Community Shootaround: Next Steps For Warriors
Monday’s victory over Miami should have represented a new high point for the 2025/26 Warriors, who registered their fourth consecutive win and moved to six games above .500 (25-19) for the first time this season.
Instead, they’re facing an uncertain second half without star wing Jimmy Butler, who suffered a torn right ACL that will bring his season to an early end and limit the short-term ceiling of this Golden State team.
Even before Butler’s injury, there were questions about the Warriors’ ability to legitimately contend for a title this season. They’ve hovered around .500 for most of the season, and despite their recent hot streak, they still rank just eighth in the West.
Still, if the club had stayed healthy and been able to turn trade candidate Jonathan Kuminga (and maybe a draft pick or two) into another quality rotation player, it wasn’t hard to envision the Warriors securing a playoff spot and becoming a tough out in the postseason. That’s a more difficult outcome to imagine with Butler sidelined the rest of the way.
With 16 days left until February 5, the Warriors will now have to reevaluate their approach to this season’s trade deadline. Kuminga is at the center of those plans. A deal involving the former No. 7 overall pick had long seemed like a foregone conclusion, even before he demanded a change of scenery upon becoming trade-eligible last week.
But with Butler out, could there be a pathway to Kuminga reentering the rotation? The fifth-year forward has been held out of 16 games in a row and has played fewer than 10 total minutes since December 6, but head coach Steve Kerr said on Monday that he’d “absolutely” consider using Kuminga going forward.
According to Nick Friedell of The Athletic, Kuminga declined comment when approached after Monday’s game, but when Kerr was asked if the 23-year-old would be ready to play, the Warriors’ coach simply replied, “Yeah.”
Appearing on SportsCenter (Twitter video link), ESPN’s Shams Charania acknowledged the possibility of Kuminga rejoining the rotation, but cited sources who say the relationship between the forward and Kerr is “fractured beyond repair.” Noting that the Kings are still interested in Kuminga after pursuing him as a restricted free agent over the summer, Charania wonders if the Warriors will instead try to use Kuminga as a trade chip to acquire a replacement for Butler, such as Sacramento’s DeMar DeRozan.
While some teams would transition from buyers to sellers after losing a maximum-salary star to a season-ending injury, that would probably be a last resort in Golden State. The Warriors want to do all they can to make the most of the time they have left with Stephen Curry, who will turn 38 in March.
Besides Kuminga, the Warriors could make players like Buddy Hield ($9.2MM cap hit) and Moses Moody ($11.6MM) available in trade talks, and they have the ability to trade multiple first-round picks and/or swaps — only their 2030 pick is partially constricted (it’ll be sent to Washington if it falls outside of the top 20).
Still, Golden State is currently operating within $300K of its second-apron hard cap and will have limited financial flexibility in trade discussions. Additionally, Butler’s contract ($54.1MM this season; $56.8MM in 2026/27) will be problematic — he won’t have any value on the trade market following his ACL tear, but building a roster capable of winning playoff series will be extremely difficult as long as his contract remains on the books and he remains off the court.
We want to know what you think. What’s next for the Warriors after Butler’s injury? Will we see Kuminga on the floor as a Warrior again? What should Golden State do at the trade deadline?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts and predictions!
Pacific Notes: LeBron, Ayton, Melton, Green, Kings
For the first time in 22 seasons, Lakers superstar LeBron James was not named an All-Star starter, observes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
The news isn’t surprising, given James missed the first 14 games of 2025/26 due to sciatica and understandably had to work his way into shape and form when he did return, having missed training camp and the preseason with the injury. But it’s still noteworthy, given that the 41-year-old has made the All-Star game a record 21 times — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is second with 19 appearances.
As Bontemps writes, the league’s coaches will have to select James as a reserve in order for him to extend the record streak, which dates back to 2005. To this point in his career, the only season when James didn’t make the All-Star game (or an All-NBA team, for that matter) was in 2003/04, when he won Rookie of the Year.
While James has played much better lately and has put up impressive statistics (22.6 points, 6.9 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals on .509/.328/.757 shooting), especially considering he’s the NBA’s oldest player, it seems fairly unlikely that the 6’9″ forward will be selected. He has missed 17 of Los Angeles’ 41 games, and there are lots of other worthy candidates in a stacked Western Conference.
