Mike Dunleavy refutes claims of including Draymond Green in trade discussions.
LOS ANGELES — Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy refuted claims that Draymond Green was involved in active trade discussions ahead of this week’s deadline, despite the team’s interest in Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“I’d walk that back,” Dunleavy stated. “His name was not part of conversations except for instances where teams reached out to inquire about him. The notion that he remained with the Warriors past the deadline was significantly overstated. There was never a scenario where he would not be here or anything close to that. I’ve communicated that to him.”
In order to facilitate a trade for Antetokounmpo while matching salaries, the Warriors would have needed to include either Green or Jimmy Butler III in the transaction. Dunleavy was questioned on whether this implied he would have traded Butler for Antetokounmpo instead.
“You’re putting words in my mouth,” Dunleavy responded. “No, no, no. We’re not doing that. I’m not going to discuss the roster in terms of who is involved in trades and who is not. We don’t operate that way.”
Green released a podcast on Saturday morning discussing a call he had with Dunleavy a few days prior to the deadline, mentioning that Dunleavy informed him about their trade discussions with the Bucks, indicating that if Milwaukee were to agree, either Green or Butler would be included.
“He didn’t rule it out,” Green remarked. “He didn’t say we’re not including you in the deal. So I interpreted that as, ‘All right, that’ll probably be me.’
The Bucks did not express sufficient interest in the draft picks the Warriors proposed to proceed with an Antetokounmpo trade. The Warriors subsequently shifted their focus to acquiring Atlanta Hawks center Kristaps Porzingis, trading Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield in the process.
Porzingis brings a skill set that the Warriors currently lack. He stands at 7-foot-3 and serves as a rim protector while effectively stretching the floor with a high volume of accurate three-point shooting.
However, his availability remains a concern. Porzingis has participated in only 17 games this season due to recent Achilles tendinitis and the ongoing effects of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).
Porzingis arrived in Los Angeles on Friday night. He engaged in a court workout on Saturday afternoon and had a discussion with Rick Celebrini, the team’s head medical decision maker, stating that he has already “clicked” with the medical staff.
“I’m in really, really good hands,” Porzingis noted. “If not some of the best hands.”
Celebrini and the Warriors have opted to keep Porzingis out of the final three games before the All-Star break, allowing him to remain in San Francisco for court work through next weekend, with plans for him to make his debut after the break.
The Warriors will face Porzingis’ former team, the Boston Celtics, on Feb. 19 in their first game following the break. Porzingis expressed his intention and goal to debut that evening.
“48 straight [minutes],” Porzingis joked. “But we’ll see what the medical staff has for me. I want to hit the ground running.”
Porzingis averaged 17.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in his 17 games with the Hawks this season, shooting 36% from beyond the arc.
“I look forward to really having a surprisingly good post-All-Star break period,” Porzingis stated.
