{"id":121343,"date":"2025-01-31T23:09:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T04:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=121343"},"modified":"2025-01-31T23:16:03","modified_gmt":"2025-02-01T04:16:03","slug":"warriors-steve-kerr-stay-pat-trade-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/31\/warriors-steve-kerr-stay-pat-trade-deadline\/","title":{"rendered":"Steve Kerr Knows Warriors Can&#8217;t &#8216;Stand Pat&#8217; At Trade Deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Golden State Warriors are under construction.<\/p>\n<p>Or, at least, they should be. With the trade deadline&#8217;s clock winding down, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr admits that his team is &#8220;not in a position to say &#8216;let&#8217;s stand pat&#8217;,&#8221; per ESPN&#8217;s Ohm Youngmisuk. He does believe that his current roster is good enough to be a playoff team and won&#8217;t ring the alarm if Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. doesn&#8217;t make a move before Feb. 6. Nevertheless, the basketball lifer could hardly have been any more clear about what he wants to see their front office do.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Steve Kerr says he thinks this roster has shown it can be a playoff team but it also can use more help. \u201cWe\u2019re not in a position to say let\u2019s stand pat.\u201d Kerr though says if the Warriors don\u2019t make a deal, he\u2019s happy with what he has.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NotoriousOHM\/status\/1885498130206253287?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>For Golden State the question isn&#8217;t whether they should make a trade but what trade they should make.<\/p>\n<h2>Steve Kerr Knows Warriors Can&#8217;t &#8216;Stand Pat&#8217; At Trade Deadline<\/h2>\n<p>The Warriors have been linked to several upper echelon players.<\/p>\n<p>To everyone&#8217;s surprise, they called the Los Angeles Lakers about league legend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a> ahead of last season&#8217;s trade deadline. In the offseason, James&#8217;s name was <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/04\/warriors-stephen-curry-open-lebron-james-team-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">still being mentioned<\/a> in connection to the Warriors, especially as he was thriving alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/curryst01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Curry<\/a> on Team USA.<\/p>\n<p>However, Golden State&#8217;s focus was more so on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/georgpa01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul George<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/butleji01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jimmy Butler<\/a>, who were embroiled in contract disputes. George resolved his situation by inking a massive deal with the Philadelphia 76ers but Jimmy Butler&#8217;s situation stayed the same. As a result, the Warriors were and perhaps still are regarded as a potential suitor for the disgruntled star.<\/p>\n<h3>Running With The Bulls<\/h3>\n<p>If the calculus on Butler has changed, it&#8217;s likely because his behavior <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/27\/jimmy-butler-making-harder-everybody-himself\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">has raised eyebrows<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h4>Zach LaVine<\/h4>\n<p>In fact, Chicago Bulls veteran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lavinza01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zach LaVine<\/a> &#8211;who has displayed more maturity and professionalism this season &#8212;<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/30\/warriors-zach-lavine-trade-interest\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">is regarded as a safer option<\/a>. With that being said, LaVine has always made more sense in terms of his fit on paper. He doesn&#8217;t definitely offer as much help as Butler defensively but is excellent from outside. With prolific three-point shooting a Warriors staple, there&#8217;s not much more they could ask for.<\/p>\n<p>The issue is that LaVine&#8217;s albatross contract would likely lead to the Warriors having to trade <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wiggian01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andrew Wiggins<\/a>. Not that Golden State is against the idea of moving the former No. 1 pick. The cost-benefit analysis just looks a little different when talking about trading him for LaVine instead of Butler. Though LaVine looks like a match for the Warriors offensively, they&#8217;ve been relying on Wiggins for defense as much as offense. Thus, they may consider it more feasible to move him for Butler, another two-end player.<\/p>\n<h4>Nikola Vucevic<\/h4>\n<p>If Golden State were to trade for anyone on the Bulls roster, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vucevni01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Vucevic<\/a> seems like <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/13\/lakers-warriors-nikola-vucevic-trade\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">the most likely candidate<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Not only does Vucevic make less than half of LaVine&#8217;s salary, he plays a role that the Warriors find particularly useful. At 6-foot-10, he&#8217;s shooting over 39 percent from three this season. As a spacing big, he <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/24\/warriors-rookie-quentin-post-bulls-nikola-vucevic-fit\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">could help them counter<\/a> the way that opposing teams are guarding Curry. In theory, he could also help clear the lane for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kuminjo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonathan Kuminga<\/a> when he returns, especially as teams are unlikely to guard him with smaller players.<\/p>\n<p>To this point, Golden State hasn&#8217;t been willing to meet the Bulls&#8217; demand for Vucevic; a first-round pick.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Bulls want a first-round pick for Nikola Vucevic, but the Warriors are only willing to surrender second-round picks, per <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheSteinLine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@TheSteinLine<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Bulls continue to seek a first-round pick in exchange for former All-Star center Nikola Vu\u010devi\u0107, league sources say. The Warriors have\u2026 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/f9ZuzGwIrA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/f9ZuzGwIrA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheDunkCentral\/status\/1883936866271195305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 27, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>However, given Kerr&#8217;s latest comments, they just might.<\/p>\n<h3>Alternative Trade Options<\/h3>\n<p>If the Warriors are going to trade a first-rounder for a big man, Indiana Pacers center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/turnemy01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Myles Turner<\/a> might be the better option. He&#8217;s more than five years younger, more reliable beyond the arc, and a better shot-blocker.<\/p>\n<p>If they&#8217;re set on holding onto their firsts, Utah Jazz forward-center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/collijo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Collins<\/a> is a stretch-big who&#8217;ll presumably have a lower price tag. Bulls forward-center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/smithja04.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Smith<\/a> and New York Knicks center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/achiupr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Precious Achiuwa<\/a> could fit the bill as well.<\/p>\n<div class=\"modal-image-setImageMetadata\">\n<p class=\"ng-binding\">\u00a9 Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Golden State Warriors are under construction. Or, at least, they should be. With the trade deadline&#8217;s clock winding down, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr admits that his team is &#8220;not in a position to say &#8216;let&#8217;s stand pat&#8217;,&#8221; per ESPN&#8217;s Ohm Youngmisuk. He does believe that his current roster is good enough to be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":121350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,1608,62,3,4721],"tags":[2524,142,998,38,637,4774,474,50,3148,528,457],"class_list":["post-121343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-warriors","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","category-trade-rumors","tag-jalen-smith","tag-jimmy-butler","tag-john-collins","tag-lebron-james","tag-myles-turner","tag-rumors","tag-nikola-vucevic","tag-paul-george","tag-precious-achiuwa","tag-steve-kerr","tag-zach-lavine"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121343"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121343\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121356,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121343\/revisions\/121356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}