Here’s more from the Pacific:
- Lakers center Deandre Ayton missed Saturday’s loss to Portland due to left knee soreness but he returned to action on Sunday and had a huge night in the victory over Toronto, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The former No. 1 overall pick recorded 25 points (on 10-of-10 shooting) 13 rebounds and no turnovers, becoming the first player in team history (since individual turnovers became an official statistic in 1977/78) to score 25-plus points on 100% shooting with zero turnovers, per ESPN Research. Ayton also became the third Laker to make 10-plus field goal attempts without missing a shot while grabbing at least 10 rebounds, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Mitch Kupchak, McMenamin adds.
- Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton will miss Monday’s game against Miami, which is the front end of a back-to-back, tweets ESPN’s Anthony Slater. While it’s a small sample size (373 minutes), Golden State has outscored its opponents by a staggering +19.6 points per 100 possessions when Melton is playing, compared to a -0.7 net rating in the 1701 minutes the 27-year-old has been off the court. Melton missed most of last season as well as the start of ’25/26 due to a torn ACL in his left knee. Forward/center Draymond Green will also miss Monday’s game after being downgraded to questionable and then out because of a right ankle sprain, notes Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (Twitter link).
- Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee lists some surprising statistics from the Kings‘ four-game winning streak, which was snapped with Sunday’s loss to Portland.
Antetokounmpo, Curry Head List Of All-Star Starters
The NBA’s 2026 All-Star starters have been set, the league announced today (Twitter links). Here are the 10 players who earned those spots:
Eastern Conference
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
- Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
Western Conference
- Stephen Curry (Warriors)
- Luka Doncic (Lakers)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
This season’s All-Star Game will have a U.S. vs. World format. The round-robin event is scheduled to be played Sunday, Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. ET at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. Two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players (the World team) will compete in a tournament featuring four 12-minute games. The three teams will each have a minimum of eight players.
How the teams will be divvied up is yet to be determined.
Two-time MVP Antetokounmpo has been selected as a starter for the 10th consecutive season. 2024 Finals MVP Brown will be making his fifth All-Star appearance, while Brunson will be making his third consecutive appearance.
This marks Cunningham’s second NBA All-Star selection and first as a starter. Cunningham is the first Pistons player to be named an Eastern Conference starter in the All-Star Game since Allen Iverson in 2009. It will also be Maxey’s second All-Star appearance and first as a starter.
This will be Curry’s 12th All-Star Game and 11th as a starter. Doncic will be making his sixth All-Star appearance.
This marks the fourth career All-Star appearance for reigning NBA MVP and Finals MVP Gilgeous-Alexander and his third consecutive season as an All-Star starter. Three-time MVP Jokic has been named an All-Star for the eighth consecutive year. Wembanyama is the first Spurs player to be named an All-Star starter since Kawhi Leonard in 2017.
Fans accounted for 50% of the vote to determine the starters, while players and media accounted for 25% each. Wembanyama won a tiebreaker with the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards for a starting spot. The full voting results can be found through this NBA.com link.
Teams Holding Onto Assets For Potential Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bucks officials have both attempted to quash speculation about a potential trade over the past two weeks, but teams around the league continue to closely monitor the situation, according to two prominent NBA observers.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during a recent appearance on NBA Countdown (YouTube link) that numerous deals are on hold because rival teams aren’t convinced that Antetokounmpo won’t be moved by the February 5 trade deadline. General managers are reluctant to part with assets that could be useful if the two-time MVP were suddenly to become available over the next two-and-a-half weeks.
“The biggest question in the NBA right now is are the Bucks really going to stand for this and is Giannis really going to stand for this,” Windhorst said. “And I know what Giannis has said on the record and I know that the Bucks have been out there trying to buy, but I’m telling you when I talk to people in the league, they’re still holding, waiting to see. … There are deals that are on hold … because teams still aren’t 100% sure whether Giannis is going to be on the team the rest of the year, and these last few games have made them even stutter some more.”
NBA insider Zach Lowe identifies the Hawks, Warriors, Lakers, Heat and Knicks as teams that are “considering holding onto their assets for a potential pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo now or in the summer” (Twitter video link). Lowe notes that Antetokounmpo, who’s signed through next season and holds a $62.8MM player option for 2027/28, will become eligible for an extension in October.
“If he doesn’t take that extension, that’s the same things as basically demanding a trade,” Lowe said. “… Right now, the Bucks are only 5-5 since he came back from injury. They are getting shellacked every second that he’s off the floor on the bench resting. They’re still in 11th in the East, and the time to convince him that this group can actually do anything serious might be now.”
