The Golden State Warriors have to be considered one of the premier organizations in the NBA and that reputation seems to carry over to the front office.
The Athletic recently asked 36 NBA executives which team has the best front office in the NBA and the Warriors ranked 10th. Now, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. has a chance to increase that ranking depending on what he and Golden State do before the mid-season trade deadline.
Mike Dunleavy has to maximize championship window for Warriors
The article acknowledges the fact that Dunleavy was in the unenviable position of having to follow Bob Myers -- the executive in charge of all four of Golden State’s championships since 2015. Dunleavy knew that was a big legacy to live up to, but he has done a pretty solid job so far.
He proved the Warriors are serious about trying to maximize the last few years of Stephen Curry’s career by going out and making a trade for Jimmy Butler last season. That move led to the Warriors making it into the playoffs, and had it not been for Curry’s hamstring injury, maybe the Warriors could have made a deeper run than just the second-round.
Now, after an uneven start to this season, Dunleavy is going to have to double down on that move for Butler. He is going to have to make some sort of similar win-now type of move that has nothing to do with separate timelines or building for the future, and everything to do with trying to give Curry a chance to get one more championship before he calls it a career.
The best trade piece the Warriors have right now is Jonathan Kuminga. Sure, some of that value has reduced lately with Kuminga’s struggles, along with the fact that head coach Steve Kerr didn't even play him on Sunday against the Chicago Bulls.
Still, there are bound to be teams out there who are willing to take a chance on Kuminga based on his potential. The 23-year-old has flashed that before, showcasing that he can take over a game on offense and dominate in spurts. He is still young enough that perhaps with a little more refinement and fewer veterans in his way, he could have a chance to flourish.
Dunleavy’s job will obviously be to maximize whatever he can get in a trade for Kuminga. Maybe he could get a veteran starter like Nikola Vucevic in a trade with the Bulls, or reach even higher with an exciting offensive piece who would pair nicely with Curry and Butler.
Whatever Dunleavy does, it has to be with the intention of maximizing whatever championship window the Warriors currently have with their best three players in Curry, Butler and Draymond Green.