“I think with Dennis in the mix now we have a chance to really be a great defensive team again,” Kerr added. “Like we were early in the year. And if we can put it together, then we may not need to do anything (trade-wise). But we definitely need to take this next month and really see what we have.”
The Warriors won’t be in a hurry to make their next trade, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Speaking to reporters before tonight’s game, head coach Steve Kerr said he wants to take a month or so to evaluate the current roster before any big changes are considered.
“I’ve talked to [general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.] about that and I think that makes perfect sense,” Kerr said. “We’ve been up and down this year, but we like the group, we like the people we have and we really want to see how we play over the next month and then just keep our options open. Obviously, we’re a game above .500 [entering Saturday’s game], so we’re not in a position to say, ‘Hey, we’re good enough. Let’s just stand firm.’ We have to assess all the options. … [But] for me, it’s let’s see what we can do in these next few weeks and hopefully we settle into this rotation, start shooting the ball better.”
Golden State made a significant deal in mid-December by acquiring Dennis Schröder from Brooklyn. Dunleavy indicated at the time that the team will continue to look for ways to upgrade its roster, but Youngmisuk notes that he has said since training camp that it would take a major offer for him to part with Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski.
There’s more on the Warriors:
- Stephen Curry sat out Saturday’s game with Memphis due to tendinitis in his knees, Youngmisuk adds. Golden State also plays on Sunday, and Kerr said there are no plans for his star guard to skip one game of every back-to-back for the remainder of the season. “Not necessarily for the rest of the year but during this stretch where the knee tendinitis has been a factor,” Kerr said. “The training staff feels strongly that for right now it makes the most sense to not play him in back-to-backs. But that could change as we go.”
- Kuminga left tonight’s game with an ankle sprain that Kerr called “significant,” tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. He will undergo an MRI on Sunday to determine the extent of the damage, but Kerr said it won’t be a “day-to-day” injury. Kuminga landed awkwardly on his right foot late in the second quarter and seemed to roll his ankle before crashing to the court.
- Gary Payton II, who suffered a left calf strain last week, has been cleared to begin individual on-court workouts, the Warriors announced (via Twitter). He will be reevaluated again next week.
- Tuesday will be an important day for Gui Santos and Lindy Waters, who will find out if their contracts will be guaranteed for the rest of the season. Santos, who was in the same position last year, recently talked to Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle about staying ready to play even though he has only appeared in 10 NBA games this season. He has tried to make the most of his trips to the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. “I just do exactly what they ask me to do — play hard, play the right way, make the right plays every time,” Santos said. “I love when I go down there and get some reps and remember how to play basketball for real. That helped me when I came up here.”