded ahead of the next afternoon’s deadline.
They held a morning shootaround Thursday that Steve Kerr described as having a vibe of “sadness.” Gary Payton II said it best: there’s only one player in the organization who knew he was safe. Draymond Green, the four-time champion, didn’t know if his life would be uprooted until the clock struck 1 p.m.
This is a team that has been emotionally drained for weeks, since Jimmy Butler tore his ACL on Jan. 19. When the deadline dust settled, three key locker room presences were gone. Buddy Hield, one of the most treasured teammates in recent Warriors memory, and Jonathan Kuminga, who had skeptics within the organization but no enemies within the locker room, became Atlanta Hawks. Trayce Jackson-Davis, an affable, cordial everyman, joined the Toronto Raptors.
“It’s been a weird 24 hours,” Green said. “Everybody just kind of sitting on edge.”
After the departures, the Warriors had to play a game. A matchup with the Suns, at least for the remaining Warriors, was a relief.
Then, rejoice. The Warriors took 55 3-pointers, erased a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit, and closed on a 10-0 run to cap a thrilling 101-97 road victory. On the game-sealing possession, De’Anthony Melton stood up Dillon Brooks defensively, Gary Payton II snared a rebound in traffic, Al Horford saved the ball from going out of bounds, Moses Moody leapt for the loose ball, and Melton leaked out for the breakaway. An inactive Steph Curry led the bench brigade in storming the court, and a raucous celebration extended into the locker room.
“Felt like we won the championship,” Kerr said. “We needed that.”
Relief. Rejoice.
At the postgame podium, some rebellion. Green is still a Warrior, and he doesn’t want to hear about pundits writing them off.
“Who?” Green said. “The people that don’t be knowing what the hell they’re talking about? Yes. Those are the same people that said we’d never win because we shot too many jump shots and I was too small and everyone else was too small. Those same people? C’mon man. I’m going to keep it PG. Not going to say nothing wild today.”
Just hours before, Green was worried he could be traded. Kuminga and Hield netted Kristaps Porzingis. Jackson-Davis brought back a second-round pick. The Warriors aggressively pursued Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, putting Green on the table.
“It got nerve-wracking toward the end,” Green said. “It is what it is. Move forward. It’s not something I want to get used to, though.”
2 days ago
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Tuesday, Jan. 27
Those relatively minor moves have a major impact on the locker room. Players reflected on the human aspect of going through an uneasy deadline like the Warriors just did. It’s never a fun time of the season, they admitted.
Hield was Curry’s locker neighbor. He taught Kerr what the word “blicky” means, and was the rare personality who could both give and take a joke from Butler.
“I don’t think anybody will be able to fill his shoes from a personality standpoint,” guard Pat Spencer told The Standard. “He just brings a light and an energy every day. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him have a bad day. I think everybody in here’s going to miss that, for sure.”
Kuminga, the former seventh overall pick, remained well-liked in the locker room until the very end. It says a lot about his character that despite years of on-court strife and extracurricular drama, his teammates never switched up on him.
His relationship with Kerr was a question from the outside, as their basketball philosophies so clearly clashed. But they never had anything against each other personally.
“I really hope JK finds his way, whether it’s in Atlanta or wherever else,” Kerr said. “I really want to see him succeed, and I’m sorry it didn’t happen here. We all take ownership of that. Definitely things I could’ve done better.”
Jackson-Davis was Payton’s poker partner. Anyone could saunter over to his locker to chop it up. You’d be hard-pressed to find a negative word he ever said, even as his playing time diminished after his rookie season. He, Spencer, two-way players and others out of Kerr’s rotation spent hours and hours competing in the “dungeon,” Golden State’s basement practice facility.
Suddenly, they had to pack their bags. There were new jersey colors, new area codes, new coaches, new digs awaiting them.
“It’s one of the weirdest things about this profession is that you become really close with someone, and you’re with them everyday, literally, all day,” Kerr said. “Maybe for a season, maybe for two or three years, maybe for longer, and then all of the sudden it’s just [over].”
The roster turnover was a similar situation to last season, when the Warriors shipped out beloved champion Andrew Wiggins. Only then, Golden State was getting Butler, a six-time All-Star. Now, they’re adding Porzingis, who has played just 17 games this season. Butler gave them a swagger, a hope, last deadline. Now he’s injured, and genuine playoff contention is lost.
Just don’t tell Green.
“Try to give ourselves a shot at a playoff spot,” Green said when asked about his expectations for the rest of the season.
“If you can give yourself a shot at it, we know how to do it. I think that’s a skill that probably 97% of the NBA does not have. They don’t know how to do it. We actually know how. So we just want to give ourselves a shot at it. We gave ourselves a shot at it last year, Steph doesn’t go down, who knows what happens?”
Gui Santos scored 18 points and dished out seven assists against Phoenix. | Source: Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
The odds are stacked against them. But there are ways to win after being dealt a poor hand.
Against Phoenix, the Warriors jacked up 3-pointer after 3-pointer; 20 of their first 23 field goal attempts came from distance. They attempted 37 3s in the first half, an NBA record. Tilting the math in their direction is a necessity now, as their best athletes in Butler and Kuminga are out of the equation.
They played extremely hard defensively, jumping passing lanes, swarming ball-handlers, and matching Brooks’ patented physicality. Gui Santos flashed improved off-the-bounce creation, dishing out a career-high seven assists. Spencer nailed five 3-pointers, chirping after each one. Melton ran the show; the Warriors won his minutes by 21 points. Horford punished smaller mismatches in the post like his former Boston teammate, Porzingis, does so efficiently.
Horford said he’d texted with Porzingis, who’s excited to join the group in Los Angeles (he isn’t expected to debut on Saturday against the Lakers, though). The veteran center is the ideal frontcourt pairing for Green, as someone who can protect the rim and space out deep behind the 3-point arc offensively.
The postgame scene in the locker room couldn’t have been more different than the ominous mood at 11 a.m. shootaround in the same arena. Neither involved Kuminga, Jackson-Davis, or Hield. A huge win was nice for the group, but it didn’t change that.
“You saw the emotion there at the end,” Horford said. “Steph, Draymond, everybody. Like, it was a lot…It’s a really big win for our group. I know it’s the regular season, but for everything that just went down, and for us, obviously, losing some of our guys that have been here – JK, Buddy, and Trayce — and be able to come out and get this win, it’s special for us.”