Lowe suggests the Bucks should target Grizzlies guard Ja Morant in their search for immediate help. Morant, who had 24 points and 13 assists on Sunday as he returned from a right calf injury, has been among the most prominent names on the trade market, but he said after the game that he’s a “loyal guy” and prefers to stay in Memphis.
“The whole league is watching,” Lowe added. “If they slide any further down the standings, if they can’t even get up to 10th or ninth in the East, does Giannis push the button now instead of waiting until the summer? It’s the biggest story in the NBA potentially.”
Milwaukee is coming off a miserable week, dropping three straight games, including an 18-point loss to San Antonio and a 33-point loss to Minnesota. At 17-24, the team is still only 1.5 games behind 10th-place Atlanta for the East’s final play-in spot and 2.5 games in back of ninth-place Chicago.
The Bucks have sent out strong indications that they’ll approach the trade deadline as buyers in hopes of making a late-season run. But they have limited trade assets available and are reportedly reluctant to part with their lone tradable first-round pick (in either 2031 or 2032).
Even if Milwaukee manages to earn a playoff spot, there’s no guarantee that will satisfy Antetokounmpo, who has stated repeatedly that he wants to win another championship before he retires. Regardless of the Bucks’ official position, teams are preparing for the possibility that a trade might happen by the deadline.
Warriors Notes: Hield, Butler, Richard, Kerr, More
Veteran guard/forward Buddy Hield capitalized in his unexpected return to the Warriors‘ rotation during Saturday’s win vs. Charlotte, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. Hield, one of the most prolific three-point shooters in NBA history, has struggled from long distance in a limited role this season, converting just 32.7% of his outside attempts.
Hield got an opportunity to play Saturday because Jimmy Butler was a (very) late scratch because of personal reasons. The 33-year-old finished with 14 points (on 5-of-8 shooting), three rebounds, three blocks and two steals in 18 minutes.
“It was great. He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever seen,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “Just the way he conducts himself. His energy, his joy — whether he’s playing or not — it’s just the light that he brings to the locker room every day is infectious and powerful. He’s just an incredible guy to coach. I was happy for him that he had that night given that he’s been out of the loop for a while.”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Butler was announced as a starter during pregame player introductions, so the crowd at Chase Center was confused when rookie Will Richard — not Butler — was part of the starting lineup, Johnson notes. General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. told Kerr that everything was OK with Butler, according to Johnson (Twitter link).
- Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area shares his takeaways from Saturday’s victory, which featured solid performances from Richard (11 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals), De’Anthony Melton (24 points, six rebounds, three assists) and Brandin Podziemski (16 points, seven assists, six rebounds, two steals), among others.
- Kerr said prior to Saturday’s game that he doesn’t think another team will be able to break Golden State’s regular season record of 73 wins, which came back in ’15/16, as Nick Friedell of The Athletic relays. “I remember at the time I thought, ‘No way,’” Kerr said. “And then, about a month ago, I thought it would be broken. And now, I don’t think there’s any way anybody’s gonna break it again. It’s such a difficult thing, but Oklahoma City looked like they were on their way to doing it. But the reason it’s so hard is just you have to have good health — you have to have some luck. And most teams probably aren’t going to push themselves that hard to get there. It’s so difficult. My guess is it won’t be broken.”
Western Notes: Sabonis, Kuminga, Gobert, Pelicans
Domantas Sabonis made a solid return to action on Friday, as the Kings big man posted 13 points, six rebounds and five assists while coming off the bench in a win over Washington. Sabonis missed 27 games due to a partially torn meniscus in his left knee.
“His energy was good,” Kings coach Doug Christie said, per Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “He ran the floor well. He looked really good. I thought he got a little gassed in my opinion at one point, but fantastic.”
Sabonis was relieved to get back in action.
“I’m just happy I was able to play,” Sabonis said. “You really miss it when you’re gone for so long.”
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr admits the Jonathan Kuminga trade demand is a difficult situation for all parties involved, Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. “There’s not a whole lot I can say about the other stuff,” Kerr said. “It is what it is. Difficult situation for everybody. Part of this league, part of this job. We just keep moving forward. But it’s a tough situation and I don’t really have much to add.” Kuminga was in attendance for a rare home shootaround at Chase Center before the Warriors played the Knicks. Once reporters were allowed in, Kuminga sprinted off the court without comment.
