Dub Hub: Warriors reportedly wanted ‘both’ Paul George and Lauri Markkanen this offseason

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Tuesday, October 22nd.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Warriors reportedly had plans to trade for “both” Paul George and Lauri Markkanen this past offseason, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
• Warriors don’t extend Jonathan Kuminga before Monday’s deadline, per ESPN.
• 76ers announce they will be without Joel Embiid and Paul George for Wednesday’s season opener.

The Golden State Warriors were reportedly hoping to make a big splash this past summer in an effort to bolster their roster and give Stephen Curry the support needed to return to NBA title contention.

Two of the most prominent names linked to the Warriors were former Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George and Utah Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen. While landing one of these Western Conference All-Stars would have been a huge win for Dub Nation, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reports that the Warriors were ambitiously planning to acquire both players this offseason.

Via The Athletic:

When Dunleavy laid out the blueprint to Curry and Green, Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen wasn’t Plan B. He was a subsection of Plan A. The Warriors wanted both wings — believing George’s opt-out threat would allow them to protect the required assets to entice Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, and Markkanen’s reasonable $18 million returning salary could make the financials work.

“The conversation was always about that possibility,” Green said. “You get both of those guys, you make a huge splash. But the Clippers weren’t really willing to play ball. Then Danny Ainge was being Danny Ainge.”

In the end, neither deal materialized. The asking price proved too steep for Golden State, forcing them to shift gears. Instead, they opted to build quality depth, hoping that it will keep them competitive while leaving the door open for potential trade opportunities during the regular season.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Tuesday, October 22nd:

Warriors News:

Inside Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s second season and the Warriors’ chase for the next big fish | The Athletic

If George had been in tow, perhaps the Warriors would’ve unloaded everything left in the cupboard for Markkanen — all the first-rounders, second-rounders, swaps and young players the Jazz requested. Contention would’ve been a reasonable expectation.

But without George, it’s clear the Warriors didn’t like the price considering the return on investment. That’s what Dunleavy relayed to Kerr in that pre-free-agency meeting at Casa Del Mar.

“Mike is very sensible,” Kerr said. “He just said to me, ‘It doesn’t make sense to sell your entire future for a team that you think can be pretty good, but isn’t awesome, right?’ Especially at this stage with the ages of our stars.”

Dunleavy put it this way at his pre-camp news conference: “There’s no point in going all in to be slightly above average.”

Warriors don’t extend Jonathan Kuminga before deadline | ESPN

Kuminga believes in his talent and ability to progress into a star in the league, and the Warriors have seen statistics that measure his growth similarly to the early years of the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam and Boston’s Jaylen Brown.

The Warriors, however, prefer to view Kuminga’s growth this coming season. The fit between Kuminga and coach Steve Kerr is also something Warriors officials are monitoring, sources said.

Warriors announce their roster for the 2024-25 regular season opener

Why Kerr is faced with toughest task yet in 11th Warriors season | NBC Sports Bay Area

“The hardest thing for everybody this year – coaches and players – is that right now I would say we’ve got 13 players who look like they’re rotation players to me,” Kerr, entering his 11th season with Golden State, said last week.

The 13: Kyle Anderson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Buddy Hield, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, Brandin Podziemski, Lindy Waters III and Andrew Wiggins.

“Thirteen guys won’t play, so somebody is going to have to make that tough call,” Green told NBC Sports Bay Area.

Kerr reacts to the Moses Moody extension: “He’s earned this”

NBA News:

76ers rule out Joel Embiid for week, delay Paul George debut | ESPN

Embiid, who didn’t play in the preseason, will miss not just Wednesday’s game but also Friday’s game in Toronto and Sunday’s game in Indiana, despite the team saying he is “responding well to his individualized plan” and will ramp up his return-to-play activities this week, including going through scrimmages.

George will be reevaluated later this week after he suffered a hyperextended left knee that left him with a bone bruise Oct. 14 against the Atlanta Hawks.

Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. attending Lakers’ opener, hope to see LeBron-Bronny debut | NBA

“Yeah, it’s gonna be insane,” the 20-year-old Bronny said after practice Monday at the Lakers’ training complex. “I mean, only two families to do it, so it’s going to be a crazy experience, especially (with) what they’ve done.”

Bronny made it clear that he doesn’t know if he’ll actually get to play against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Lakers coach JJ Redick said “nothing has been finalized or anything” about Los Angeles’ playing rotation.

Yet it seems unlikely the Lakers will wait to make the moment of history they’ve been planning ever since the franchise chose Bronny with the 55th overall pick this summer to play with LeBron, the 39-year-old top scorer in NBA history. The father and son already played together in the preseason, first taking the court together outside Palm Springs earlier this month.

Rockets and center Alperen Sengun agree to a five-year, $185 million rookie extension, according to ESPN

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Kerr hoping to keep Curry’s minutes at 32 per game

It will be interesting to see how effectively the Dubs depth translates to regular-season basketball. If the Warriors preseason (where they went undefeated) is a sign of things to come, it should be easy to keep Curry’s minutes in the low-30s, which could go a long way toward keeping him fresh for a deep postseason run. However, if the team stumbles, it will not take long for the Warriors to face outside pressure to make a trade that consolidates several pieces into one bigger piece, and likely give Curry more playing time.

Follow @unstoppablebaby on Twitter for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.