How Warriors will approach trade deadline after strong start, Melton news originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
With Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton set to undergo season-ending ACL surgery, Golden State faces uncertainty as he appears to take advantage of a scorching start to the 2024-25 NBA season.
But Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy has faith that a “next man up” mentality will keep the 10-3 team going after several key additions in the offseason, although he didn’t appear to rule out a possible move when The NBA trade deadline of February 5 is approaching. approaches.
“I think our thing with Steph (Curry) and Draymond (Green) is that we always look to surround them with the right players, and we want to get the best and most talented players to do it,” Dunleavy told Bonta Hill. , Festus Ezeli and Chris Mullin during “Warriors Pregame Live” on Wednesday. “You’re going to consider all the different options. You’re going to call up teams, you’re going to pursue these players, but you’re not always going to be able to acquire them through trade, so you have to look at other avenues.
“And I think we feel very good about the team that we built through free agency, and then really from internal growth. You talk about the growth of our young players. You talk about some of our middle-aged veterans, the (Andrew) Wiggins, the (Kevon) Looneys, the (Gary) Paytons…those guys are back and playing as well as ever.
“That’s how you get to the point of starting 10-3 and feeling good about your team, and we’ll see where it goes from here, but I think the plan is working. And maybe we still have some work to do.”
Although the Warriors lost notable players such as Lauri Markkanen and Paul George This offseason, Dunleavy was able to acquire pieces in free agency that have helped Golden State jump out of the gates with a winning record and the current first place in the Western Conference.
And while Melton was one of those key additions, especially after securing a spot in coach Steve Kerr’s starting rotation, Dunleavy is confident the Warriors’ other offseason acquisitions will continue to produce in his “unfortunate” absence.
“I think (Melton) was starting to fit in really well, and (that) is a big reason why we pursued him this summer because of the way we felt he could play offensively and defensively, so it’s a big loss for us. “Dunleavy said. “But like you said, we have good depth and the next man up will step up, and we’ll go from there.”
Melton had secured a spot in coach Steve Kerr’s starting rotation before suffering a sprained left ACL on Nov. 12, something the Warriors announced Wednesday. will need season-ending surgery. Now, other additions like Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and Lindy Waters, as well as the rest of Golden State, will have to step up.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk podcast
This embedded content is not available in your region.