- Rudy Gobert had a nightmarish outing on Friday and he took the blame for the Timberwolves‘ loss to the Rockets. The veteran center made just two of 10 free throws, committed two crucial turnovers and made some uncharacteristic defensive mistakes in the late going, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic notes. “Just a lot of plays, man. Mistakes. Free throws. A lot of things that I can control,” Gobert said. “I definitely cost us the game. I take responsibility for that. I’ve got to be better.”
- The Pelicans lost the battle of conference cellar-dwellers on Friday, falling to Indiana. The Pacers racked up 127 points, their third-highest total this season. “The biggest thing is they had 20 more shots on goal,” Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “We did enough offensively, even though I don’t think the second half was great offensively. But we just didn’t get enough stops.”
Santos Out At Least Saturday Due To Left Ankle Sprain
- Warriors forward Gui Santos will be sidelined for Saturday’s game against Charlotte after spraining his left ankle in the first quarter of Thursday’s win over New York, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. It’s possible Santos, who has been a rotation regular of late, could miss additional time as well. “It’s a big loss,” head coach Steve Kerr said after Friday’s practice. “The energy, the offensive rebounding but also the size. When we go to him and Gary [Payton II] we’re generally playing him at the four next to Draymond [Green] at the five. He’s a rebounder, especially on the offensive side, and a great screener. But the size that he brings will be missed.”
Trade Rumors: MPJ, Kuminga, Raptors, Rockets, Clippers
Recent reporting from ESPN and The Athletic indicated that the Warriors haven’t engaged in any substantive talks with the Nets about Michael Porter Jr. Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area also hears Golden State has been “hesitant” to pursue Porter and suggests the team’s interest in the veteran forward has been overstated.
According to Johnson, if the Warriors do make a run at Porter, it would likely require a third team, as the Nets aren’t interested in Jonathan Kuminga.
However, Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com has heard differently, citing sources who say the Warriors are not only interested in Porter but have “something brewing” in regard to the 27-year-old ahead of the February 5 trade deadline. As Afseth writes, Porter is having a career year in Brooklyn and scouts think he could help just about any team.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Both Johnson and Afseth confirm the Lakers are a team to watch for Kuminga, who demanded a trade on Thursday, the first day he was eligible to be moved. President of basketball operations Rob Pelinka likes Kuminga’s game, sources tell Johnson, and the Lakers think the 23-year-old would provide athleticism on the wing alongside Luka Doncic. Still, it’s unclear if the two Pacific Division rivals would make an in-season trade, Johnson notes.
- Although the Raptors have been described as a buyer heading into the deadline, Afseth’s sources refer to Toronto’s approach as being “opportunistic” in search of potential buy-low opportunities. That may be why the team has been linked to stars like Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis and Ja Morant, all of whom have dealt with significant health issues this season.
- Houston’s front office isn’t overreacting to the Rockets‘ recent struggles, writes Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. Team sources tell Iko the Rockets have discussed trade concepts with approximately half the teams in the league, but no deals are imminent and they aren’t aggressively searching for upgrades. Opposing teams have checked in on the availability of Tari Eason, Clint Capela and Dorian Finney-Smith, Iko adds.
- There was speculation that the Clippers might be a seller after a miserable start to the season, but now they’re considered a possible buyer after reeling off 11 wins in their past 13 games, per Afseth, with John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic viewed as potential trade candidates. Collins is on an expiring $26.6MM contract, while Bogdanovic earns $16MM this season with an identical team option for 2026/27.
Scotto’s Latest: Clippers, Kings, AD, Hawks, Kuminga, Poeltl
The Kings and Clippers engaged in exploratory talks about a possible trade that would have sent forward DeMar DeRozan and guard Keon Ellis to Los Angeles in exchange for big man John Collins and another “small salary filler,” reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
However, those conversations occurred before the Clippers reeled off 11 wins in their past 13 games, according to Scotto. While that doesn’t necessarily mean the talks are dead, the implication seems to be that L.A. is far less likely at this point to shake up its roster in a major way.
After getting off to a 6-21 start, the Clippers are now 17-23, tied with Memphis for the 10th-best record in the Western Conference.
Here are a few more items of interest from Scotto:
- Given how limited Anthony Davis‘ value will be this winter as he recovers from a hand injury, several NBA executives who spoke to HoopsHype predicted that the Mavericks will hang onto him for the rest of the season unless Dallas is content to essentially salary-dump him. The Hawks, the team most frequently connected to Davis, aren’t operating with any urgency now that he’s hurt again, per Scotto.
