SAN FRANCISCO -- With the trade deadline just more than a month away, coach Steve Kerr said he wants to see what this roster can do over the next month to assess what the Golden State Warriors have before making any potential move.
"I've talked to (general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr.) about that and I think that makes perfect sense," Kerr said before the Warriors played Memphis on Saturday. "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."
Kerr's comments come as trade rumors have been swirling around the franchise. ESPN's Shams Charania reported Thursday that Jimmy Butler indicated he wants to be traded and that Butler is open to trade destinations such as the Phoenix Suns, the Warriors, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets. The Heat suspended Butler for "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team."
After trading for Dennis Schroder in mid-December, Dunleavy said the organization will remain aggressive looking for trade possibilities to improve the team. But he has said since training camp that it would take a franchise-altering type of deal to part with many of the team's young assets like Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski.
The Warriors want to maximize the title-contending window for Stephen Curry and Draymond Green but also groom Kuminga, Podziemski and Moses Moody for their future. The Warriors also like the depth they have knowing they have to maintain Curry's and Green's health throughout the season. Curry sat out Saturday's game, the first of a home back-to-back, with tendinitis in his knees but Kerr said the franchise star won't sit out a game during every back-to-back.
"Not necessarily for the rest of the year but during this stretch where the knee tendonitis 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."
Kerr could also have a healthier roster soon. Gary Payton II, who has been out with a calf injury, has been cleared to resume on-court workouts and will be re-evaluated in a week. Podziemski remains out with abdominal tightness.
After starting the season off 12-3, the Warriors lost 12 of their next 15 games. However, the Warriors were playing better of late. They won two of three games entering Saturday against Memphis. They shot 60.9% in a 139-105 win over Philadelphia on Thursday. Kuminga has put together his best stretch of games with 20 or more points in three of the previous four games entering Saturday. And Schroder had his best offensive outing as a Warrior with 15 points and six assists in the win over Philadelphia.
"I think with Dennis in the mix now we have a chance to really be a great defensive team again," Kerr said. "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."
