Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. acknowledged that acquiring Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo would have come at a steep cost.
Speaking with Tim Kawakami on The TK Show podcast, Dunleavy said the Warriors likely would have had to surrender multiple future first-round picks and swaps if Milwaukee had been open to a deal at last month’s trade deadline. That type of move, he suggested, comes with risk.
Dunleavy pointed to the team’s current injury situation as an example.
“I think going back to the Jimmy (Butler) trade last year, that’s why we loved the trade so much, because we’re getting a great player and we’re only giving up that year’s pick,” Dunleavy said. “There’s nothing out in the future. … I think we’re always being disciplined about using those picks.”
Golden State has been hit hard by injuries recently. Butler is out with a torn ACL, Kristaps Porzingis has been sidelined by illness, and leading scorer Stephen Curry has not played since Jan. 30 because of a knee issue.
Asked whether Curry could potentially be shut down for the rest of the season, Dunleavy said that outcome would be unexpected.
“I’m not a doctor and things can go a certain way,” he said. “But just because he’s not playing right now, I just have to acknowledge that, yeah, there’s a chance. But we don’t expect that.”
Dunleavy also told Kawakami he anticipates Steve Kerr remaining head coach next season and said the Warriors believed it was the right time to move on from Jonathan Kuminga after the forward requested a trade.
As for the Porzingis deal, Dunleavy said the team felt comfortable with the medical information available at the time.
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