- Exploring whether any new teams can be added to the list of potential suitors for Jonathan Kuminga, Scotto says the Heat and Wizards were previously thought to be in the mix, but Miami’s interested has diminished and Washington is unlikely to seriously pursue the Warriors forward. Scotto does confirm that the Trail Blazers are believed to have some interest in Kuminga, as Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports previously reported.
- In addition to doing so with Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, the Raptors have also been gauging Jakob Poeltl‘s value on the trade market, Scotto writes. Poeltl is dealing with back issues this season and is owed $103.5MM over the next four years after this one, so it’s probably safe to assume he wouldn’t be a hot commodity.
Warriors’ Vets Say Kuminga Situation Not A Distraction
It was an eventful Thursday in the Bay Area, where the day began with forward Jonathan Kuminga issuing a trade demand and wrapped up with a 126-113 victory over a New York team missing star point guard Jalen Brunson. After the win, head coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors‘ veteran stars made it clear that they don’t view the Kuminga situation as a distraction.
“Jonathan’s a great young guy,” Kerr said, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “His teammates like him. He’s handling himself well. There won’t be a distraction.”
“Everyone around here can confidently say it won’t be a distraction because he is not a distraction,” forward Draymond Green told reporters, including ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
Two-time MVP Stephen Curry and six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler each conveyed a similar sentiment. Curry indicated that he’s focused on winning games and that the Kuminga situation will “resolve itself one way or the other.” Butler said his teammates “love JK,” adding that won’t change if he’s traded. Asked whether he wants to see the Warriors grant Kuminga’s trade request, Butler shut down the line of questioning, suggesting it wasn’t his place to weigh in.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey,” Butler said, per Slater. “It ain’t got nothing to do with me. I want JK to be happy. At the end of the day, that’s what I want. Whatever brings him his joy and his happiness, that’s what I want.”
Kuminga, the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, appeared to be on the verge of a breakout when he averaged 16.1 points per game and shot 52.9% from the field in 74 games in 2023/24. However, he missed significant time due to an ankle injury in ’24/25 and was held out of the rotation in several key games at the end of the season and in the postseason.
After a protracted restricted free agency standoff that saw him re-sign with the Warriors on a two-year, $46.8MM deal that includes a second-year team option, Kuminga opened this season in the starting lineup and played well, earning kudos from Kerr. But when the fifth-year forward and Golden State began to struggle and he dealt with another injury (this one affecting his knee), Kuminga was removed from the starting five and then taken out of the rotation altogether.
Although the 23-year-old hasn’t played in 14 consecutive games (and 17 of the past 18), Kerr insisted on Thursday that his relationship with Kuminga isn’t acrimonious, as Friedell relays.
“Our relationship is fine,” Kerr said. “There’s not a whole lot I can say about the other stuff. Just is what it is, a difficult situation for everybody. Part of this league, part of the job. So we just keep moving forward, but tough situation. I don’t really have much to add.”
As we outlined on Thursday, the Kings remain very much in the mix for Kuminga, though they’re not willing to offer as strong a package as they did during the offseason. The Lakers and Mavericks are among the other teams rumored to have some level of interest. Golden State has until February 5 to make a deal, and if Kuminga does get moved, Green is optimistic about his teammate’s ability to “reach his full potential” with his new team.
“Wherever that is in this league, it’s not always how we envision it,” Green said, per Friedell. “I’ve been so lucky and fortunate to play in one place for 14 years. How rare is that though? The reality is it’s more likely that it happens the opposite way than the way it’s going for myself or Steph, Klay (Thompson). 13, 14 years in one spot, it just doesn’t happen.
“So for a guy like that who’s drafted (with) the seventh pick, you expect it all to go the way you want it to go, the way you think it should go. And sometimes it just doesn’t work out that way. But that doesn’t make him any worse of a player. That doesn’t make this any worse of an organization. Sometimes things just don’t work out.
“… But I know how talented he is, I know how good of a teammate he is, I know how good of a person he is. And usually when you have those three things going for you, it works out in the end. So I have zero doubt that no matter what happens with him, whether it’s here or anywhere else, it’s going to work out for him in the end because he works his tail off and he’s a great person and a great teammate. And things work for those guys.”